Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Antichrist · On the Roman Pontiff, Book III
Chapter 11: On the Character of Antichrist
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. II, De Antichristo, On Antichrist (On the Roman Pontiff, Book III). The Latin source text is public domain; this English rendering is released with the site. Scripture quotations follow Bellarmine's Vulgate citations, rendered in Douay-Rheims wording where he quotes exactly. Click “Show the Latin” for the original (raw OCR of the scan; scanning errors remain — the scan itself is the authority).
Of the character of Antichrist there are also two, or three, opinions. The first is of the heretics of this time, who teach that the character of Antichrist is some sign of obedience and conjunction with the Roman Pontiff; yet they do not explain in the same way what that sign is. Henry Bullinger, sermon 61 on the Apocalypse, will have it to be the anointing of Chrism, by which all Christians obedient to the Roman Pontiff are signed on the forehead. Theodore Bibliander, in the Chronicle, table 10, says that the character of Antichrist is the profession of the Roman Faith, so that he is not held a true worshipper of the Christian Faith who does not profess that he adheres to the Roman Church. David Chytraeus, besides these two, adds the oath of fidelity which many are compelled to render to the Roman Pontiff; likewise the priestly anointing, which is received on the crown of the head and on the hand, “and imprints, as the Papists say,” he says, “an indelible character.” Finally, to prostrate oneself before statues and the consecrated bread, and to be present at funeral Masses.
Not unlike are the things which Sebastian Meyer and others teach, in Augustin Marlorat on this place of the Apocalypse. But it is easy to refute these trifles: both because they do not agree with the words of the text itself, and also because all these signs were in the Catholic Church before Antichrist, by their opinion, had appeared.
First, then, from the text we have that there will be one character, not many. For always in the singular number the Scripture speaks, both of the character, and of the name, and of the number of the name of Antichrist; there will therefore be one character; likewise one proper name of Antichrist; and one number of that name. And so, since the adversaries multiply so many characters, they indicate that they do not know which is that of which John speaks.
Secondly, that character will be common to all men in the kingdom of Antichrist, as is plain from those words: “He shall make all, both little and great, and rich and poor”... but the oath of obedience, and the priestly anointing, suit few.
Thirdly, the Scripture indicates that the character will be such that it can be borne without difference in the right hand or on the forehead; for so it says: “He shall make all to receive a character in their right hand or on their foreheads.” But nothing of what the adversaries bring forward is such. For the anointing of Chrism cannot be received in the right hand. The profession of the Roman Faith is had neither in the hand nor on the forehead, but in the mouth by confession, in the heart by Faith. The oath of fidelity is rendered by hand and mouth, but can in no way be borne on the forehead. The priestly anointing is received neither in the right hand properly, nor on the forehead, but above the head, and on the fingers of both hands. Finally, to be present at funeral Masses, to prostrate oneself before statues and the Eucharist, are not offices of the forehead or hands, but of the whole body, and are chiefly seen in the knees.
Fourthly, the same Scripture says that in the kingdom of Antichrist no one will be permitted to buy or sell unless he show the character, or the name, or the number of his name; but how many buy and sell in the dominion of the Roman Pontiff, who are not yet anointed with Chrism, nor have rendered the oath of fidelity, nor are Priests? Are there not in the very city of Rome, where the Roman Pontiff has his Seat, very many Jews who publicly do business, buy and sell, though they have none of those signs?
Let us come to the other reason, and prove that all these signs are more ancient than Antichrist. Antichrist, by the opinion of the adversaries, did not come before the year of the Lord 606; but Tertullian flourished about the year 200, and yet mentions Chrism in his book on the resurrection of the flesh: “The flesh is washed, that the soul may be cleansed; the flesh is anointed, that the soul may be consecrated.” Cyprian flourished about the year 250, and mentions Chrism, Book 1, letter 12: “It is necessary that he who is baptized be anointed, that, having received the Chrism, that is, the anointing, he may be the anointed of God, and be able to have in himself the grace of Christ.” Augustine flourished about the year 420, and yet says, tract 118 on John: “What is it that all know for the sign of Christ, but the cross of Christ? Which sign, unless it be applied either to the foreheads of believers, or to the very water by which they are regenerated, or to the oil by which they are anointed with Chrism, or to the sacrifice by which they are nourished, none of these is duly perfected.”
