Does 'VICARIUS FILII DEI' exist and can '666' be applied to it?

[reddogs]

Revelation 13:18
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.

Revelation 15:2
And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

Many people say the pope is the beast of Revelation 13, because his title adds up to 666, and is especially popular in Seventh-Day Adventists circles, but it's also widely repeated in some Protestant circles. Now Catholics reject it and question whether anyone can prove the pope's official title in Latin is Vicarius Filii Dei (Vicar Son of God) or the tiara really exists. Here is what I found in a response by Michael Scheifler:


"....I would like to offer my article at http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/666.htm in response. I personally have Lucius Ferraris' Prompta Bibliotheca, 1858 Paris edition, a Catholic theological encyclopedia, in which the title VICARIUS FILII DEI appears in volume 5, column 1828, under "PAPA" (Pope), "Article II." I have scanned the item and it appears in my article. Prompta Bibliotheca, according to the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia, is "a veritable encyclopedia of religious knowledge" and "will ever remain a precious mine of information" and is quoted frequently as an authoritative Catholic source.

Vicarius Filii Dei also appeared repeatedly in Catholic canon law for hundreds of years (Anselm's, Cardinal Deusdedit's, and Gratian's Decretum also known as Concordia Discordantium Canonum), in quotes of the Donation of Constantine which contained the title and was considered authentic by the Church for many hundreds of years, having been cited by as many as 10 Popes as proof of their temporal authority. One 1879 edition of Corpus Juris Canonici containing VICARIUS FILII DEI is presented in my article.
In "Crossing The Threshold of Hope", by Pope John Paul II: First Chapter: "The Pope": A Scandal and a Mystery, page 3, you will find:​

"The Pope is considered the man on earth who represents the Son of God, who "takes the place" of the Second Person of the omnipotent God of the Trinity".​

If you directly translate "represents the Son of God" into Latin, the official language of the Church, you get "Vicarius Filii Dei".
In my article I present the above and other evidence to show conclusively that VICARIUS FILII DEI is not a fraud, and that it was indeed used by the Catholic Church for well over 600 years. In fairness, I have included a link to your article from mine so that my readers can see a Catholic viewpoint on the matter. If you are so sure that VICARIUS FILII DEI is a fabrication, then I challenge you, in reciprocal fairness, to include a link to my article from yours to show the historical evidence to your readership...."

Now the next question I have is should christians or Seventh-Day Adventists even try to apply the number '666' as the means of identification by itself is so brief that it doesnt lend itself to any clear cut definition. Plus IMHO I feel that the meaning of the '666' number will be quite clear as the events unfold, we already have other verses that show what 'beast rise up out of the sea' is, so is it not a bit of overkill to try to apply the '666' number when we know who the 'beast' is.

Maybe some of the learned scholars on here can enlightened us as to the event and its significance that the '666, number of a man' has in identifying a specific 'man' in the time line of the end times prophecy.

http://biblelight.net/envoy.htm​

 

[Pickle]

I've found it intriguing that the seal of God of Rev. 7 is connected to the name of God in Rev. 14, and the mark of the beast is connected to the name of the beast. Both can go in the forehead.

There was only one in the Bible that literally wore God's name in his forehead. That was Aaron the high priest. He wore a miter, and on that miter was a golden plate engraved like a signet or seal which said, Holiness unto Yahweh.

Thus perhaps we should look for another high priest that wears or has worn a miter that has the beast's name on it, and if that name adds up to 666, we've likely found the fulfillment to the prophecy.

As far as Vicarius Filii Dei goes, it is interesting that the existence of any tiara at all, from what I can tell, is due to the Donation of Constantine, which contains the title in question. The papal coronation ceremonies used to include placing the tiara on the new pope's head, and that practice is said by historians to be due to the Donation of Constantine.

So the document that contains the title has been a very important one.

 

[Pickle]

What are the parameters within which we can discuss a topic like this on this forum? I'm not quite familiar with the rules.

 

[Sophia7]

What are the parameters within which we can discuss a topic like this on this forum? I'm not quite familiar with the rules.

The rules relevant to such topics have in practice been interpreted very strictly here at CF (as my husband mentioned in another thread, certain Reformers if alive today would probably not be allowed to post some of their views here), so please be careful in discussing such a topic, even in the Adventist forum. Keep in mind Rule 2.1:

[rule2.1]

You can find the list of CF rules here.

