Whore of Babylon

From Vero - Wikipedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description

Colored version of the Whore of Babylon illustration from Martin Luther's 1534 translation of the Bible

Template:Christian Eschatology Babylon the Great, commonly known as the Whore of Babylon, refers to both a symbolic female figure and a place of malevolence as mentioned in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament. Her full title is stated in Revelation 17:5 as "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth" (Template:Langx).

She is further identified as a representation of "that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth" in Revelation 17:18.<ref>Template:Bibleverse, King James Bible</ref>

Passages from Revelation

The "great whore" of the Book of Revelation is featured in chapter 17:

Template:Blockquote

Symbolism

Template:See also

The whore of Babylon as illustrated in Hortus deliciarum by Herrad of Landsberg, 1180

The Whore is associated with the Beast of Revelation by connection with an equally evil kingdom.Template:Citation needed The word whore can also be translated metaphorically as 'Idolatress'.<ref>πόρνη Template:Webarchive: From Greek. Fr. transliteration; pornē; English; prostitute/whore. 2) Metaphor; an idolatress; a) of "Babylon" i.e. Rome, the chief seat of idolatry. "Dictionary and Word Search for pornē (Strong's 4204)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996–2011. Retrieved on: 3 Nov 2011.</ref> The Whore's apocalyptic downfall is prophesied to take place in the hands of the image of the beast with seven heads and ten horns. There is much speculation within Christian eschatology on what the Whore and Beast symbolize as well as the possible implications for contemporary interpretations.<ref>Rome or Jerusalem Template:Webarchive? A Protestant Study on the Whore of Babylon in Revelation</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Hunting the Whore of Babylon Template:Webarchive. Catholic Answers</ref><ref>Ch 17: Babylon the whore Template:Webarchive. Commentary on Revelation</ref>

Caroline Vander Stichele demonstrated that the narrative of the Whore of Babylon follows many of the same patterns of the personification of capital cities as women who commit "prostitution/whoredom" and/or "adultery" in the prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible. These capital cities, representing the states they govern, are alleged to have committed various sins that have rendered them sexually promiscuous, and therefore they will eventually be annihilated through various well-deserved violent punishments sent by the Israelite God Yahweh.<ref name="Vander Stichele">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Rome

Template:See also

In the First Epistle of Peter (1 Peter 5:13),<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> the author implies they are in "Babylon", which has been held to be a coded reference to Rome.<ref>Template:Cite book "'Babylon' became the Christian code name for Rome after Titus destroyed Jerusalem, thus duplicating the Babylonians’ demolition of the holy city (587 BCE)."</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Many Biblical scholars<ref>Women in scripture: a dictionary of named and unnamed women in the HebrewTemplate:Dead link</ref><ref>*L. Michael White, Understanding the Book of Revelation Template:Webarchive, PBS

Template:Quote

Some biblical scholars recognize that "Babylon" is a cipher for Rome or the Roman Empire but believe Babylon is not limited to the Roman city of the first century. Craig Koester says outright that "the whore is Rome, yet more than Rome."<ref>Craig R. Koester, Revelation, Anchor Yale Bible 38A (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2014), 684.</ref> It "is the Roman imperial world, which in turn represents the world alienated from God."<ref>Koester, 506.</ref> In 4 Ezra,<ref>2 Esdras/4 Esdras; see the article on the naming conventions of the Books of Ezra</ref><ref>4 Ezra 3:1–2, 28–31</ref> 2 Baruch<ref>2 Baruch 10:1–3, 11:1, 67:7</ref> and the Sibylline Oracles,<ref>Sibylline oracles 5.143, 159–60</ref> "Babylon" is a cryptic name for Rome.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In Revelation 17:9 it is said that she sits on "seven mountains",Template:Efn typically understood as the seven hills of Rome.<ref>Wall, R. W. (1991). New International Biblical Commentary: Revelation (207). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.</ref><ref>Bratcher, R. G., & Hatton, H. (1993). A Handbook on the Revelation to John. UBS handbook series; Helps for translators (248). New York: United Bible Societies.</ref><ref>Davis, C. A. (2000). Revelation. The College Press NIV commentary (322). Joplin, Mo.: College Press Pub.</ref><ref>Mounce, R. H. (1997). "The Book of Revelation." The New International Commentary on the New Testament (315). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.</ref><ref>Beckwith, Isbon T. The Apocalypse of John. New York: MacMillan, 1919; reprinted, Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2001.</ref> A Roman coin minted under the Emperor Vespasian (Template:C.) depicts Rome as a woman sitting on seven hills.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, "The characteristics ascribed to this Babylon apply to Rome rather than to any other city of that age: (a) as ruling over the kings of the earth (Revelation 17:18); (b) as sitting on seven mountains (Revelation 17:9); (c) as the center of the world's merchandise (Revelation 18:3, 11–13); (d) as the corrupter of the nations (Revelation 17:2; 18:3; 19:2); (e) as the persecutor of the saints (Revelation 17:6)."<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>

