FACTS OF FAITH By Christian Edwardson
Chapter 23 (Continued)
A Message For Our Times
THE BEAST
WITH TEN HORNS
John "saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven
heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns." Rev. 13:1. The fact
that it had "ten horns," the same as the fourth beast of Daniel 7:7,
23, 24, identifies it as a Roman power (see pages 34, 35), The next question to
settle will be whether this is Rome in its pagan or its papal state. The ten
horns represent the ten European kingdoms into which the Roman Empire was
divided between A.D. 351 and 476. On this beast the horns are crowned (Rev.
13:1), showing that the empire had been divided. The beast of Rev. 13:1-10
therefore represents papal Rome.
The dragon with ten horns (Rev. 12:3), which represents pagan
Rome, gave to the beast "his power, and his seat, and great authority." Rev. 13:2. The
"seat" of the Roman Empire was the city of Rome. How was this given
to the Papacy? Francis P. C. Hays (Roman Catholic) says:
(218) "When
the Roman Empire became Christian, and the peace of the Church was guaranteed,
the Emperor left Rome to the Pope, to be the seat of the authority of the Vicar
of Christ, who should reign there independent of all human authority, to the consummation
of ages, to the end of time." - "Papal
Rights and Privileges," pp. 13, 14. London: R. Washbourne, 1889.
Alexander C. Flick, Ph. D., Litt. D., says:
"The removal of the capital of the empire from Rome to
Constantinople in 330, left the Western Church practically free from imperial
power, to develop its own form of organization. the Bishop of Rome, in the seat
of the Caesars, was now the greatest man in the West, and was soon forced to
become the political as well as the spiritual head." - "The Rise of the Mediaeval Church," p.
168.
"And meekly stepping to the throne of Caesar, the vicar
of Christ took up the scepter to which the emperors and kings of Europe were to
bow in reverence through so many ages." - Rev. James P. Conroy, in "American Catholic Quarterly Review,"
April, 1911.
But let us consider the other marks used by the Holy Spirit
to point out this power. It cannot be a local government, confined to a certain
country, for "all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him." Rev.
13:8. and it must be a religious, rather than a civil, power; for it concerns
itself with the "worship" of the people. V. 4, 8. "There was
given unto him a mouth speaking great things," and he was "to make
war with the saints, and to overcome them" (Rev. 13:5, 7), just as the
"little horn" of Daniel 7:8, 21, 25. (See pp. 34-48.) All this could
apply to no other power than the Papacy.
THE NUMBER
666
The Scripture gives us still another earmark of this power.
We read: "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number
of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred
threescore and six." "The number of his name." Rev. 13:17, 18.
The note below the eighteenth verse in the Douay, or Catholic, Bible says:
"Six hundred sixty-six. The numeral letters of his name shall make up this
number."
CATHOLIC
AUTHORITIES
(219) In our
examination of this subject we shall first consult Roman Catholic authorities
to ascertain what sacred title they apply to the pope to denote his official
position and authority. Any one at all familiar with authentic Catholic authors
knows that their paramount and constant claim for the pope is that Christ
appointed St. Peter to be His vicar, or representative on earth, and that each
succeeding pope is the lawful successor of St. Peter, and is therefore
the "Vicar of the Son of
God" on earth. This official title in Latin (the official language of the
Catholic Church) is "Vicarius Filii
Dei." We find this title used officially in Roman Catholic
canon law, from medieval times down to the present. In the earliest collection
of canon law we read:
"Beatus Petrus in
terris Vicarius filii Dei videtur esse constitutus." - "Decretum
Gratiani," prima pars, dist. xcvi. Translated into the English
this would read: "Blessed Peter is seen to have been constituted vicar of
the Son of God on the earth." - "Decretum
of Gratian," part 1, div. 96, column 472, first published at
Bologna about 1148, and reprinted in 1555. Translation by Christopher B.
Coleman, Ph. D., in "The Treatise of Lorenzo Vallo on the Donation of
Constantine," p. 13. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1922.
The Catholic
Encyclopedia says of Gratian: "He is the true founder of the
science of canon law." - Vol. VI, art. "Gratian," p. 730.