In like manner, to adhere to the Roman Church, before the year of the Lord 600, was a sign and the character of a truly Catholic man. Augustine writes in letter 162 of Caecilian, who flourished about the year of the Lord 300: “He might not care for the multitude of conspiring enemies, when he saw himself joined, by letters of communion, both to the Roman Church, in which the primacy of the Apostolic Chair has always flourished, and to the other lands, whence the Gospel came to Africa itself.” Ambrose, who flourished about the year of the Lord 390, in his oration on the death of his brother Satyrus: “He inquired of the Bishop whether he agreed with the Catholic Bishops, that is, whether he agreed with the Roman Church.”
Victor of Utica, who flourished about the year of the Lord 490, in Book 1 on the Vandal persecution writes that an Arian Presbyter, when he wished to persuade the King not to kill a certain Catholic man, used these words: “If thou kill him with the sword, the Romans will begin to proclaim him a martyr.” In which place, by the name of Romans, the African Catholics are designated, who certainly for no other cause are called Romans by the Arians, but because they followed the Faith of the Roman Church, not the Arian perfidy.
An oath of obedience made to the Roman Pontiff is found in the time of Saint Gregory, Book 10 of his letters, letter 31, and accordingly before the year of the Lord 606; for Saint Gregory did not reach that year.
Of the priestly anointing we have the testimony of Gregory Nazianzen, who flourished about the year 380. He, in his Apology to his father, when he was created Bishop of Sasima: “Upon me again anointing and spirit; and again I walk mourning and sad.” In which place he mentions a double anointing: one, by which he had before been anointed, when he was created Presbyter; and another, by which he was then to be anointed in his episcopal ordination. Likewise oration 1 on peace, speaking of Basil, who, created Bishop, refused the province: “Though he has committed to him the spirit, and the trading of talents, and the care of the flock, and is anointed with the oil of the Priesthood and of perfection, yet still, in his wisdom, he delays to undertake the prefecture.”
Now of the Sacrifice for the dead, the testimony of Augustine will suffice in this place, who, in his book on heresies, chapter 53, says that it was the proper dogma of Aerius the heresiarch, that an oblation for the dead ought not to be offered.
Of the adoration of images, Jerome alone, who flourished about the year 400, will suffice for us. He, in the life of Paula: “Prostrate before the cross, she adored, as if she saw the Lord hanging.” Finally, of the adoration of the Eucharist, Saint Ambrose deservedly ought to suffice, who, Book 3 on the Holy Spirit, chapter 12, explaining that, Adore his footstool: “And so,” he says, “by the footstool let the earth be understood; by the earth, the flesh of Christ, which today also in the mysteries we adore, and which the Apostles, as we said above, adored in the Lord Jesus.” Which same, in almost the same words, Augustine says in his explanation of Psalm 98.
Since therefore all these things, which the adversaries will have to be the characters of Antichrist, were in use in the Catholic Church many years before Antichrist was born, it must necessarily be either that Antichrist learned them from the Church — and to say this is to confound Antichrist with Christ — or that none of them pertains to the characters of Antichrist. And this is what we contend. And these things suffice concerning that rash and most absurd opinion of the adversaries, which they have proved by no witnesses and no reasons.
The other opinion is of certain Catholics, who think that the character of Antichrist is the letters by which the name of Antichrist is written. So Primasius, Bede, and Rupert, who seem deceived by this, that they read: “But he that hath the character of the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” But John does not say so, but in this manner: “But he that hath the character, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” And the Greek text agrees: [ei mē ho echōn to charagma ē to onoma tou thēriou, ē ton arithmon tou onomatos autou].