Jerusalem

Template:See also

The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem, by David Roberts (1850)

Biblical scholars such as Alan James Beagley, David Chilton, J. Massyngberde Ford, Peter Gaskell, Kenneth Gentry, Edmondo Lupieri, Bruce Malina, Iain Provan, J. Stuart Russell, Milton S. Terry<ref>* Alan James Beagley, The 'Stitz Im Leben' of the Apocalypse with Particular Reference to the Role of the Church's Enemies, 1987, 92–108

  • David Chilton, The Days of Vengeance: An Exposition of the Book of Revelation, 1987, 421–466
  • Josephine Massyngberde-Ford, "Revelation", ed, Anchor Bible, vol. 38, 1975, 283–286
  • Peter Gaskell, Is She Jewish? Is She Roman? The Identity of the Whore of Babylon in the Book of Revelation, 2003
  • Kenneth Gentry, Four Views of Revelation, 1998, 73–79
  • Edmondo Lupieri, A commentary on the Apocalypse of John, 2006, 281
  • Bruce Malina, 1995, 206–220
  • Iain Provan, "Foul Spirits, Fornication and Finance: Revelation 18 from an Old Testament Perspective," JSNT, 64, 1996, 81–100
  • J. Stuart Russell, The Parousia: A Critical Inquiry into the New Testament Doctrine of Our Lord's Second Coming, 1887, 482–498
  • Milton S. Terry, Biblical Apocalyptics: A Study of the Most Notable Revelations of God and of Christ, 1898, 426–439</ref> point out that although Rome was the prevailing pagan power in the 1st century, when the Book of Revelation was written, the symbolism of the whore of Babylon refers not to an invading infidel or foreign power. It refers to an apostate false queen, a former "bride" who has been unfaithful and who, even though she has been divorced and cast out because of unfaithfulness, continues to falsely claim to be the "queen" of the spiritual realm.<ref>Hunting the Whore of Babylon Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>Douglas Connelly. "The Indispensable Guide to Practically Everything: Bible Prophecy and End Times". Template:ISBN</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This symbolism did not fit the case of Rome at the time. Proponents of this view suggest that the "seven mountains" in Revelation 17:9 are the seven hills on which Jerusalem stands and the "fall of Babylon" in Rev 18 is the fall and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.<ref>A commentary on the Apocalypse of John, Edmondo Lupieri, p. 7</ref>

Several Old Testament prophets referred to Jerusalem as being a spiritual harlot and a mother of such harlotry (Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:20; 3:1–11; Ezekiel 16:1–43; 23, as well as Epistle to the Galatians 4:25). Some of these Old Testament prophecies, as well as the warnings in the New Testament concerning Jerusalem, resemble the text concerning Babylon in Revelation. This suggests that John of Patmos may have been citing those prophecies in his description of Babylon.<ref name="Drane1999">Template:Cite book</ref>

For example, in Matthew 23:34–37 and Luke 11:47–51, Jesus assigned all of the bloodguilt for the killing of the prophets and of the saints to the Pharisees of Jerusalem. In Revelation 17:6 and 18:20,b24, similar phrasing is used in charging the bloodguilt to Babylon. This is also bolstered by Jesus' statement that "it's not possible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem." (Luke 13:33).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Historicist and idealistic interpretations

Catholic view

For medieval Spanish Catholics, the Whore of Babylon (a Christian allegory of evil) was incarnated by the Emirate of Córdoba.