The same Catholic authority says: "The 'Decretum' of Gratian was considered in the
middle of the twelfth century as a corpus
juris canonici, i.e. a code of the ecclesiastical law then in
force." - Id., Vol. IV, art. "Decretals,"
p. 671.
(220) It further
states: "It must be admitted that the work of Gratian was as near
perfection as was then possible. For that reason it was adopted at Bologna, and
soon elsewhere, as the textbook for the study of canon law....While lecturing
on Gratian's work, the canonists labored to complete and elaborate the master's
teaching." - Id., Vol. IX, art. "Law, Canon," pars.
"D" and "E," p. 62.
Different popes added their own decrees to the collection of
Gratian, as the following quotation will show:
"Thus by degrees the Corpus
Juris Canonici took shape. This became the official code of canon
law for Western Europe during the Middle Ages, and was composed of six books,
namely, the Decretum of
Gratian (about 1150), the Decretals of
Gregory IX (1234), the Sextus Of
Boniface VIII (1298), the Clementines of
Clement V (1313), the Extravagantes of
John XXII (about 1316), and the Extrabagantes
Communes, which contained laws made by succeeding popes." -
'The Papacy," Rev. C. Lattey, S. J., page 143. Cambridge, England: 1924.
After the Council of Trent, Pope Pius V had this "Canon
Law" revised.
"Pius V appointed (1566) a commission to prepare a new
edition of the 'Corpus Juris Canonici.' This commission devoted itself
especially to the correction of the text of the 'Decree' of Gratian and of its
gloss. Gregory XIII ('Cum pro munere,' 1 July, 1580; 'Emendationem,' 2 June,
1582) decreed that no change was to be made in the revised text. This edition
of the 'Corpus' appeared at Rome in 1582, in
aedibus populi Romani, and serves as examplar for all subsequent
editions." - Catholic Encyclopedia,
Vol. IV, art. "Corpus Juris Canonicci," pp. 392, 393. It was
reprinted verbatim in 1613 and 1622.
This is the standard text of canon law for the whole Roman
Catholic Church. Pope Gregory XIII wrote July 1, 1580, in his preface to this
corrected edition:
"We have demanded care in rejecting, correcting, and
expurgating....The Decree itself, without the glossae, exists now entirely
freed from faults and corrected,...as much the one without the glossae as the
entire one with the glossae...all recognized and approved...this body of
canonical law firmly grounded and incorrupted according to this model printed
at Rome by Catholic typographers....We wishing to proceed opportunely, so that
this canonical law thus expurgated, may come restored to all the
faithful...kept perpetually integrid and
incorruptible, motu proprio, and
from our certain knowledge, and from the plenitude of the apostolic power to
all and singly in the dominion of our sacred Roman Church." - Preface
to Corpus Juris Canonici, Gregorii
XIII, Pontif. Max. Auctoritate; in editions of 1582, 1613, 1622, and 1879.
(221) Of this
corrected "Corpus," or canon law, "published in 1582...by order
of Gregory XIII," and established by his authority, we read:
"The text of this edition, revised by the Correctores Romani, a pontifical
commission established for the revision of the text of the 'Corpus Juris,' has
the force of law." - Catholic
Encyclopedia, Vol. IV, art. "Decretals, Papal," p. 672, par.
3.
Notice that this revised edition of canon law "has the
force of law." In this canon law, which Pope Gregory XIII had corrected by
"the plenitude of the apostolic
power," so that it is "entirely freed from faults,"
we find the same statement: "Beatus
Petrus in terris vicarius Filii Dei esse videtur constitutus." -
"Corpus Juris Canonici, Gregorii XIII, Pontif. Max.
Auctoritate," Distinctio 96, Column 286, Canon Constantinus 14, Magdeburg,
1747.
"Moreover, custom has even given to several apocryphal
canons of the 'Decree' of Gratian the force of law." - Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. IV, art.
"Corpus Juris Canonici," p. 393.
In "Corpus Juris
Canonici Emendatum et Notis Illustratum Gregorii XIII. Pont. Max.,"
"Lvgdvn, MDCXXII," or "the Canon Law of Pope Gregory
XIII, of 1622," with the Pope's own "Preface," in which he
assures us of its being without flaw, we find the same: "Beatus Petrus in terris Vicarius filii Dei esse
videtur constitutus." Column 295.
