The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 1

V. Prophetic Terms of Beast, Babylon, and Antichrist

In various Catholic writings listing, the “errors” of the Waldenses We find them accused of applying uncomplimentary prophetic epithets to the Catholic Church. If the strongest terms, in ‘the treatise On antichrist, cannot be placed exactly, there are at least strong hints in other documents which are dated. PFF1 877.1

1. WALDENSES HAVE “COME OUT OF HER.”

Salvus Burce, in a work dated 1235, contends with the Poor Men of Lyons and the Poor Men of Lombardy. He says that the Cathari call the church Harlot, nest of serpents, and Beast, “and you foolish ones say that same thing.” ⁵³ PFF1 877.2

“Perhaps the heretics say: `We have come out of the vile harlot, namely, from the church of Rome, and let us see concerning the prelates of the very beast.’” ⁵⁴ PFF1 877.3

2. AUSTRIAN WALDENSES CALL CHURCH APOCALYPTIC HARLOT

The Passau Anonymous, writing about 1260 in Austria, does, incidentally, a bit of prophetic interpreting himself by calling the heretics Antichrists. He begins his enumeration of the errors of the Poor Men of Lyons: PFF1 877.4

“First, they say that the Roman Church is not the church of Jesus Christ, but is a church of malignants .... And they shy that they are the Church of Christ, because they observe the teaching of Christ, of the gospel, and of the apostles in word and example .... Sixth, that the Roman Church is the harlot of the Apocalypse because of her superfluous adornment which the Eastern Church does not care for.” ⁵⁵ PFF1 877.5

David of Augsburg reports the epithet “harlot,:’ as has already been mentioned. ⁵⁶ PFF1 877.6

3. ANTICHRIST APPLIED TO CATHOLICS

In a list of questions issued for the guidance of Inquisitors in prosecuting heretics, certain points are outlined for examining Cathari, and then the list for Waldenses contains the following significant queries: PFF1 877.7

“Whether the Roman church is the Church of Christ or the harlot .... Whether the church of God fell in the time of Sylvester. And who restored it. Whether Pope Sylvester was Antichrist.” ⁵⁷ PFF1 877.8

These questions show clearly what the Waldenses were reported as teaching, and the belief that a pope was Antichrist in the distant past hints of the new interpretation of the, Antichrist that was developing, and that was carried further in the treatise on Antichrist. Thus the testimony of their enemies helps to fill out the picture of the Waldensian prophetic interpretation. PFF1 877.9

At the time of the Reformation we come to Morel’s aforementioned letter. In its summary of Waldensian beliefs we find the term Antichrist applied to the Catholic Church collectively, or at least to, the clergy, and the phrases “Antichristian ceremonies” and “abominations of Antichrist” designating the Catholic ritual. PFF1 878.1

Note that purgatory is the invention of Antichrist. Further references to the Catholic Church as Antichrist are found in the same letter. PFF1 878.2

“We ourselves do not administer the sacraments to the people—they are Papists (Latin, members of Antichrists who do this; but we explain to them as well as we can the spiritual meaning of the sacraments. We exhort them not to put their trust in anti-Christian ceremonies, and to pray that, if they be compelled to see and hear, the abominations of anti-Christ, it may not be imputed to, them as a sin, but that such sort of abominations may soon be confounded to make room for, truth, and that the Word of God may be spread abroad. Besides, we absolutely forbid our people to swear. All dancing is prohibited, and, generally speaking, all kinds of games, except the practice of the bow or other arms. Neither do we tolerate vain and lascivious songs, delicate clothing, whether striped or checked, or cut after the latest fashion. Our people are generally simple folk, peasants, having no other resource but agriculture, dispersed by persecution in numbers of places very distant from each other.” ⁵⁸ PFF1 878.3