 

[Jimlarmore]

I understand the rules here. However, if rules over-ride the truth then what good are they? What some consider to be flaming others embrace as the gospel of Jesus Christ, i.e. muslims hate Christianity and in some cases Christians.

I think we need to be careful when trying to decide what is appropriate or not. There's a huge difference between someone trying to insite a reaction to debate or fight than telling the truth or laying out the facts of history. Clearly, if some of the reformers couldn't post here then maybe we should find another medium to witness on. If someone does not want to know the truth then we need to walk away and seek those who do seek the truth.

God Bless
Jim Larmore

 

[OntheDL]

Remember this is an ecumenical forum. See the logo on the top left corner. It says it all.

 

[OntheDL]

Maybe the mods can combine/append the two threads together.

http://www.christianforums.com/t4934616-in-search-of-the-mysterous-vicarius-filii-dei.html

Thanks,

 

[Sophia7]

I understand the rules here. However, if rules over-ride the truth then what good are they? What some consider to be flaming others embrace as the gospel of Jesus Christ, i.e. muslims hate Christianity and in some cases Christians.

I think we need to be careful when trying to decide what is appropriate or not. There's a huge difference between someone trying to insite a reaction to debate or fight than telling the truth or laying out the facts of history. Clearly, if some of the reformers couldn't post here then maybe we should find another medium to witness on. If someone does not want to know the truth then we need to walk away and seek those who do seek the truth.

God Bless
Jim Larmore

Keep in mind that the mods don't make the rules here, and we don't always agree with all of them. If you want a forum that allows more freedom of speech on certain topics, then perhaps other message boards would be more to your liking. However, at the same time, there are ways to say things--even controversial things--without flaming people.

 

[Sophia7]

Maybe the mods can combine/append the two threads together.

http://www.christianforums.com/t4934616-in-search-of-the-mysterous-vicarius-filii-dei.html

Thanks,

Merging the two threads would cause this one to be closed, and I don't want to do that. With the link that you have provided, though, people can read the previous thread and comment on it here. Just please be careful, everyone. We would prefer not to have to close threads.

 

[Sophia7]

Remember this is an ecumenical forum. See the logo on the top left corner. It says it all.

Don't worry; there's not much chance of getting all Christians to agree on anything at CF.

 

[Jimlarmore]

Keep in mind that the mods don't make the rules here, and we don't always agree with all of them. If you want a forum that allows more freedom of speech on certain topics, then perhaps other message boards would be more to your liking. However, at the same time, there are ways to say things--even controversial things--without flaming people.

The point I was trying to make Sophia is that no matter how one tells the truth some may be offended by it and deem it as flaming. That is where you guys come in and to my way of thinking need to be careful in your assessement of what is being said and how.

To me, it should be pretty obvious from the rhetoric that is being put out if they are intending to insite ill feelings or just to inform and to witness the truth. Some folks just don't want to hear the truth and if they are in high places of control here then indeed this may not be the place to witness for the Lord on "all truth, " just the truth according to what the leaders want to hear or put on their forum, right?

God Bless
Jim Larmore

 

[reddogs]

I've found it intriguing that the seal of God of Rev. 7 is connected to the name of God in Rev. 14, and the mark of the beast is connected to the name of the beast. Both can go in the forehead.

There was only one in the Bible that literally wore God's name in his forehead. That was Aaron the high priest. He wore a miter, and on that miter was a golden plate engraved like a signet or seal which said, Holiness unto Yahweh.

Thus perhaps we should look for another high priest that wears or has worn a miter that has the beast's name on it, and if that name adds up to 666, we've likely found the fulfillment to the prophecy.

As far as Vicarius Filii Dei goes, it is interesting that the existence of any tiara at all, from what I can tell, is due to the Donation of Constantine, which contains the title in question. The papal coronation ceremonies used to include placing the tiara on the new pope's head, and that practice is said by historians to be due to the Donation of Constantine.

So the document that contains the title has been a very important one.

So my question is, does the number '666' tell us something more specific than it is connected to the name of the beast and is a 'number of a man'?

 

[Jimlarmore]

I may be wrong about this but I am almost certain I read this and that most of the Roman rulers from Nero on adopted a name that would add up to 666. 666 was an allusion to the number for man and the number 6 symbolic of a snake eating it's tail. 7 on the other hand is the perfect number for God.