We cannot see how any consistent Catholic can deny the
authenticity of this title without denying the infallibility of the pope. What
more authority can they desire?
(222) Before going
further let us apply the rule laid down in the Catholic Bible for counting the
number of his name. It says: "The numeral letters of his name shall make
up this number." - Note under
Revelation 13:18. In Bible times they did not use figures. we can
still see on dials of old clocks, in numbers given above chapters in the Bible,
and in dates inscribed on cornerstones, certain numerical values given to some
of the letters. In Latin, I stands for 1, V for 5, X for 10, L for 50, C for
100, D for 500, and M for 1,000. Originally we had no U, but V was used for U,
and V is often used for U today on public buildings, such as "Pvblic
Library," and our W is still written as a double V, not as a double U.
V……………………………………………………………………………………5
i……………………………………………………………………………………..1
c…........……....………………………………………………………………….100
a…………………………………………………………………………………….0
r……………………………………………………………………………………..0
i……………………………………………………………………………………..1
u…………………………………………………………………………………….5
s…………………………………………………………………………………….0
F…………………………………………………………………………………….0
i……………………………………………………………………………………..1
l………...…….........………………………………………………………………50
i……………………………………………………………………………………..1
i……………………………………………………………………………………..1
D………........……………………………………………………………………500
e…………………………………………………………………………………….0
i……………………………………………………………………………………..1
[This
totals] ……………………………………………………………………...666
The next Catholic authority we shall quote is F. Luccii
Ferraris, who wrote "a veritable encyclopedia" in Latin, of which
several editions have been printed by the papal church at Rome. The American
Catholic Encyclopedia says of Ferraris's great work that it "will ever
remain a precious mine of information." - Vol. VI, p. 48. From this
unquestionable Catholic authority we shall first quote its Latin statement, and
then give the English translation:
"Ut sicut Beatus Petrus
in terris vicarius Filii Dei fuit constitutus, ita et Pontifices eius
successores in terris principatus potestatem amplius, quam terrenae imperialis
nostrae seremitatis mansuetudo habere fidetur." ("As the
blessed Peter was constituted Vicar of the Son of God on earth, so it is seen
that the Pontiffs, his successors, hold from us and our empire the power of a
supremacy on the earth greater than the clemency of our earthly imperial
serenity.") - "Prompta Bibliotheca
canonica juridica moralis theologica" etc., Vol. VI, art.
"Papa," p. 43. Printed by the Press of the Propaganda, Rome: 1890.
(223) Henry Edward
Cardinal Manning of England, an extensive Roman Catholic writer, of high esteem
in his church, applies the same title to the pope, only using it in its English
translation. He says of the popes:
"The temporal power in the hands of St. Gregory I was a
fatherly and patriarchal rule over nations not as yet reduced to civil order.
In the hands of St. Leo III it became a power of creating empires. In the hands
of St. Gregory VII it was a scourge to chasten them. In the hands of Alexander
III it was a dynasty, ruling supremely, in the name of God, over the powers of
the world....So that I may say there never was a time when the temporal power
of the Vicar of the Son of God, though assailed as we see it, was more firmly
rooted throughout the whole unity of the Catholic Church.
"It was a dignified obedience to bow to the Vicar of the
Son of God, and to remit the arbitration of their griefs to one whom all wills
consented to obey." - "The Temporal
Power of the Vicar of Jesus Christ," pp. 231, 232, second edition.
London. Burns and Lambert, 1862.
The same year, this book was translated and published in
Italian, with the sanction of the church attached to it. The title "Vicar
of the Son of God" appears on pages 234, and 235 of that edition.
Philippe Labbe, "a distinguished Jesuit writer on
historical, geographical, and philological questions" (Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. VIII, pp. 718,
719), in his historical work "Sacrosancta
concilia ad regitionem exacta," Vol. I, page 1534 (Paris: 1671),
uses "Vicarius Filii Dei" as the official title of the pope.
Coming down to our own times, we shall call to the witness
stand a modern advocate of the Roman Catholic cause. Our Sunday Visitor, of Huntington, Ind.,
in its issue of April 18, 1915, gives clear testimony in this case. We quote it
in full:
"What are the letters supposed to be in the Pope's
crown, and what do they signify, if anything?
