So, let me toss this into the mix of conjectures as to what St. John saw:
Former Muslim Walid Shoebat was looking at Revelation 13:18 in Greek, and noticed, because of his Arab (and formerly Muslim) background, that the Greek letters used to specify the number 666 (chi xi sigma), χξς — if each were rotated but left in order — closely resemble the Arabic symbols used for the “Bism Allah” — the phrase “In the name of Allah” — followed by the symbol of two crossed swords.
This is striking, because “In the name of Allah, most gracious, most merciful,” is the most commonly used phrase throughout all of Islam, and the crossed swords are used universally used to signify Islam, and found on virtually every letterhead within the Islamic world, as well as in the emblems or logos of most Islamic groups.
The specific conjecture is St. John DREW the symbols he saw, the crossed swords and Bism Allah, but when later scribes saw these unfamiliar symbols, they thought they were intended to be Greek letters, since that’s what they most appeared to them to be, and transcribed them as such.
Hence, the modern-day mystery, and all the conjecture.
NOT SAYING this is “The Answer” but... it’s about as good as any other I’ve heard, and FAR better than some.
Interesting.....
I’ve read commentaries which suggest the reasoning you’ve posted. There are interesting and the visual of the Arabic and Greek certainly parallel. While I don’t dismiss the suggestion, I find the words “wisdom to count” intriguing.
Thank you for reminding about the Arabic!