The logic behind the Merovingian
Omega and I have had many "discussions" about this very thing as I have made the arguement, even though I did not (and still do not) believe it to be true. After refining many of my arguements, and other theories, I became satisfied with a rather simple explination - which would be supported by the Ockham's Razor theory.
I have posted this before, and I'm asking Omega to place this in the Matrix FAQ/Encyclopedia thread. (I believe you made one, didn't you?)
While it is true that the Merovingian has much in the way of symbolism to suppor the theory that he is A previous anomaly, his character would be fundamentally flawed.
First a brief history: the Merovingians were a line of French Kings who believed they were decendants of Jesus of Nazarith, heir to the Kingdom of Soloman, and Mary Magdeline, currently believed to be a prostitute, but much evidence, now supports otherwise. The Roman Emporer Constintine, a Pagan emporer 500 years after Christ, face the problem of a growing religion, thus to merge an empire on the brink of religious civil war he fused current pagan beliefs with Christian beliefs, and you can still find pagan symbolism in much of Christianity today (think about the priests pulpit at church that has the 'X' and 'P' like symbols overlapping each other - that is a Runic Talisman from a pagan religion in the French/German/Norwegian areas of Europe). Many books were left out of todays version of the bible, and destroyed so that the more mortal characteristics of Jesus would be lost, but some scrolls, like the Dead Sea Scrolls, survived. Now it is becoming known that Mary Magdeline very well could have been heir to the House of David (the Soloman and David kingdoms were most powerful), and the prostitute image given to her by the church to defame her status.
That said, Persephone, which is iconically simular to Mary Magdeline in Greek Mythos, though has a more sinister, albit nieve, charicteristic as the Bride of Hades (Ruler of the underworld, brother of Zues).
That is important, and most basic, to understanding that is needed to make these arguements.
Arguments for the Mero as a previous anomaly:
Persephone's comments about "He was like you" (weak evidence, because it's to vague)
The Merovingian name itself, refering to a devine source
His relationship with Persephone
His business as a "Trafficer of information" refering to being omnicent
Refering to Seraph as "Judas"
Etc
The problem starts with "How did he, then, become a program?" One way would be if MWAM exsisted - which we learned does not. Another way would be if he were able to replicate himself like Smith - and that was the most plausable so that's the arguement I have made in the past. The problem is that Smith is a virus. As a hacker, one can alter computer programing code, but one cannot attach one's self to said code. Smith's cataclysmic power was that Neo altered Smiths code and by doing so removed any AI reasoning ability or program safelocks causing him to infect everything he possibly could in order to destroy Neo - or balance out the equation. This means that all anomalies could NOT replicate themselves, so the Mero could not have safely restarted the matrix AND become an entity within the matrix. Another important clue is the Mero's name itself!
The line of King's known as the Merovingions did not appear until hundereds of years AFTER Jesus. Meaning Jesus WAS NOT a Merovingian King, but the ancestor of them. That's a big hint because we KNOW that the first Matricies did not function correctly.
With that background here is my theory:
The Merovingian is the result of Neo and his predecessors. The first Matricies did not function correctly, and when choice was programmed into the matrix, the Architect created a program that's sole purpose was to influence choice. To do this, he would have to be hardwired in at a very high level in the system allowing him to read the humans who are plugged in. His function would be to change the anomalies rejection of the matrix programming by influancing their subconcious choice into accaptance. He failed miserably because the subconcious is an internal human thought process that is not influanced by outside stimuli, though it can read and sort through such stimuli.
Because the Merovingian failed, he became a rouge program and, with the help of the trainman, helps other programs hide in the system. My description of his programmed function inside the matrix would account for his very cocky personality (feeling god-like), his devoute belief in Causality and that there is no choice "Choice is an illusion created by those with power [me] for those without [humans]", and it would account for him being a "Trafficer of information."
Persephone is displays to much of the sinister side of the Greek mythos and little to none of the Magdeline persona to take her for more than a seductive woman only looking out for her own intrests, who is cunning, manipulative, dark, and mysterious. So she cannot be used very well in the argument for the Mero as a previous anomaly.
If there are any other arguments for the Mero as a previous anomaly that I skipped over, I apologize - it has been awhile since I've gone over this information. If you really want to hear my thoughts on it - PM me 'cause I know some people get tired of my long posts! 😛