> ======= > | 666 | > ======= > > Since the early days of Christianity there has been much discussion as to the > significance of 666. One of the earliest to write on the subject was Irenaeus > (c. A.D. 130-c. 202). He identified the beast as the Antichrist, and believed > that the numerical values of the letters of his name would add up to 666. He > suggested the name Teitan, a name sometimes accounted divine, as having great > probability. He also suggested, but as much less probable, the name Lateinos, > this being the name of the last kingdom of the four seen by Daniel. At the > same time he warned that "it is therefore more certain, and less hazardous to > await the fulfillment of the prophecy, than to be making surmises, and casting > about for many names that may present themselves, inasmuch as many names can > be found possessing the number mentioned" (Against Heresies v. 30. 3; ANF, > vol. 1, p. 559). > > Since Irenaeus' day 666 has been applied to many names. The number alone > cannot identify the beast since numerous names can add up to 666. However, > inasmuch as the beast has already been identified (read Revelation chapter 13), > the number 666 must have a relationship to this power. Otherwise there would > be no valid reason for the angel giving John the information contained in v. 18, > at this point in the prophetic narrative. > > An interpretation that gained currency in the period following the Reformation > was that 666 stood for Vicarius Filii Dei, meaning "Vicar of the Son of God," > one of the titles for the Pope of Rome. The numerical value of the component > letters of this title totals 666 as follows: > > 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......1 501 501 > I.......1 __ 53 > U.......5* 53 112 > S.......0 --- > --- 666 > 112 > > This interpretation was based on the identification of the Pope as Antichrist, > the historic Reformation concept. The principal exponent of this > interpretation was Andreas Helwig (c. 1572-1643; see L.E. Froom, The > Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2, pp. 605-608). Many since his day have > adopted this interpretation. Inasmuch as this commentary identifies the beast > as the papacy, it also accepts this view as being the best thus far presented, > though recognizing that there may be more implied in the cryptogram than this > interpretation provides. > > Regarding the title Vicarius Filii Dei, the Catholic journal "Our Sunday > Visitor", of April 18, 1915, reported in answer to a query, "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" (p. 3). > The issue of November 15, 1914, admitted that the Latin numerals added > together total 666, but went on to declare that many other names also yield > this total. In the issue of August 3, 1941, page 7, the subject of Vicarius > Filii Dei came up again for discussion, and the statement was made that this > title is not inscribed on the pope's tiara. The tiara, it averred, bears no > inscription whatsoever (p. 7). The Catholic Encyclopedia distinguishes > between the mitre and the tiara by describing the tiara as a non-liturgical > ornament and the mitre as one worn for liturgical functions. Whether the > inscription Vicarius Filii Dei appears on the tiara or mitre is really beside > the point. The title is admittedly applied to the pope, and that is sufficient > for the purposes of this prophecy. > -Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, page 823-824 > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > 'Vicarious Filii Dei' adds up to 666 not only in Roman numerals (Latin), > but also in Greek & Hebrew. These 3 languages are mentioned together in > John 19:20 at the crucifixion: > > "This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus > was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, > and Greek, and Latin." > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > "It is worthy of note that the Douay Version of the Bible has the > following comment on Revelation 13:18: "The numeral letters of his name > shall make up this number." > > > 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......1 501 501 > I.......1 __ 53 > U.......5* 53 112 > S.......0 --- > --- 666 > 112 > > It has been argued that the title of the popes should be reckoned > according to the Greek gematria, since John wrote in Greek, but since the > title appears in Latin, and Latin is the official language of the Church of > Rome and the language of its adopted Bible, the Vulgate, such a procedure > would destroy the numerical value of that title in its own language. It would > seem reasonable that a Latin title should exhibit its Latin numerical values > rather than Greek letter volumes. > As to the practice of representing names by numbers we read: "It was a > method practiced among the ancients, to denote names by numbers." 43 > "Representing numbers by letters of the alphabet gave rise to a practice > among the ancients of representing names also by numbers. Examples of this > kind abound in the writings of heathens, Jews, and Christians." 44 > "It was a method practiced among the ancients, to denote names by > numbers: as the name Thouth or the Egyptian Mercury was signified by the > number 1218....It hath been the usual method in all God's dispensations, for > the Holy Spirit to accommodate His expressions to the customs, fashions, and > manners of the several ages. Since then this art and mystery of numbers was > so much used among the ancients, it is less wonderful that the beast also > should have his number, and his number is 666." 