In the most common medieval and Catholic view, deriving from Augustine of Hippo's The City of God (early 5th century), Babylon and Jerusalem referred to two spiritual cities which were spiritually at war with one another, throughout all of history:

Template:Blockquote

They also represented two principles at war with one another, inside each individual person, even inside seemingly worldly Christian monarchs; thus Augustine could boast approvingly, "believing [Christian] monarchs of this world came to the city of Rome, as to the head of Babylon: they went not to the temple of the Emperor, but to the tomb of the Fisherman."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Some sedevacantists believe that the post-concilliar church is the Whore of Babylon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Reformation view

Template:See also

Whore of Babylon wearing the papal tiara from a woodcut in Luther Bible
Ku Klux Klan cartoon depicting the Whore of Babylon wearing the papal tiara, 1925

Historicist interpreters commonly used the phrase "Whore of Babylon" to refer to the Catholic Church. Reformation writers Martin Luther (1483–1546, author of On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church), John Calvin (1509–1564), and John Knox (1510–1572, author of The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstruous Regiment of Women) taught this association.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Most early Protestant Reformers believed, and the modern Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches, that in Bible prophecy a woman represents a church.<ref>Commentary on Daniel and Revelation Template:Webarchive. Google Books.</ref><ref name="Keys To Bible Symbols">Keys To Bible Symbols Template:Webarchive see Woman, pure and Woman, corrupt on bottom of page</ref> The connection noted on the seven hills of Rome is argued to locate the church.<ref name="Walvoord, John F pg. 603-610">Walvoord, John F. "Every Prophecy of the Bible". pp. 603–610. Template:ISBN.</ref><ref>LaHaye, Tim. "Revelation Unveiled". pp. 262–271. Template:ISBN (softcover).</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Identification of the Pope as the Antichrist was written into Protestant creeds such as the Westminster Confession of 1646. The identification of the Roman Catholic Church with the Whore of Babylon is kept in the Scofield Reference Bible (whose 1917 edition identified "ecclesiastical Babylon" with "apostate Christendom headed by the Papacy"). An image from the 1545 edition of Luther's Bible depicts the Whore as wearing the papal tiara.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Latter-day Saint view

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) views the Whore of Babylon and its Book of Mormon equivalent, the "great and abominable church", as having dominion over the entire earth and representing a powerful collection of groups and carnal individuals seeking wealth, sexual immorality, dominion, and the persecution or death of saints.<ref name = SER /> The Whore of Babylon, or the Devil's Church, consists of all organisations not associated with the followers of Christ or that are against his followers. Ultimately, the Whore of Babylon's fate is to be destroyed in the last days.<ref name = SER>Stephen E. Robinson, "Warring Against the Saints of God" Template:Webarchive, Ensign, January 1988.</ref><ref>Dennis A. Wright, "Great and Abominable Church" Template:Webarchive, Encyclopedia of Mormonism (Daniel H. Ludlow ed.) (Macmillan: New York, 1992).</ref>