"The letters inscribed in the Pope's mitre are
these: Vicarius Filii Dei, which
is the Latin for Vicar of the Son of God. Catholics hold that the Church which
is a visible society must have a visible head. Christ, before His ascension
into heaven, appointed St. Peter to act as His representative. Upon the death
of Peter the man who succeeded to the office of Peter as Bishop of Rome, was
recognized as the head of the Church. Hence to the Bishop of Rome, as head of
the Church, was given the title 'Vicar of Christ.'
(224) "Enemies
of the Papacy denounce this title as a malicious assumption. But the Bible
informs us that Christ did not only give His Church authority to teach, but
also to rule. Laying claim to the authority to rule in Christ's spiritual
kingdom, in Christ's stead, is not a whit more malicious than laying claim to
the authority to teach in Christ's name. And this every Christian minister
does." - "Our Sunday Visitor,"
April 18, 1915, thirteenth question under "Bureau of Information," p.
3.
Later, when Roman Catholic authorities discovered that
Protestants were making use of the foregoing statements to identify the Papacy
with the antichristian power of Rev. 12:18, they attempted to repudiate the
contents of their former article. But that article was not written by some
contributor to their paper; it appeared in the "Bureau of
Information," for which the editorial
staff was responsible. And on page two of that paper appeared sanctions for the editor from Pope Pius
X, dated May 17, 1914; from the Apostolic Delegate, John Bonzano, dated April
27, 1913; and from J. H. Alerding, Bishop of Fort Wayne, Ind., dated March 29,
1912. If statements made under such high authorities are not trustworthy, we
would respectfully ask if their present denials are any more so?
To one versed in Catholic teaching and practice, there is
nothing uncommon in such denials, where the interest of the Church is at stake.
Cardinal Baudrillart's quotation on pages 64 and 245 of this book shows that
some Catholic authors "ask permission from the Church to ignore or even
deny" some historical facts, which they "dare not" face; and we
read in "History of the Jesuits,"
by Andrew Steinmetz, Vol. I, p. 13, that their accredited histories in common
use, 'with permission of authority,' [are] veiling the subject with painful
dexterity." - London. 1848.
(225) We shall
here refer to one other similar denial. In the Roman Catholic paper, Shepherd of the Valley, there appeared an
article by the editor, in which he stated: "If Catholics ever attain,
which they surely will, though at a distant day, the immense numerical majority
in the United States, religious liberty, as at present understood, will be at
an end." A Protestant lecturer, who made use of this quotation, was
bitterly arraigned in a double-column front-page article in the Catholic Standard and times for his false
statements regarding Catholics; for, it pointed out, if he had finished the
quotation with the words which followed, "so say our enemies," it
would have reversed its meaning. The incident would have passed off at the
expense of the Protestant lecturer, had not the Western Watchman of July 24, 1913, continued the quotation
still further, declaring:
"The whole quotation should read: 'If Catholics ever
attain, which they surely will, though at a distant day, the immense numerical
majority in the United States, religious liberty, as at present understood,
will be at an end. so say our enemies; so say we.'" - Quoted in "Protestant Magazine," October, 1913, p.
474.
Why those who tried to deny their former statements should
leave out the words, "so say we," is
very evident. But what can we think of those who publicly deny facts to screen their church from
unfavorable public opinions, unless they act from the motive that "the end
justifies the means," and that "heretics" have no moral right to
facts which they would misuse. (See also pages 64 and 65 of this book.)
We shall therefore continue to believe that the editors
of Our Sunday Visitor, in its
issue of April 18, 1915, page three, were perfectly honest and well informed on
the subject, and that the later denials are of the same class as those
mentioned above.
(226) Our Sunday Visitor in the aforementioned
quotation makes use of Vicarius Filii
Dei and "Vicar of Christ" as synonymous terms, and
Cardinal Manning does the same in his book, "Temporal
Power of the Pope." It cannot, therefore, be maintained, as some
do, that Vicarius Christi is
the only mode of spelling used as the title of the pope, although the shorter
rendering is used more often for brevity's sake. In fact Vicarius Christi is composite in its
origin, Vicarius being Latin,
while Christi is Latinized
from the Greek. It would hardly seem probable that learned Romanists would
adopt such a composite title to the exclusion of the pure, dignified, Latin
title, Vicarius Filii Dei, which
has been in use among them for centuries.