God Bless
Jim Larmore

 

[OntheDL]

We should make distinctions between biblical/hebrew meaning of numbers and the heathen numerology.

The hebrew meaning of numbers:
1. unity, 2. witness, 3. Godhead, 4. world/earth/creation of the world, 5. grace, 6. number of man, 7. perfection/completion, 8. new begining,

The heathen numerology:
1. male symbol/sun god, 2. female symbol/mother goddess, 3. pagan trinity of Baal, ishtar & Tammuz or IHS, 4. pagan cross, 5. spiritualism/pentagram, 6. serpent, 7. interchangable with 6, serpent/dragon, (7 headed dragon, Rev 12:3),

In most languages, the letter SIX starts with 'S': Latin:sex, German: sechs, Spanish:seis, Portuguese:shest, Chaldean:sas...

'S' is a pictograph a serpent in a upright/striking position. The hissing sound of 'S' is the sound of the serpent.

The Egyptian god, Uraeus, meaning "the one who rears up", was written on the mitre of the Pharoah, who was the incarnate or the vicar of their gods.

"Here is wisdom: let him who understandeth count the number of the beast..."

Many of the pagan names for sun god add up to 666. The greek word for Satan, "Teitan" adds up to 666.

The sun god's weapon is the thunderbolt. The thunderbolt is symbolized by the trident, a symbol of 666. Think about the medallion SDA GC's representative at World Confessional Family, the theological branch of World Council of Churches, presented the pope. It had thunderbolts coming from this cosmic christ.

There are 12 houses of zodiac, as each zodiac gods serpentine their way in the 18 degree zodiacal band, each zodiac house is divided into 3 rooms, 36 rooms total. Add 1 through 36, you get 666.

Since the fate of humanity depends on the stars according to astrology, our fate/salvation, the way to immortality depended on these creations in the skies other than Jesus.

Lucifer was a day star, the counterfeit of the bright and morning star: Jesus.

This is the very definition of the antichrist: the denial and the counterfeit of the only way of salvation: through Jesus.

 

[Pickle]

So my question is, does the number '666' tell us something more specific than it is connected to the name of the beast and is a 'number of a man'?

I think the symbolism that 666 is connected to, of names being in foreheads, does tell us something.

The number itself, since it is the amount of gold Solomon got in a year, may point to commercialism being involved in the last-day apostasy, which is indicated also by the language of Rev. 18, as well as Ellen White's comments on Ezek. 28:

"I ask our people to study the twenty-eighth chapter of Ezekiel. The representation here made, while it refers primarily to Lucifer, the fallen angel, has yet a broader significance. Not one being, but a general movement, is described, and one that we shall witness. A faithful study of this chapter should lead those who are seeking for truth to walk in all the light that God has given to His people, lest they be deceived by the deceptions of these last days (Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 17, p. 30)" (4BC 1162).
​

See also Ezek. 27.

 

[stray bullet]

Revelation 13:18
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.

Revelation 15:2
And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

Many people say the pope is the beast of Revelation 13, because his title adds up to 666, and is especially popular in Seventh-Day Adventists circles, but it's also widely repeated in some Protestant circles. Now Catholics reject it and question whether anyone can prove the pope's official title in Latin is Vicarius Filii Dei (Vicar Son of God) or the tiara really exists. Here is what I found in a response by Michael Scheifler:


"....I would like to offer my article at http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/666.htm in response. I personally have Lucius Ferraris' Prompta Bibliotheca, 1858 Paris edition, a Catholic theological encyclopedia, in which the title VICARIUS FILII DEI appears in volume 5, column 1828, under "PAPA" (Pope), "Article II." I have scanned the item and it appears in my article. Prompta Bibliotheca, according to the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia, is "a veritable encyclopedia of religious knowledge" and "will ever remain a precious mine of information" and is quoted frequently as an authoritative Catholic source.

