Vicarius Filii Dei. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

Vicarius Filii Dei (Representative of the Son of God) is a phrase first used in the forged medieval Donation of Constantine to refer to Saint Peter, a leader of the Early Christian Church and regarded as the first Pope by the Catholic Church. Its interpretation has been disputed, at times, during the past four centuries.

Origins and uses of the phrase:

The earliest known instance of the phrase Vicarius Filii Dei is in the Donation of Constantine, now dated between the eighth and the ninth centuries AD.

It et cuncto populo Romanae gloriae imperij subiacenti, ut sicut in terris vicarius filii Dei esse videtur constitutus etiam et pontifices, ...

The Catholic Encyclopedia states that "many of the recent critical students of the document, [i.e. Donation of Constantine] locate its composition at Rome and attribute the forgery to an ecclesiastic, their chief argument being an intrinsic one: this false document was composed in favour of the popes and of the Roman Church, therefore Rome itself must have had the chief interest in a forgery executed for a purpose so clearly expressed".

However, it goes on to state, "Grauert, for whom the forger is a Frankish subject, shares the view of Hergenröther, i.e. the forger had in mind a defence of the new Western Empire from the attacks of the Byzantines. Therefore it was highly important for him to establish the legitimacy of the newly founded empire, and this purpose was especially aided by all that the document alleges concerning the elevation of the pope.

Gratian excluded it from his "Decretum". Later it was added as "Palea". It was also included in some collections of Greek canons. As a forgery it currently carries no dogmatic or canonical authority, although it was previously used as such for hundreds of years in the past.

The title "Vicarius Filii Dei" appeared again in Our Sunday Visitor, a Catholic journal. An article in the April 18, 1915 issue of 'Our Sunday Visitor' had the following question and answer:

What are the letters on the Pope´s crown and what do they signify if anything?

The letters on the Pope's crown are these: Vicarius Filii Dei, which is a Latin for Vicar of the Son of God.

An example of a papal tiara. Contrary to some claims, no tiara has ever been inscribed with the phrase Vicarius Filii Dei.

This has been used by some groups as evidence for the claim that the phrase appears on the papal tiara (see below). However, the writer of the article later withdrew his statements. A rebuttal was mentioned in a 1922 edition of the journal:

The Pope claims to be the vicar of the Son of God, while the Latin words for this designation are not inscribed, as anti-Catholics maintain, on the Pope's tiara.

Protestant view:

Some individual Protestants of varying denominations view the Pope as the Antichrist, or like one. Once a common belief among Protestants and is still part of the confession of faith of some Protestant churches, such as those within Confessional Lutheranism. Some groups like Seventh-day Adventist controversially identify the Roman Papacy with the “Number of the beast” (666) from the book of Revelation, and believe that the phrase Vicarius Filii Dei, reduced to its Roman numerals, sums up to 666, where 'U' is taken as 'V' (two forms of 'v' developed in Latin, which were both used for its ancestor 'u' and modern 'v'). To produce 666, the sum works as follows: VICARIVS FILII DEI = 5+1+100+1+5+1+50+1+1+500+1 = 666.

The earliest extant record of a Protestant writer on this subject and addressing the phrase Vicarius Filii Dei is Andrea Helwig in 1612. In his work Antichristus Romanus he took fifteen titles in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin and computed their numerical equivalents in those languages, arriving at the number 666 mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Out of all these titles, he preferred to single out Vicarius Filii Dei, used in the Donation of Constantine, for the reason that it met "all the conditions which [Cardinal] Bellarmine had thus far demanded." Besides being in Latin, the title was "not offensive or vile," but rather was "honorable to this very one."

Helwig suggested that the supposed title was an expansion of the historical title Vicarius Christi, rather than an official title used by the Popes themselves. His interpretation did not become common until about the time of the French Revolution.

Some later Protestant figures claimed that Vicarius Filii Dei was an official title of the Pope, with some saying that this title appeared on the papal tiara and/or a mitre.

Seventh-day Adventist views:

In 1866, Uriah Smith was the first to propose the interpretation to the Seventh Day Adventist Chruch. In The United States in the Light of Prophecy, he wrote:

The pope wears upon his pontifical crown in jeweled letters, this title: "Vicarius Filii Dei," "Viceregent of the Son of God;" the numerical value of which title is just six hundred and sixty-six The most plausible supposition we have ever seen on this point is that here we find the number in question. It is the number of the beast, the papacy; it is the number of his name, for he adopts it as his distinctive title; it is the number of a man, for he who bears it is the "man of sin."

Prominent Adventist scholar J.N. Andrews also adopted this view. Uriah Smith maintained his interpretation in the various editions of Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation, which was influential in the church. Regarding 666, Ellen White stated:

I saw all that "would not receive the mark of the Beast, and of his Image, in their foreheads or in their hands," could not buy or sell. I saw that the number (666) of the Image Beast was made up; and that it was the beast that changed the Sabbath, and the Image Beast had followed on after, and kept the Pope's, and not God's Sabbath. And all we were required to do, was to give up God's Sabbath, and keep the Pope's and then we should have the mark of the Beast, and of his Image.

—A Word To The Little Flock, p. 19, Ellen White

Catholic response:

Catholic apologists answer the Protestant claims by noting that "Vicarius Filii Dei" has never been an official Papal title. They also argue that even if it were a Papal title, that wouldn't be sufficient to associate the Pope with the number of the Beast, as, for example, the name of Ellen Gould White can also be similarly manipulated to get the same number (ELLen GoVLD VVhIte 50+50+5+50+500+5+5+1=666). Likewise, a similar construction involving Barney the CVte pVrpLe DInosaVr is a staple of anti-Barney humour.

They answer the claims that "Vicarius Filii Dei" is written on Papal Tiara by stating that merely looking at any of the more than 20 papal tiaras still in existence—including those in use in 1866 during the reign of Pope Piu IX when Uriah Smith made his claim—plainly shows that not even one of them has any such inscription, nor is there any evidence that any of the earlier papal tiaras destroyed by invading French troops in 1798 had any such inscription either.

PETA Begins Siege of Gaza In Response to Hamas Capture of Israeli Spy Dolphin. (By Danny Nash).

It’s been quite a few years since the world has seen Pamela Anderson, renowned PETA activist, storming a beach – but that may soon change. Wednesday, Hamas announced that it has captured a dolphin serving as a trained Israeli spy. In response, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a U.S. based group of zealots activists, announced that they would not rest until the dolphin is freed. Anderson herself delivered a statement on behalf of the organization, saying, “Animals should get all the consideration that humans get under the Geneva Convention! We demand updates as to the health and status of our dolphin friend! We hope Hamas treats this illegally kidnapped POW a damn sight better than the last one. What was his name again?.

Hamas announced via Twitter that they would be keeping the cetacean in an undisclosed location until demands on Israel are met. While Israel has dismissed the claim that dolphins are utilized as spies, PETA has announced that it will begin a ground invasion if the dolphin is not released promptly. “We have already implemented an embargo on the Gaza Strip, and no goods will be flowing into or out of the territory,” announced Anderson. “Do not test us, Hamas. We took on Obama for killing a fly. What do you think we’ll do to you for hurting a dolphin?” We approached Hamas for a comment, asking them what they thought of PETA. “It’s delicious,” they responded, “especially will some humus! Why are you asking us this?”

http://www.themideastbeast.com/peta-begins-siege-of-gaza-in-response-to-hamas-capture-of-israeli-spy-dolphin/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=socialnetwork

                                                                                        Not so bad point of view...