Of late, Catholic apologists have argued that the "name
of the beast in Rev. 13:17, 18 is a person name of a single individual, such as
Nero, and not the official title of a series of men as that of the popes would
be. But this would be entirely out of harmony with the context, for how
could one man make war with
God's people, and overcome them in every country, so that he would have power
"over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations"? Rev. 13:7. Then, too,
that power was to continue forty and two months (v. 5), which those apologists
claim to be literal. But how could one
man accomplish such a world task in forty-two literal months?
These forty-two months are twelve hundred and sixty prophetic
days (Rev. 11:2, 3), and in prophecy a day stands for a year (Ezekiel 4:6).
(Even Catholics acknowledge that a day in prophecy stands for a year. See note
under Daniel 9;24-27 in the Douay Bible. Father Reaves says: "The
prophet's weeks are, by all interpreters of the Holy Scriptures, understood to
include years for days." - "Bible
History," p. 345.) The forty-two months, or twelve hundred and
sixty days, of Revelation 13:5 are therefore twelve hundred and sixty years,
during which this power was to continue. But would not that period be quite a
long time for one man to live? This attempt made by Roman apologists to screen
the Papacy from being detected as the antichristian power of Revelation 13
appears too shallow to be seriously asserted by men who have made a thorough
study of Bible prophecy.
TESTIMONY
OF EYE-WITNESSES
(227) That the
title, Vicarius Filii Dei, has
been employed elsewhere than in Roman Catholic canon law is also asserted by
Rev. B. Hoffman:
"To Whom It May
Concern:
"This is to certify that I was born in Bavaria in 1828,
was educated in Munich, and was reared a Roman Catholic. In 1844 and 1845 I was
a student for the priesthood in the Jesuit College in Rome.
"During the Easter service of 1845, Pope Gregory XVI
wore a triple crown upon which was the inscription, in jewels, Vicarius Filii Dei. We were told that
there were one hundred diamonds in the word Dei; the
other words were of some other kind of precious stones of a darker color. There
was one word upon each crown, and not all on the same line. I was present at
the service, and saw the crown distinctly, and noted it carefully.
"In 1850 I was converted to God and to Protestantism.
Two years later I entered the Evangelical Church ministry, but later in life I
united with the Presbyterian Church, of which I am now a retired pastor, having
been in the ministry for fifty years.
"I have made the above statement at the request of Elder
D. E. Scoles, as he states that some deny that the pope ever wore this tiara.
But I know that he did, for I saw it upon his head."
"Sincerely yours in Christian service, (Signed) "B.
Hoffman. "Webb City, Mo., Oct. 29, 1906." - "Review and
Herald," Dec. 20, 1906.
The author of this book has photostats of the papal passport
held by Rev. B. Hoffman, and of a signed letter from him stating the same facts
as are given in the above statement. His testimony is confirmed by that of M.
De Latti and others.
(228) Statement of M. De Latti to D. E. Scoles. - "M.
De Latti...had previously been a Catholic priest, and spent four years in Rome.
He visited me when I was pastor in St. Paul, Minn....He stated that he had
often seen it [the crown with this inscription] in the museum of the Vatican,
and gave a detailed and accurate description of the whole crown....
"De Latti...said the first word of the sentence was on
the first crown of the triple arrangement, the second word on the second part
of the crown, while the word Dei was
on the lower division of the triple crown. He also explained that the first two
words were in dark-colored jewels, while the Dei was
composed of diamonds entirely." - D. E. Scoles, in "Review and
Herald," Dec. 20, 1906.
Statement of Thomas
Whitmore. - "'Some time ago, an English officer happening to
be at Rome, observed on the front of the mitre which the pope wore at one of
the solemnities, this inscription: "Vicarius
Filii Dei." It instantly struck him - perhaps this is
"the number of the beast." He set to work: and when he had selected
all the numerals, and added them up, he found, to his great astonishment, that
the whole amounted to precisely six hundred and sixty-six. What stress is to be
laid on this I cannot say.