Vicarius Filii Dei also appeared repeatedly in Catholic canon law for hundreds of years (Anselm's, Cardinal Deusdedit's, and Gratian's Decretum also known as Concordia Discordantium Canonum), in quotes of the Donation of Constantine which contained the title and was considered authentic by the Church for many hundreds of years, having been cited by as many as 10 Popes as proof of their temporal authority. One 1879 edition of Corpus Juris Canonici containing VICARIUS FILII DEI is presented in my article.
In "Crossing The Threshold of Hope", by Pope John Paul II: First Chapter: "The Pope": A Scandal and a Mystery, page 3, you will find:​

"The Pope is considered the man on earth who represents the Son of God, who "takes the place" of the Second Person of the omnipotent God of the Trinity".​

If you directly translate "represents the Son of God" into Latin, the official language of the Church, you get "Vicarius Filii Dei".
In my article I present the above and other evidence to show conclusively that VICARIUS FILII DEI is not a fraud, and that it was indeed used by the Catholic Church for well over 600 years. In fairness, I have included a link to your article from mine so that my readers can see a Catholic viewpoint on the matter. If you are so sure that VICARIUS FILII DEI is a fabrication, then I challenge you, in reciprocal fairness, to include a link to my article from yours to show the historical evidence to your readership...."

Now the next question I have is should christians or Seventh-Day Adventists even try to apply the number '666' as the means of identification by itself is so brief that it doesnt lend itself to any clear cut definition. Plus IMHO I feel that the meaning of the '666' number will be quite clear as the events unfold, we already have other verses that show what 'beast rise up out of the sea' is, so is it not a bit of overkill to try to apply the '666' number when we know who the 'beast' is.

Maybe some of the learned scholars on here can enlightened us as to the event and its significance that the '666, number of a man' has in identifying a specific 'man' in the time line of the end times prophecy.

http://biblelight.net/envoy.htm​

That title was never an official title of the Pope. You can quote someone referring to the pope as that, but that doesn't mean the Church ever considered it an actual title.

The pope keeps lists of official titles and it was never one of them.

Furthermore, protestants generally misunderstand and mistranslate the word 'vicarius'.English doesn't really have a proper word for it. It refers to positions in the past where someone would represent or speak for a person in their absence- such as an ambassador. It does not mean 'subsitute' or 'sits in the place of', because the representative can never substitute or take over that position. Rather, they help to speak for them in their absence. In this way, for Catholics, the Pope is the ambassador for Christ.

The Pope could never substitute or sit in the place of Christ, because Christ is part of the Trinity and sinless. The pope is just a man.

The title is in Latin and Revelation was written in Greek. The title in Greek would not add up to 666. I really don't understand digging through non-official titles of the pope in one language to fit a prophesy written in another.

Hope that cleared up the Catholic Church's position

 

[Sophia7]

That title was never an official title of the Pope. You can quote someone referring to the pope as that, but that doesn't mean the Church ever considered it an actual title.

The pope keeps lists of official titles and it was never one of them.

Furthermore, protestants generally misunderstand and mistranslate the word 'vicarius'.English doesn't really have a proper word for it. It refers to positions in the past where someone would represent or speak for a person in their absence- such as an ambassador. It does not mean 'subsitute' or 'sits in the place of', because the representative can never substitute or take over that position. Rather, they help to speak for them in their absence. In this way, for Catholics, the Pope is the ambassador for Christ.

The Pope could never substitute or sit in the place of Christ, because Christ is part of the Trinity and sinless. The pope is just a man.

The final fact remains, the title is in Latin and Revelation was written in Greek. The title in Greek would not add up to 666. Frankly, digging through non-official titles of the pope in one language to fit a prophesy written in another doesn't really make sense.

Hope that cleared up the Catholic Church's position

Thank you for explaining your position.

 

[Cliff2]

I've found it intriguing that the seal of God of Rev. 7 is connected to the name of God in Rev. 14, and the mark of the beast is connected to the name of the beast. Both can go in the forehead.

There was only one in the Bible that literally wore God's name in his forehead. That was Aaron the high priest. He wore a miter, and on that miter was a golden plate engraved like a signet or seal which said, Holiness unto Yahweh.

Thus perhaps we should look for another high priest that wears or has worn a miter that has the beast's name on it, and if that name adds up to 666, we've likely found the fulfillment to the prophecy.

As far as Vicarius Filii Dei goes, it is interesting that the existence of any tiara at all, from what I can tell, is due to the Donation of Constantine, which contains the title in question. The papal coronation ceremonies used to include placing the tiara on the new pope's head, and that practice is said by historians to be due to the Donation of Constantine.

So the document that contains the title has been a very important one.

I am sorry but we probably need to apologize to our Roman Catholic friends as Dr Sam B. has finally squashed all this talk about this issue.

There never was a papal tiara. It was painted on a pope with a crown on his head by an Adventist artist.