The third opinion is of Hippolytus the martyr, in his Oration on the consummation of the World, and of certain others: that the character of the beast will be, not to use the sign of the cross, but rather to execrate and abolish it — in which the Calvinists signally run before Antichrist. I would believe that also a positive character is to be devised by Antichrist, just as Christ has the sign of the cross known to all; but that it is unknown what that character is, until Antichrist comes, as we said of the name.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT XI. De charactere Antichristi. De charactere Antichristi sunt etiam duae, vel tres opiniones. Prima est haereticorum hujus temporis, qui docent, characterem Antichristi esse signum aliquod obedientiae, et conjunctionis cum Romano Pontifice :*non tamen eodem modo explicant, quod sit il¬ lud signum. Henricus Bullingerus serm. 61 . in Apoc. vult, esse unctionem Chrismatis, quo Christiani omnes Romano Pontifici obe- dientes in frontibus consignantur. Theodo¬ rus Bibliander in Chron. tab. 10. dicit, cha¬ racterem Antichristi esse professionem Ro¬ manae Fidei, ita ut non habeatur verus Chri¬ stianae Fidei cultor, qui non profitetur, se Romanae Ecclesiae adhaerere. David Chy- traeus, praeter haec duo, addit juramentum fidelitatis, quod multi Pontifici Romano prae¬ stare coguntur : item unctionem sacerdota¬ lem, quae in vertice et manu accipitur, « et imprimit, ut Papistae, inquit, vocant, cha¬ racterem indelebilem. » Denique procum¬ bere ad statuas, et panem consecratum, et missis funebribus interesse. Nec dissimilia sunt, quae docent Sebastia- nus Meyer, et alii apud Augustinum Marlo- rafum in hunc locum Apocalypsis. Sed fa¬ cile est has nugas refutare : tum quia non conveniunt cum verbis ipsius textus : tum etiam, quia ista omnia signa fuerunt in Ec¬ clesia Catholica, antequam Antichristus eo¬ rum opinione apparuisset. Primum igitur ex textu habemus, charac¬ terem unum futurum, non multos. Semper enim in numero singulari Scriptura loqui¬ tur, tam de charactere, quam de nomine, et numero nominis Antichristi ; unus igitur character erit ; unum item nomen Antichri¬ sti proprium ; et unus ejus nominis nume¬ rus. Proinde cum adversarii tot characteres multiplicant, indicant se nescire quis ille sit de quo Joannes loquitur. Secundo, character ille omnibus homini¬ bus communis erit in Antichristi regno, ut planum est ex illis verbis : « Faciet omnes pusillos et magnos, et divites et pauperes, et juramentum obedientiae, et unctio sacerdo¬ talis paucis conveniunt. Tertio indicat Scriptura, characterem ejusmodi fore, ut sine discrimine in manu dextera, vel in fronte geri possit; sic enim ait : « Faciet omnes accipere characterem in dextera manu vel in frontibus suis. » Ni¬ hil autem eorum, quae adversarii proferunt, tale est. Nam Chrismatis unctio in manu dextera accipi non potest. Professio Roma¬ nae Fidei, nec in manu, nec in fronte, sed in ore per confessionem, in corde per Fidem habetur. Juramentum fidelitatis, manu et ore ‘praestatur, sed in fronte gestari nullo modo potest. Unctio sacerdotalis nec in dex¬ tera manu proprie, nec in fronte accipitur, sed supra caput, et in digitis utriusque ma¬ nus. Denique interesse Missis funebribus, procumbere ad statuas et Eucharistiam, non sunt frontis aut manuum officia, sed corporis totius, ac praecipue cernuntur in genibus. Quarto eadem Scriptura dicit, in regno Antichristi neminem permittendum emere, aut vendere, nisi characterem ostenderit, aut nomen, aut numerum nominis ejus : at quot emunt, et vendunt in ditione Romani Pontificis, qui necdum sunt Chrismate inunc¬ ti ; nec juramentum praestiterunt fidelitatis; nec sunt Sacerdotes? Nonne in ipsa urbe Roma, ubi Romanus Pontifex Sedem suam habet, plurimi Judaei publice negotiantur, emunt, et vendunt ; cum tamen nullum ha¬ beant eorum signorum? Veniamus ad alteram rationem, ac probe¬ mus, ista omnia signa Anti christo antiquiora esse. Antichristus, adversariorum sententia, non venit ante annum Domini 606, at Ter¬ tullianus floruit circa annum 200, et tamen meminit Chrismatis in lib. de resurr. carn.i « Caro, inquit, abluitur ut anima emacule¬ tur ; caro ungitur, ut anima consecretur. >) Cyprianus floruit circa annum 250, et me¬ minit Chrismatis lib. I, epist. 