Turkish writer/researcher Burak Eldem (Istanbul, 2003)

proposes an unorthodox explanation for the enigmatic Number of the Beast (numero
logy) by proposing a misinterpretation: The orbital period of Planet X or Marduk
(planet) was 3661 years; and this number was written as a "three wedges in a ro
w" in Mesopotamian sexagesimal mathematics. The sign for number 1 was used three
times for 3600 (Shar), 60 (Ges) and 1 (As) respectively which made 3661 in tota
l. And the cuneiform sign for "1" was very much alike the Hebrew letter "Waw" or
"Vav", which had "6" as numerical value. As Eldem puts the matter in his book,
Hebrew priests apparently adopted the "secret number" of Marduk and misinterpret
ed the sign as "666", or, "three Vav's". Because Marduk was the enemy's god, thi
s number eventually became the "mark for Devil's Servant", and later "Anti-Chris
t"s sign in Christianity.