Vicarius Filii Dei by Uriah Smith

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, Cal. · May 20, 1875

Vicarius Filii Dei.

By Uriah Smith

THIS is the title which the pope of Rome wears in jeweled letters upon his miter or pontifical crown. It means, Vicegerent of the Son of God. In Thoughts on the Revelation, this title is referred to as that which probably contains the number of the beast, 666, Rev. 13 : 18. A correspondent asks us to give the numerical value of the letters found in this name to make that number.

The letters of this name anciently used as numerals, are as follows : v, 5; i, 1; c, 100; a, not used as a numeral; r, not used as a numeral; i, 1; u, anciently the same as v, 5; s, not used as a numeral; f, not used as a numeral; i, 1; l, 50; i, 1; i, 1; d, 500; e, not used as a numeral; i, 1.

We thus have the numbers, 5, 1, 100, 1, 5, 1, 50, 1, 1, 500, 1, which added together make just 666. It also answers admirably to the prophecy in the two remaining particulars; namely, it is “the number of a man,” the “man of sin ;” and it is the number of his name, this being his official title. — U. S.