It was then sent to the printers who published it and it then became Adventist theology right through to this day.

As far back as the 1940's and 50's the GC told our evangelists not to use it as it cannot be established that it did ever exist.

Dr Sam B. has wrote about this now a number of years ago and brought it out into the open.

Now what do we do?

Well one thing for certain we can never use it again the way we have.

I can assure all that it takes nothing away from the main core of truth that as a Church we believe in.

It is a bit like looking at the risk signs of a person when looking at their health.

A person may not smoke but eats and drinks whatever is in front of him/her. You look at the overall picture and not concentrate your study on just one point.

We do not build up a doctrine on one text so do not build up this issue on one point such as 666.

Just because one sign has went does not take away all the other signs at all.

 

[Cliff2]

http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/endtimeissues/et_146.htm

http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/endtimeissues/et_145.htm

THE SAGA OF THE ADVENTIST PAPAL TIARA

During the past few weeks I have received several messages and telephone calls from fellow believers, who expressed their deep disappointment over the new symbolic interpretation of the number of Beast 666, presented in the previous newsletters. They believe that the traditional identification of the 666 with the pope’s title Vicarius Filii Dei—Vicar of the Son of God, is correct because such title is inscribed in the papal tiara and the numerical value of its letters add up to 666.

They reject any proof to the contrary, even if the reasons given in the Sabbath School Lesson of June 1-7, 2002, are very compelling. They view any departure from the traditional interpretation as disloyalty to the teachings of the Adventist church. Obviously, they ignore that the numeric interpretation of the number of the beast, has never been an official teaching of the Adventist church. Shortly, we will see that on several occasions the General Conference has discouraged such an interpretation.

Last Sabbath one brother raised this pertinent question during the questions/answers period of my seminar: “How can our traditional numeric interpretation of 666 be wrong when it is clearly presented and defended by Uriah Smith in his book Daniel and the Revelation? After all, Ellen White highly recommended this book, which Literature Evangelists have sold until it recent times, and our church has used for over a century as a reliable source for the study of Daniel and Revelation. How could our Adventist Church have accepted Uriah Smith’s interpretation for so long, if it were wrong?” This is a legitimate question that troubles some of our fellow believers—a question that deserves serious consideration.

One sister told me on the phone that her faith is badly shaken by the new symbolic interpretation of the number of the Beast. The reason she gave me is that the made the decision to join our Adventist church, the night when she heard the evangelistic sermon on “The Mark of the Beast.” She said: “When I learned that the pope is the beast of Revelation 13, especially because the title Vicarius Filii Dei is inscribed in his tiara and it adds up to 666, then I became convinced that the teachings of the Adventist church were correct and I decided to join the church.”

Discovering that one particular prophetic interpretation was inaccurate, can be unsettling for those who placed their faith upon it. I share the pain of those who feel confused or even deceived by what they were taught. But, covering up the mistakes of the past, will only postpone the solution of the problem.

The few passionate reactions against the symbolic interpretations of 666, reminds me of the fact that legends that capture popular imagination, never seem to die, no matter how incredible they might be. Coming from Rome, I am reminded of some of the popular legends that have become part of the Catholic religious culture.

An Example of the Undying Nature of Popular Legends

For example, the citizens on Naples gather every year on September 19 at the Treasure Chapel of their patron saint, Gennaro, to watch his dried blood preserved in two glasses, liquefy and become like the familiar red blood of a living being. San Gennaro’s devotees believe that if his blood liquefies on the anniversary of martyrdom, September 19, then the city will continue to enjoy his protection from cataclysmic events, such as the eruption of the Vesuvius, floods, earthquakes, or whatever threatens their health and prosperity.

This legend is so deeply rooted in the popular religious culture of the Neapolitans, that when in 1964 the Second Vatican Council attempted to stop such religious celebration, there was such an uproar in Naples, that the Vatican was forced to rescind its decision. The Vatican compromised by restricting the religious celebrations for San Gennaro only to Naples, excempting the rest of the country.

In 1980, when Naples fell victim to a devastating earthquake, the Neapolitans did not blame their patron saint for failing to protect them. Instead, they blamed the Vatican for discrediting the sainthood of San Gennaro. This example serves to show how difficult it is even for the Vatican to suppress a popular legend that does not conform to their canonical criteria.