"'Vicarivs Filii Dei
V………...5 I……......1
D…...…500
I……….…1 L…...…50
I…..…...…1
C…........100 I...…....…1
[totals] 501
I……….…1 I.……......1
V…………5 [totals] 53
[totals] 112
[This totals] 112 + 53 + 501 = 666
"Thus it will be seen, that by taking from the title
'Vicarivs Filii Dei' [Vicar of the Son of God], the letters which are commonly
used as numerals, they make up the number of the beast." - "A Commentary on the Revelation of St. John the Divine,"
p. 231. Boston. 1856.
(229) Testimony of
Dr. H. Grattan Guinness. - "An English officer of high rank, who in the
year 1799, by a special favor, was given the opportunity, while in Rome, to get
a close view of the Pope's jewels and precious things, discovered thereby, that
the papal tiara bore this inscription: 'Vicarivs Filii Dei.'
"When you take out the Latin letters, which have numeral
value, and which still are used to represent numbers, and which are: V, I, C,
L, and D, these letters form the number given below. In these Latin words there
are two V's, which letter denotes 5, six I's denoting 1, one C, which denotes
100, one L, which denotes 50, and one D, which denotes 500, thus: V, V = 10; I,
I, I, I, I, I, = 6; C = 100; L = 500, the sum 666." - "Babylon and the Beast," p. 141; quoted in
"Kyrkans Strid och Slutliga Seger," Professor S. F. Svensson, pp.
126, 128. Stockholm. 1908.
THER
PROTESTANT WITNESSES
Robert Fleming, V. D. M., wrote a book entitled "Apocalyptical Key. An Extraordinary Discourse on the
Rise and Fall of the Papacy." It was published in London, 1701,
1703, and 1929. In the 1929 edition, p. 48, we read that an "explication
may be found in the title which the Roman pontiff has assumed, and which is
inscribed over the door of the Vatican, 'Vicarius Filii Dei' (Vicar of the Son
of God). In Roman computation this contains the number 666, as will be seen
below.
V…………5 F..……0
D……500
I………….1 I...……1
E… ……0
C……...100 L…....50
I…..…….1
A……....…0 I……...1
R…………0 I…...…1
I………….1
V…………5
S…………0 In all 666."
TESTIMONY
OF R. C. SHIMEALL
(230) "It is
to be observed as a singular circumstance, that the title, vicarivs filii dei (Vicar of the Son of
God), which the Popes of Rome have assumed to themselves, and caused to be
inscribed over the door of the Vatican, exactly makes the number of 666, when
deciphered according to the numeral signification of its constituent letters,
thus:
Vicar of the Son of God
V I C A R I V S F I L
I I D E I
5-1-100 1-5
1-50-1-1 500 -- 1
Added together thus:
V…………5
I……….…1
C...........100
A……........0
R……........0
I…….........1
V.……........5
S…........….0
F…….........0
I……...........1
L…….......50
I…………...1
I…………...1
D……....500
E………….0
I…………...1
[totals] 666" -"Our Bible Chronology, Historic and Prophetic,
Critically Examined and Demonstrated," R. C. Shimeall, p. 180. New
York: a. S. Barnes and Co., 1867.
Appended to the above is a footnote, giving the author's
reply to a correspondent:
"Answer to a Querist....
(231) "Sir, -
In answer to your observation and queries, permit me to say - the things I have
asserted are stubborn, clear facts, not mere suppositions or fancies.
"The inscription in question, was actually written over
the door of the Vatican at Rome, in express Latin words and characters, as
inserted in this publication, viz., VICARIVS FILII DEI; and those Latin words
and characters contain Latin numerals to the amount of 666, exactly
corresponding with the number of the beast.
"With respect to the supposition you have conjured up,
that the Pope might be called Vicarius
Christus, or Vicarius Christus Filii Dei (a sort of gibberish that
is neither Latin, German nor English), it is a matter I have nothing to do
with. Mr. D. may adopt these or any other fancies to amuse himself, and to
screen the head of his holiness, but when he has done all, this question will still
remain to be answered: Have those inscriptions ever appeared over the door of
the Vatican at Rome?