12. : « Ungi, inquit, necesse est eum, qui baptizatus sit, ut accepto Chrismate, id est, unctione, esse unctus Dei, et habere in se gratiam Christi possit.» Augustinus floruit circa annum 420, et tamen ait tract. in Joan. 118. : « Quid est quod omnes noverunt signum Christi, nisi crux Christi? Quod signum nisi adhibea¬ tur sive frontibus credentium, sive ipsi aquae , qua regenerantur, sive oleo, quo Chrismate inunguntur , sive sacrificio quo aluntur, nihil eorum rite perficitur. » Pari ratione, Romanae Ecclesiae adhaerere, ante annum Domini 600, signum, fuit, et character hominis vere Catholici. Scribit Augustin. in epist. 162. de Caeciliano, qui floruit circa annum Domini 300 : « Posset non curare multitudinem conspirantium ini¬ micorum, cum se videret, et Romanae Ec¬ clesia?, in qua semper Apostolicae Cathedrae viguit principatus, et caeteris terris, unde Evangelium ad ipsam Africam venit, per communicatorias litteras esse conjunctum.» Ambrosius, qui floruit circa annum Domini 390, in Orat, de obit. Satyri fratris sui : « Percunctatus, inquit, Episcopum est, an cum Episcopis Catholicis, id est, an cum Ecclesia Romana sentiret. » Victor Uticensis, qui floruit circa annum Domini 490, in lib. I de persecut. Vandal. scribit : Arianum Presbyterum, cum Regi persuadere vellet, ne Catholicum quemdam hominem interficeret, his verbis usum : « Si peremeris eum gladio , incipient Romani eum martyrem praedicare. » Quo loco, Ro¬ manorum nomine, Afri Catholici designan¬ tur, qui certe non alia de causa Romani di¬ cuntur ab Arianis, nisi quia Romana? Eccle¬ siae Fidem, non Arianam perfidiam seque¬ bantur. Juramentum obedientiae Romano Pontifici factum, invenitur tempore S. Gregorii lib.X epistolar. ejus, epist. 31. ac proinde ante annum Domini 606, non enim ad eum an¬ num S. Gregoriits pervenit. De Unctione sacerdotali habemus testi¬ monium Gregorii Nazianzeni , qui floruit circa annum 380. Is in Apologet, ad patrem suum, quando Episcopus Sasimorum crea¬ tus est : (( Super me, inquit, rursus unctio et spiritus : et rursus ego lugens et tristis incedo. » Quo loco duplicis unctionis memi¬ nit ; unius, qua antea unctus fuerat, cum Presbyter crearetur; et alterius, qua tum ungendus erat in ordinatione Episcopali. Item Orat. 1. de pace, de Basilio loquens, qui Episcopus creatus provinciam recusa¬ bat : <( Cum creditum, inquit, sibi spiritum, talentorumque negotiationem, gregisque cu¬ ram commissam habeat, oleoque Sacerdotii, et perfectionis delibutus sit, adhuc tamen pro sua sapientia praefecturam suscipere cunctatur. » Jam de Sacrificio pro defunctis, satis erit hoc loco Augustini testimonium, qui lib. de haeres, cap. 53. dicit* proprium dogma Ae¬ rii haeresiarchae fuisse : oblationem pro mor¬ tuis offerre non oportere. De adoratione imaginum unus Hierony¬ mus, qui circa annum 400 floruit, nobis suf¬ ficiet. Is in vita Paulae : « Prostrata, inquit, ante crucem , quasi pendentem Dominum cerneret, adorabat, » Denique de adoratione Eucharistiae S. Ambrosius merito sufficere debet, qui lib. III de Spir. S. cap. 12. expli- (1) Luc. III, 23. cans illud : Adorate scabellum pedum ejus : « Itaque, inquit, per scabellum terra intelli- gatur; per terram, caro Christi, quam ho¬ die quoque in mysteriis adoramus, et quam Apostoli in Domino Jesu, ut supra diximus, adorarunt. » Quod idem fere iisdem verbis dicit Augustinus in explic. Psal. XCVIII. Cum igitur ista omnia , quae adversarii characteres Antichristi esse volunt, in usu Ecclesiae Catholicae fuerint multis annis an¬ tequam Antichristus nasceretur ; oportet ne¬ cessario , aut Antichristum ea ab Ecclesia didicisse ; et hoc dicere, est Antichristum cum Christo confundere : aut nihil eorum ad Antichristi characteres pertinere. Atque hoc est quod nos contendimus. Atque haec sufficiunt de temeraria ista, et absurdissima adversariorum sententia, quam ipsi nullis testibus, nullisque rationibus probaverunt. Altera opinio est Catholicorum quorum¬ dam, qui putant, characterem Antichristi esse litteras, quibus scribitur nomen Anti¬ christi. Ita Primasius, Beda, et Rupertus, qui videntur decepti ex eo, quod legunt : «Nisi qui habuerit characterem nominis bestiae, aut numerum nominis ejus. » At Joannes non sic ait, sed hoc modo : « Nisi qui ha¬ buerit characterem, aut nomen bestiae, aut numerum nominis ejus. » Et consentit Grae¬ cus textus : st gvj 6 e%tov ro vj ro ovoaa roO Qypiov, vj tov a^tSgov zov 6v6y.xzog xvzov. Tertia sententia est Hippolyti martyris in Orat, de consummat. Mundi, et aliorum quorumdam : characterem bestiae futurum, non uti signo crucis, sed illud potius exe- crari et abolere : in quo egregie Antichris¬ tum preecurruntCalvinistae. Crediderim ego, etiam positivum characterem excogitandum ab Antichristo, sicut Christus habet signum crucis omnibus notum, sed ignorari, quis¬ nam sit iste character, donec Antichristus veniat, sicut de nomine diximus.