Seventh-day Adventist view

Seventh-day Adventists believe that the whore of Babylon represents the fallen state of traditional Christianity, especially the fallen state of Christianity in the Catholic Church. Other churches (predominantly Protestant) are generally considered either part of the harlot or her daughters. Adventists further hold the view that the persecution of the "saints" in Revelation 17:6 represents the persecution of believers who rejected the doctrines which were introduced by the Roman Catholic Church because they were based on pagan Roman beliefs. The persecution of anyone who opposed the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages, especially by the Inquisition, and the persecution of the Waldensians and the Huguenots are cited as examples of this persecution.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Seventh-day Adventists interpret Revelation 17:18 as a prophecy about the false church, which has power over the kings of the earth. They consider the pope to be in apostasy for allowing pagan rituals, beliefs and ceremonies to come into the church. They consider the Papacy, as a continuation of the Roman Empire, to be a fulfillment of 2 Thessalonians 2:7: "For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way."<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Ellen G. White's The Great Controversy (1858) states that "Spiritual Babylon" would have worldwide influence, affecting "all nations", that the Imperial Roman Empire could not meet the criteria, because she wrote that it only had influence in the Old World. Like many reformation-era Protestant leaders, her writings also describe the Catholic Church as a fallen church, and it plays a nefarious eschatological role as the antagonist against God's true church and that the pope is the Antichrist.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Jehovah's Witnesses view

Jehovah's Witnesses, whose early teachings were strongly influenced by Adventism but have since diverged,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> believe that the Whore of Babylon represents "the world empire of false religion",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> referring to all other religious groups including, but not limited to, Christendom.<ref>The Watchtower, April 15, 1962, p. 229 par. 6 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. "Christendom Has Failed God! After Her End, What?"</ref> Jehovah's Witnesses literature frequently refers to the "Great Harlot" of Babylon and the subsequent attack on her by the political powers, signaling the beginning of the "great tribulation".<ref>The Watchtower, October 15, 1961, p. 229 par. 6. "When All Nations Unite Under God's Kingdom". Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.</ref> They believe that the empire of false religion has persecuted God's people, and that "false religion" has committed "fornication" with the world's political and commercial elements, based on their interpretation of Revelation 17:1–2.<ref>What Does the Bible Really Teach? p. 219 par. 2 Template:Ndash p. 220 par. 3. Template:Webarchive Published by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.</ref>

View in Thelema

Template:Thelema

Babalon (also known as the "Scarlet Woman" or "Mother of Abominations") is a goddess found in Thelema, a religious system which was established in 1904 with the writing of The Book of the Law by English writer Aleister Crowley. The spelling of the name as "Babalon" was revealed by Crowley in his The Vision and the Voice. Her name and imagery are featured in Crowley's Template:Lang.Template:Sfnp

In her most abstract form, Babalon represents the female sexual impulse and the liberated woman. In the creed of the Gnostic Mass she is also identified with Mother Earth, in her most fertile sense.Template:Sfnp Along with her status as an archetype or goddess, Crowley believed that Babalon had an earthly aspect or avatar; a living woman who occupied the spiritual office of the 'Scarlet Woman'. This office, first identified in The Book of the Law is usually described as a counterpart to his own identification as "To Mega Therion" (The Great Beast). The role of the Scarlet Woman was to help manifest the energies of the Aeon of Horus. Crowley believed that several women in his life occupied the office of Scarlet Woman, for which see the list below.

Babalon's consort is Chaos, called the "Father of Life" in the Gnostic Mass, being the male form of the creative principle. Chaos appears in The Vision and the Voice and later in Template:Lang. Separate from her relationship with her consort, Babalon is usually depicted as riding the Beast. She is often referred to as a sacred whore, and her primary symbol is the chalice or graal.

As Crowley wrote in his The Book of Thoth, "she rides astride the Beast; in her left hand she holds the reins, representing the passion which unites them. In her right she holds aloft the cup, the Holy Grail aflame with love and death. In this cup are mingled the elements of the sacrament of the Aeon."Template:Sfnp

See also

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

Template:Reflist

Works cited

Template:Refbegin

Template:Refend

Template:Doomsday Template:Book of Revelation Template:Religious slurs Template:Thelema series Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "https://wiki.sarg.dev/index.php?title=Whore_of_Babylon&oldid=132923"