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==The Facts==
==The Facts==


The Donation of Constantine is a forged Roman imperial decree by which the emperor Constantine the Great supposedly transferred authority over Rome and the western part of the Roman Empire to the Pope in the 4th century.  It was probably composed in the 8th century and was used in the 13th century to support claims of political authority by the papacy.  It contained the following Latin phrase:
William Branham lied when he stated that "I been right there and seen it myself". 
 
Here are the facts:
 
The phrase "VICARIVS FILII DEI" is first mentioned in "The Donation of Constantine", a forged Roman imperial decree by which the emperor Constantine the Great supposedly transferred authority over Rome and the western part of the Roman Empire to the Pope in the 4th century.  It was probably composed in the 8th century and was used in the 13th century to support claims of political authority by the papacy.  It contained the following Latin statement:


:''It et cuncto populo Romanae gloriae imperij subiacenti, ut sicut in terris '''vicarius filii Dei''' esse videtur constitutus etiam et pontifices...<ref>Vauchez, Andre (2001). Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. Routledge. p. 445.</ref>
:''It et cuncto populo Romanae gloriae imperij subiacenti, ut sicut in terris '''vicarius filii Dei''' esse videtur constitutus etiam et pontifices...<ref>Vauchez, Andre (2001). Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. Routledge. p. 445.</ref>


==Is this another example of plagiarism?==
The earliest record of a Protestant writer addressing the phrase "Vicarius Filii Dei" is Andreas Helwig in 1612. In his work Antichristus Romanus he took 15 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.<ref>Antichristus Romanus, in proprio suo nomine, numerum illum Apocalypticum (DCLXVI) continente proditus (Wittenberg, 1612)</ref>


William Branham admitted that he read the works of Uriah Smith, a Seventh Day Adventist author:
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.
 
:''And, here, I’d go in there and pick up the notes. I’d pick up books of Dr. Smith, Uriah Smith, and, oh, all the—the writers and everything, and read in, read down in their books.<ref>William Branham, 63-0324E - The Seventh Seal, para. 339</ref>


In 1875, Uriah Smith wrote the following, which we must assume is where William Branham got his information:
In 1875, Uriah Smith wrote the following, which we must assume is where William Branham got his information:
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::''“Mrs. A., said Miss Emmons, I saw a very curious fact the other day; I have dwelt upon it much and will mention it. A person, lately, was witnessing a ceremony of the Romish church. As the Pope passed him in the procession, splendidly dressed in his pontifical robes, the gentleman’s eye rested on these full, blazing letters in front of his miter: “VICARIUS FILII DEI,” The Vicar of the Son of God.” His thoughts with the rapidity of lightning, reverted to Rev. 13:18. Will you turn to it? said Mrs. A. Alice opened the New Testament and read: ‘Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six.” She paused, and Miss Emmons said, He took out his pencil, and marking the numerical letters of the inscription on his tablet, it stood 666.”<ref>Uriah Smith, Thoughts, Critical and Practical, on the Book of Revelation, Second Edition, Revised (Battle Creek, MI: Steam Press of the Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association, 1875), 240–241.</ref>
::''“Mrs. A., said Miss Emmons, I saw a very curious fact the other day; I have dwelt upon it much and will mention it. A person, lately, was witnessing a ceremony of the Romish church. As the Pope passed him in the procession, splendidly dressed in his pontifical robes, the gentleman’s eye rested on these full, blazing letters in front of his miter: “VICARIUS FILII DEI,” The Vicar of the Son of God.” His thoughts with the rapidity of lightning, reverted to Rev. 13:18. Will you turn to it? said Mrs. A. Alice opened the New Testament and read: ‘Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six.” She paused, and Miss Emmons said, He took out his pencil, and marking the numerical letters of the inscription on his tablet, it stood 666.”<ref>Uriah Smith, Thoughts, Critical and Practical, on the Book of Revelation, Second Edition, Revised (Battle Creek, MI: Steam Press of the Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association, 1875), 240–241.</ref>
William Branham admitted that he read the works of Uriah Smith, a Seventh Day Adventist author:
:''And, here, I’d go in there and pick up the notes. I’d pick up books of Dr. Smith, Uriah Smith, and, oh, all the—the writers and everything, and read in, read down in their books.<ref>William Branham, 63-0324E - The Seventh Seal, para. 339</ref>
Catholics have responded to these Protestant claims by noting that "Vicarius Filii Dei" has never been an official Papal title.  They also answer the claims that "Vicarius Filii Dei" is written on the Papal Tiara by stating that a simple inspection of the more than 20 papal tiaras still in existence—including those in use in 1866 during the reign of Pope Pius IX when Uriah Smith made his claim—shows that none have this inscription, nor is there any evidence that any of the earlier papal tiaras destroyed by invading French troops in 1798 had it.<ref>"Pope Fiction" by Patrick Madrid, Envoy magazine, March/April 1998</ref>


==Quotes of William Branham==
==Quotes of William Branham==
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