"As to Mr. D's attempting to obscure the number of the
beast 666, contained in the numerals of the words VICARIVS FILII DEI, by
objecting to a V; however the Pope or his emissaries may be obliged to him for
his kind exertions on their behalf, yet I presume neither of them will
condescend to appear his humble fool in Latin, for the sake of sheltering
themselves under his ignorance of the Latin alphabet and the ancient
inscriptions." - Id., p. 180.
Dr. S. T. Bloomfield gives us the following rule for finding
the number:
"It means the number which is made up by reducing the
numeral power of each of the letters of which the name is composed, and
bringing it to a sum total." - "Greek
Testament with English Notes," Note on Rev. 13:17, Vol. II, p. 175.
Samuel Hanson Cox, D.D.
- "Can they [Protestants] accord to the present dominant
Gregory, the pompous titles which he claims - VICARIUS FILII DEI, Vestra
Sanctitas, Servus Servorus Domini, with other profane and blasphemous
appellations without end?" - Introduction to Bower's "History of the Popes," Vol. I, p. x.
Philadelphia: 1847.
(232) The fact
that some may have seen a crown at the Vatican which did not have the above
inscription does not disprove the statements of the men who saw the crown that
has the inscription; for according to a copyrighted news report from Milan,
Italy, dated December 11, 1922, and published in the Des Moines (Iowa)
Register, December 12, 1922, the pope has five crowns, the last one made being
decked with two thousand precious stones. The important part is not that the
inscription Vicarius Filii Dei is
on the pope's tiara, but that it is the official title of the popes, that it
designates their official position, and is given to them at their coronation,
just as the head of the United States government is called
"President," without it therefore being necessary for him to wear
that title on his hat.
Mr. H. S. Weaver, of Baltimore, Md., wrote to James Cardinal
Gibbons, of the same city, under date of January 18, 1904, inquiring:
"Does the inscription, 'Vicarius filii Dei,' appear on
the crown or mitre of the pope, or has it at any time in the past appeared on
the crowns or mitres of any of the popes?"
"Yours sincerely, (Signed) "H. S. Weaver."
To this the Cardinal answered through his secretary:
"Baltimore, Md., Jan. 26, 1904.
"Mr. H. S. Weaver., Dear Sir:
"In reply to yours of 18th inst., I beg to say that I
can not say with certainty that the words, 'Vicarius filii Dei,' are on the
pope's tiara. But the words are used by the cardinal who imposes the tiara at
the coronation of a pope.
"Yours truly, (Signed) "Wm. T. Russut,
Secretary."
-"Bible Footlights," pp. 210, 211, edition of 1907.
The New Catholic Dictionary says:
(233) "Tiara,
papal crown....It is placed on his head at his Coronation by the second
cardinal-deacon, with the words: 'Receive the tiara adorned with three crowns
and know that thou art Father of princes and kings, Ruler of the world, Vicar
of our Saviour Jesus Christ.'" - The
New Catholic Dictionary, art. "Tiara," p. 955.
We have already seen that Catholics have several free
translations into English of the Latin title, "Vicarius Filii Dei."
Some try to find in the Greek word Lateinos, or
the Latin Empire of the Papacy, a fulfillment of Revelation 13:18 (see "Bishop Newton on the Prophecies," pp.
548-550), but there is no need of going to the Greek. For while it is true that
the apostles used mostly the Aramaic and the Greek, Latin was the official
language of Rome, the world empire at that time. The Romans everywhere used
Latin, all their laws were written in that language, and Latin has remained the
official language of the Papacy to this day. The apostle was prophesying of a
strictly Latin power, whose language was in use in his day, and it is quite
common for Bible writers to borrow foreign words and phrases belonging to the
subjects of which they are speaking. (John 19:20; Revelation 9;11; 16:16.)
Then, too, the power represented by Revelation 13:1-10, 17,
18, must not only have the name indicated, but must also fulfill all the other
specifications in this prophecy, and the Papacy does this. M. James Durham,
Professor of Divinity in Glasgow (1658), says:
"He that hath all the characters of Antichrist's
doctrine, and hath a name which, in the numeral letters, makes up 666, he is
Antichrist. But to the Pope both these do agree." - "A Commentary Upon the Book of Revelation,"
Rev. 13:18, p. 491. Glasgow. 1680.
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