Myths and legends surrounding the Papacy
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The papacy has been surrounded by numerous myths and legends. Among the most famous are the claims that:
- The Papal Tiara contains a set of words that when numerised produce the total 666, the 'number of the beast' (ie., Satan), in the bible;
- A woman—Pope Joan—was once elected pope, and that because of this, subsequent popes underwent an examination to ascertain their sex.
Both these claims have been independently verified as being myths.
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The Vicarius Filii Dei myth
Main article: Vicarius Filii Dei
One common myth surrounding the papal tiara suggests that the words Vicarius Filii Dei exist on the side of one of the tiaras. This myth is believed by many conservative Seventh-day Adventist church members, but is contrary to the official belief of the church.
The myth centres on the widely made claim that, when numerised (i.e., when those letters in the 'title' that have roman numeral value are added together), they produce the number '666', described in the Book of Revelation as the number of the Antichrist (whom some have claimed would 'wear' a crown similar to a triple tiara). This claim has been made by some fundamentalist Protestant sects who believe that the Pope, as head of the Roman Catholic Church, is the Antichrist. However, a detailed examination of all the tiaras shows that no such decoration exists.
Further, "Vicarius Filii Dei" (Vicar of the Son of God) is not among the titles of the Pope; the closest match is "Vicarius Christi" (Vicar of Christ), the numerical values of which do not add up to 666.
There is also a dispute on the numerology of "Vicarius Filii Dei" and "Vicarius Christi". If one counts the letter 'U' as that, the numbers add up to 661 and 209; however, the Romans did not have that letter but instead used 'V'; therefore, if one uses the Roman spelling "Vicarivs Filii Dei" one does indeed come up with 666.
Pope Joan
The claim that a woman, often called Pope Joan, became pope first appeared in a Dominican chronicle in 1250. It soon spread Europe-wide through preaching Friars. The story grew in embellishment but centred on a set of claims.
The time period for this is traditionally given as AD 855-858, between the reigns of Leo IV and Benedict III. However, this is very unlikely, since Leo IV died on 17 July 855, and Benedict III was elected as his successor on 29 September of the same year.
Jean de Mailly, a French Dominican at Metz, places the story in the year 1099, in his Chronica Universalis Mettensis, which dates from approximately 1250 and gives what is almost certainly the earliest authentic account of the woman who became known as Pope Joan. His compatriot, Stephen of Bourbon, acknowledges this, by placing her rule at approximately 1100. Also, Rosemary and Darrell Pardoe, authors of The Female Pope: The Mystery of Pope Joan. The First Complete Documentation of the Facts behind the Legend, are assuming that a more plausible timeframe would be 1086-1108, when there were a lot of antipopes, and the reign of the legitimate popes Victor III, Urban II and Paschal II was not always established in Rome, since this city was occupied by Emperor Henry IV, and later sacked by the Normans.
Generally, there are two versions of the myth.
- In the first, an English woman called Joan, went to Athens with her lover and studied there.
- In the second, a German woman called Giliberta was born in Mainz.
"Joan" disguises herself as a monk, called John Angelicus. In time, she rose to the highest office of the church, becoming a pope.
After two or five years of reign, Pope Joan became pregnant, and during an Easter procession, she gave birth to the child on the streets when she fell off a horse. She was publicly stoned to death by the astonished crowd, and according to the legend, removed from the Vatican archives.
As a consequence, popes throughout the mediaeval period were (supposedly) required to undergo a procedure wherein they sat on a special chair with a hole in the seat. A cardinal would have the task of putting his hand up the hole to check whether the pope had testicles.
In a seventeenth-century study, Protestant historian David Blondel argued that 'Pope Joan' is a myth. The story may well be a satire that came to be believed as reality. This view is generally accepted among historians.
Documents of Jesus Christ
Another legend of the Vatican is that, buried in the archives beneath St. Peter's Basilica, there exists a collection of documents that directly refer to, or were in fact personally written by, Jesus. One such document is said to be the execution order for Jesus, signed by Pontius Pilate, while another is said to be a series of letters, hand-written by Jesus, explaining to his followers how to conduct the formation of the Catholic Church after his death. Still other legends speak of Christ having revealed the exact date of his return to judge mankind in a letter to his Apostles.
It is said that only the Pope may look upon these "original Jesus texts", and that the existence of such documents is a closely guarded secret of the Catholic Church. The legend of the Jesus documents most likely originated during the reign of Pope Pius XII when a large number of Vatican treasures were sealed in underground vaults in the event that Nazi Germany invaded the Vatican.
See also
Additional reading
- Eamon Duffy, Saints & Sinners: A History of the Popes (Yale Nota Bene, 2001)
- Colin Morris, The Papal Monarchy: The Western Church from 1050–1250 (Cambridge, 1990)
- K. Morrison, Tradition and Authority in the Western Church 300–1140 (Princeton, 1969)