Is there any genuine picture of the papal tiara bearing upon it the inscription "Vicarius Fuji Dei," which some of our evangelists show on the screen in discussing the mark of the beast?
Each pope, like any other sovereign, has his own tiara, which is.the papal crown. There is, therefore, no one tiara that is worn by the full succession of papal pontiffs. Moreover, personal examination of these various tiaras, by different men back through the years, and a scrutiny of the pictures of many more, have failed to disclose one engraved with the inscription Vicarius Filii Del. There is none such definitely known to exist. As heralds of truth, we are to proclaim the truth truthfully. No fabrication should ever becloud our presentation of truth. The present truth of the threefold message is so overwhelming in its logical appeal, and so inescapable in its claims, that it needs no dubious evidence or illustration to support it. Recourse to any unreliable and fraudulent evidence discounts the very message that we are commissioned of heaven to give to men, and reflects upon the honesty of the messenger.
Years ago one of our prominent evangelists, when in Rome, secured some impressive pictures of one of the papal tiaras. But the photographs were without any wording of any sort on any one of the three crowns, front or back. Later, an artist, in attempting to reillustrate one of our standard books on the prophecies, took this genuine photograph of a plain tiara and lettered upon it the three words Vicarius, Filii, and Dei—one on each of the three crowns —on the premise that such was the name the pope bore, and if it were not actually on the tiara, it might well be by the way of illustration. One of our leading publishing houses, and the General Conference, to whom the altered photograph was submitted, emphatically rejected it as misleading and deceptive, and refused to allow its user (All honor to them!)
Regrettably, some of our evangelists who do not have all the facts, and .to whom the appeal of the moment has sometimes outweighed the ethics of the case, and who perhaps have not thought through the fraudulent character of such plausible but specious evidence, have occasionally continued to use this or a similar fabrication.
In the name of truth and honesty this journal protests any such use by any member of the Ministerial Association of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination (our worker body), of which THE MINISTRY is the official organ. Truth does not need fabrication to aid or support it. Its very nature precludes any manipulation or duplicity. We cannot afford to be party to any fraud. The reflex action upon our own souls should be a sufficient deterrent. We must never use a quotation or a picture merely because it sounds or looks impressive. We must honor the truth, and meticulously observe the principle of honesty in the handling of evidence under all circumstances.
L. E. F.