45 > This title, Vicarius Filii Dei, or some equivalent form of it, has > appeared so frequently in Roman Catholic literature and rituals for centuries, > that it scarcely seems necessary to add other proof of its validity and > importance. Some of the variations of the title are: Vicar of Christ, Vicar > of Jesus Christ, Vicar of God. A quotation from the noted Cardinal Manning > illustrates these various forms of the same title: "So in like manner they > say now, 'See this Catholic Church, this Church of God, feeble and weak, > rejected even by the very nations called Catholic. There is Catholic France, > and Catholic Germany, and Catholic Italy, giving up this exploded figment of > the temporal power of the Vicar of Jesus Christ.' And so, because the Church > seems weak, and the Vicar of the Son of God is renewing the Passion of his > Master upon earth, therefore we are scandalized, therefore we turn our faces > from him." Several other variations of this title are used elsewhere in this > same book. 46 > On the importance of the pope's position as indicated by the title under > consideration, or its equivalents, we quote from J.A. Wyllie, in his comment > on the Apology of Ennodius written in defense of Pope Symmachus: "We find the > council (of Rome, A.D. 502 or 503) convoked by Theodoric demurring to > investigate the charges alleged against Pope Symmachus, on the grounds set > forth by his apologist Ennodius, which were, 'that the Pope, as God's Vicar, > was the judge of all, and could himself be judged by no one.' 'In this > apology,' remarks Mosheim, 'the reader will perceive that the foundations of > that enormous power which the popes of Rome afterwards acquired were now > laid.' " 47 > In recent years the validity of this tile has been questioned, but > historical evidence remains that this arrogated title has served to support > the authority of the popes in building up their vast temporal supremacy during > the heyday of Romanism in medieval times, and in maintaining their spiritual > authority to this day. > The particular title Vicarius Filii Dei appeared as early as 752-774 in a > document historically known as the "Donation of Constantine." Though this > document was later proved to have been written by someone else and signed with > the name of Constantine the Great to give it the weight of his authority - a > practice not uncommon in medieval times - yet this so-called Donation of > Constantine was used as valid by at least nine of the popes over a period of > seven centuries or more in establishing the spiritual and temporal supremacy > of the bishops of Rome. > The title itself was obviously an invention to designate the office of > Peter as the first pope in harmony with the widely known claim of the Roman > Catholic Church that the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:18,19, conferred upon > Peter the first bishopric of the church - a view which Protestants have never > allowed - and that this bishopric descended to his successors in the papal > seat, as stated in the Donation of Constantine and maintained by the church to > this day. 48 > The document employing the title was confirmed by a church council, says > Binius, a high Roman Catholic dignitary of Cologne, quoted by Labbe and > Cossart. 49 It was incorporated in Roman Catholic canon law by Gratian, and > when this last-named work was revised and published, with endorsement by Pope > Gregory XIII, the title was retained. 50 > When Lucius Ferraris wrote his elaborate theological work about 1755, he > gave under the article "Papa" the title Vicarius Filii Dei, and cited the > revised canon law as his authority. Again when Ferraris's work was revised > and enlarged, and published in Rome in 1890, the document and title were still > retained. 51 > Of Ferraris's theological work just cited, the Catholic Encyclopedia says > that it "will ever remain a precious mine of information." 52 > We quote herewith from the Latin of the Donation of Constantine, > confirmed by a church council, incorporated in Roman Catholic canon law, > and cited by Ferraris: > "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 serenitatis mansuetudo habere videtur." 53 > Christopher Coleman translates this paragraph from the Canon law of > Gratian as follows: "As the blessed Peter is seen to have been constituted > Vicar of the Son of God on the earth, so the pontiffs who are the > representatives of that same chief of the apostles, should obtain from us and > our empire the power of a supremacy greater than the clemency of our earthly > imperial serenity." 54 > A freer translation by Edwin Lee Johnson, professor of Latin and Greek, > Vanderbilt University, reads: "Just as the Blessed Peter was appointed on the > earth vicar of the Son of God, so also it seems that the Pontiffs, his > successors, hold on earth the power of the chief rule rather than (that) His > Excellency, His Imperial Serene Highness on earth, (should hold it)." > > *The latin 'U' is written as a 'V'. > > 43 - Matthew Henry, Commentary, Vol. III, p. 1065, note on Revelation 13:18 > 44 - Adam Clarke, Commentary on the New Testament, Vol. II, p. 1025, note on > Revelation 13:18 > 45 - Thomas Newton, Dissertations on the Prophecies, Vol. II, pp. 298, 299 > 46 - Cardinal Manning, The Temporal Power of the Vicar of Jesus Christ, pp. > 140, 141 > 47 - J.A. Wylie, The Papacy, pp. 35, 36 > 48 - See Christopher Coleman, Constantine the Great and Christianity, p. 178 > 49 - P. Labbe and G. Cossart, Sacrosancta Concilia, Vol. 1, col. 1539-1541 > 50 - Corpus Juris Canonici, Lyons, 1622 > 51 - Lucius Ferraris, Prompta Bibliotheca (Rome, 1890), Vol. VI, p. 43, col. 2 > 52 - Catholic Encyclopedia, (1913), Vol. VI, p. 48, art., "Ferraris." > 53 - Lucius Ferraris, Prompta Bibliotheca (Rome, 1890), art., "Papa," II, Vol. > VI, p. 43 > 54 - Christopher B. Coleman, The Treatise of Lorenzo Valla on the Donation of > Constantine, p. 13 > > . >