What is true for the Catholic church, is also true to some extend for our own Adventist church. It is difficult, if not impossible, to uproot the popular belief in the alleged inscription Vicarius Filii Dei in the papal tiara. It would be presumptuous to assume that the recent research done by competent Adventist scholars and presented in a recent Sabbath School Lesson, will put to rest this popular Adventist belief that the number of the beast is found in the pope’s title inscribed in the papal tiara.

For the sake of those interested to know the facts, I will summarize in an outline bullet-point format the basic finding of my research. This brief repetition should help those who did not fully understand what I wrote in my previous newsletters. A full explanation of each point is provided in the newly recorded DVD powerpoint lecture on The Mark and Number of the Beast.

(to be continued)

 

[Cliff2]

Basic Facts About the Adventist Interpretation of the Number 666 of the Beast (Rev 13:18)

1) The Adventist pioneers early identified the Mark of the Beast with the enforcement of Sunday observance, but they were uncertain regarding the meaning of the Number of the Beast (666).

2) Initially, some Adventist pioneers, including J. N. Andrews, believed that the number 666 of the Beast was made up of approximately 666 Protestant sects who had accepted the authority and teachings of the Catholic Church.

3) Uriah Smith appears to have been the first Adventist leader to mention Vicarius Filii Dei as a possible interpretation of the number 666. His proposal first appears in an editorial published in The Review and Herald issue of November 20, 1866.

4) Eventually Uriah Smith’s interpretation became widely accepted due to the influence of his books Daniel and the Revelation and The United States in the Light of Prophecy.

5) The sources cited by Uriah Smith to support his identification of the number 666 with the pope’s title Vicarius Filii Dei, are the accounts of two eyewitnesses who claimed to have seen the inscription on the pope’s tiara while in Rome. One claimed to have seen the inscribed papal tiara in the Vatican Museum and the other witness during an Easter Mass celebrations. Both accounts are discredited by the fact that papal tiaras are not displayed in the Vatican Museum, nor does the pope wear the tiara for Mass celebrations. The three crowns gold Tiara has been used primarily for the coronation of the pope—a practice that has been discontinued by the latest three popes, John Paul I, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI.

6) A significant search for inscribed papal tiara was conducted in 1905 by Chas T. Everson, an Adventist missionary serving in Italy. At the request of several church leaders, especially Prof. William Prescott, a leading Adventist educator, Everson conducted a thorough investigation that providentially led him into the very dressing room of the pope, where some tiaras are kept.

In spite of his unique opportunity to view several tiaras at close range, Everson was disappointed in not finding the inscription Vicarius Filii Dei on any of them. He wrote: “But while we were pleased to see brilliant crowns, yet we were disappointed in not finding the object of our search; for the inscription Vicarius Filii Dei was nowhere to be found inscribed upon the tiara, as the accompanying photographs show very plainly.” He concludes his report, saying: “to be perfectly correct in our statements, we cannot say that there is an inscription of this nature on the tiara at present” (Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, July 27, 1905, p. 10).

7) One of the stunning pictures of the papal tiara sent by Everson to the General conference, was modified by an Adventist artist who added the words Vicarius Filii Dei to the golden tiara. The Southern Publishing Association used this “doctored” picture of the tiara in the revised edition of Uriah Smith’s Daniel and the Revelation. When confronted with the incriminating evidence, the General Conference gave immediate orders to stop the printing any further copies of the book, until the fraudulent pictures were removed.

8) Prescott requested an opportunity to make a presentation to the General Conference officers. Some of the officers were convinced by Prescott’s arguments, but others thought that the issue needed further study. At any rate, they all agreed that in the meantime “the interpretation should not be repeated.”


9) This episode was soon forgotten. Vicarius Filii Dei was a too neat fit to Revelation 13:18 to be easily abandoned, so it continued to be a popular interpretation, in spite of the action taken by the General Conference.

10) In 1935 Francis Nichols, editor of Present Truth, published an article alleging that Vicarius Filii Dei was the pope’s official title, inscribed in the papal tiara. As soon as the artitle appeared, the popular Catholic magazine, Our Sunday Visitor, challenged Nichols to produce the evidence or to stop using biased and dishonest anti-Catholic sources to make such claim. Nichols asked Prof. Prescott for help to justify the claim, but the professor responded that there was none.

11) Eventually a special study group was set up by the General Conference chaired by Elder Howell, hoping that some more reliable information might be found on the use of the pope’s title Vicarius Filii Dei. LeRoy Edwin Froom was sent on a special research assignment to the Vatican to seek information on the pope’s title Vicarius Filii Dei, but he found nothing of significance.

12) In 1948, LeRoy Froom, Editor of Ministry, issued a strong warning against the use of fraudulent tiaras in evangelistic meetings. He wrote: “In the name of truth and honesty this journal protests any such use by any member of the Ministerial Association of Seventh-day Adventist denomination (our worker body), of which The Ministry is the official organ. Truth does not need fabrication to aid or suppress it. Its very nature precludes any manipulation or duplicity. We cannot afford to be party to any fraud.” (The Ministry, November 1948, p. 35).

13) The warnings given by the General Conference and by Ministry did not stop the preaching and the writings on the pope’s title Vicarius Filii Dei, allegedly inscribed in the pope’s tiara. The reason was mentioned earlier. Legends that capture popular imagination, never seem to die, no matter how incredible they might be. This gives me reason to believe that no amount of compelling research done by competent and dedicated Adventist scholars, will ever succeed to suppress what has become an Adventist popular interpretation.

14) Recent Adventist studies on the book of Revelation have concluded that the traditional numeric interpretation of the number 666 of the Beast, lacks both exegetically and historical support. Thus, they have proposed a symbolic interpretation of the number 666 on the basis of exegetical and historical considerations.

15) The Seventh-day Adventist Church at large was informed about the new symbolic interpretation of the Number 666 of the Beast by the Sabbath School Lesson of June 1-7, 2002. The lesson dealt specifically with The Mark and Number of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18; 14:1). The principal author of the Sabbath School Quarterly is Angel Rodriguez, Ph. D. He has been serving for several years as the Director of the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference.

16) Regarding the Number of the Beast, Dr. Rodriguez writes: “The Number of the Beast. The mark, the name, and the number of the beast are closely related (Rev. 13:17). Many suggestions have been made to explain the meaning of 666. Here we must be very careful. The Bible does not say that the number is the added numerical value of the letters of a name. . . . Some see in the meaning of 666 a symbol of humanity separated from God. Humans were created on the sixth day, and the number can stand as a symbol for humanity without divine rest (the seventh day).”

Dr. Rodriguez concludes, saying: “At the present time, the symbolism of intensified rebellion, six used three times, and total independence from God seem to be the best option. Time will reveal the full meaning of the symbol” (Thursday, June 6, 2002).

17). Dr. Rodriguez continues giving three reasons for rejecting the traditional Vicarius Filii Dei interpretation. He writes: “First, it is not clear that this title is an official one.” My research has shown that Vicarius Filii Dei has been used as one of the papal title, but it is not the official title. The reason is that the pope has many titles, not ONE official title. The most common title is Vicarius Christi, which is similar to Vicarius Filii Dei.

18) The second reason Dr. Rodriguez gives is that the phrase “it is a human number” (v. 18), suggests that the number represents “humans separated from God.” This is an important point, ignored by most people, because the KJV inaccurately reads “it is the number of a man” (Rev 13:18). The key phrase in Greek reads “arithmos anthropou” (Rev 13:18), means “human number.” The phrase suggests that it is not the number of a name, but the number representing a human condition of rebellion against God. The triple six suggests a determined effort of the beast to promote the worship of himself, rather than of God.

19) The third reason given by Dr. Rodriguez for rejecting the Vicarius Filii Dei interpretation is that the text does not specify in which language is the numerical value of letters to be counted. He writes: “Third, those who insist in counting the numerical value of letters confront the problem of deciding which language will be used. Because the text does not identify any language, the selection of a particular one will be somewhat arbitrary.” (Friday, June 7, 2002).

This is a decisive observation. It is absurd to assume that the original recipients of Revelation could identify the number 666 with the pope’s title Vicarius Filii Dei. Why? For two reasons. First, this title was unknown in John’s day as it was coined eight centuries later in the forged Donation of Constantine. Second, the Latin language also was largely unknown to John and his Greek-speaking readers. His call for wisdom to understand the number 666 would have been senseless, if the information needed to understand the number was still eight centuries in the future, and if the language of the title was foreign to the recipients of the Revelation.

20) My personal reasons for accepting the symbolic interpretation of the number 666 presented by Dr. Rodriguez in the Sabbath School Lesson, are based on four major considerations:

(to be continued)