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" ().
She is further identified as a representation of "that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth" in Revelation 17:18., King James Bible
Passages from Revelation The "great whore" of the Book of Revelation is featured in chapter 17:
Symbolism
The Whore is associated with the Beast of Revelation by connection with an equally evil kingdom. The word whore can also be translated metaphorically as 'Idolatress'.πόρνη : 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. 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.Rome or Jerusalem ? A Protestant Study on the Whore of Babylon in RevelationHunting the Whore of Babylon . Catholic AnswersCh 17: Babylon the whore . Commentary on Revelation
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.
Rome
In the First Epistle of Peter (1 Peter 5:13), the author implies they are in "Babylon", which has been held to be a coded reference to Rome. "'Babylon' became the Christian code name for Rome after Titus destroyed Jerusalem, thus duplicating the Babylonians’ demolition of the holy city (587 BCE)." Many Biblical scholarsWomen in scripture: a dictionary of named and unnamed women in the Hebrew*L. Michael White, Understanding the Book of Revelation , PBS Helmut Köster, Introduction to the New Testament, Volume 2 , 260 Pheme Perkins, First and Second Peter, James, and Jude, 16 Watson E. Mills, Mercer Commentary on the New Testament, 1340 Nancy McDarby, The Collegeville Bible Handbook , 349 Carol L. Meyers, Toni Craven, Ross Shepard Kraemer Women in Scripture: A Dictionary of Named and Unnamed Women in the Hebrew, p. 528 David M. Carr, Colleen M. Conway, Introduction to the Bible: Sacred Texts and Imperial Contexts , 353 Larry Joseph Kreitzer Gospel Images in Fiction and Film: On Reversing the Hermeneutical Flow , 61 Mary Beard, John A. North, S. R. F. Price Religions of Rome: A History , David M. Rhoads, From Every People and Nation: The Book of Revelation in Intercultural Perspective , 174 Charles T. Chapman, The Message of the Book of Revelation , 114 Norman Cheadle, The Ironic Apocalypse in the Novels of Leopoldo Marechal , 36 Peter M. J. Stravinskas, The Catholic Answer Book, Volume 1 , 18 Catherine Keller, God and Power: Counter-Apocalyptic Journeys, 59 Brian K. Blount, Revelation: A Commentary, 346 Frances Carey, The Apocalypse and the Shape of Things to Come, 138 Richard Dellamora, Postmodern Apocalypse: Theory and Cultural Practice at the End, 117 A. N. Wilson, Paul: The Mind of the Apostle, 11 Gerd Theissen, John Bowden, Fortress Introduction to the New Testament, 166 believe that "Babylon" is a metaphor for the pagan Roman Empire at the time it persecuted Christians, before the Edict of Milan in 313. According to Eusebius of Caesarea Babylon would be Rome or the Roman Empire:
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."Craig R. Koester, Revelation, Anchor Yale Bible 38A (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2014), 684. It "is the Roman imperial world, which in turn represents the world alienated from God."Koester, 506. In 4 Ezra,2 Esdras/4 Esdras; see the article on the naming conventions of the Books of Ezra4 Ezra 3:1–2, 28–31 2 Baruch2 Baruch 10:1–3, 11:1, 67:7 and the Sibylline Oracles,Sibylline oracles 5.143, 159–60 "Babylon" is a cryptic name for Rome. In Revelation 17:9 it is said that she sits on "seven mountains", typically understood as the seven hills of Rome.Wall, R. W. (1991). New International Biblical Commentary: Revelation (207). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.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.Davis, C. A. (2000). Revelation. The College Press NIV commentary (322). Joplin, Mo.: College Press Pub.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.Beckwith, Isbon T. The Apocalypse of John. New York: MacMillan, 1919; reprinted, Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2001. A Roman coin minted under the Emperor Vespasian () depicts Rome as a woman sitting on seven hills.
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)."
Jerusalem
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* 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 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.Hunting the Whore of Babylon Douglas Connelly. "The Indispensable Guide to Practically Everything: Bible Prophecy and End Times". 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.A commentary on the Apocalypse of John, Edmondo Lupieri, p. 7
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.
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).
Historicist and idealistic interpretations Catholic view
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:
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."
Some sedevacantists believe that the post-concilliar church is the Whore of Babylon.
Reformation view
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.
Most early Protestant Reformers believed, and the modern Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches, that in Bible prophecy a woman represents a church.Commentary on Daniel and Revelation . Google Books.Keys To Bible Symbols see Woman, pure and Woman, corrupt on bottom of page The connection noted on the seven hills of Rome is argued to locate the church.Walvoord, John F. "Every Prophecy of the Bible". pp. 603–610. .LaHaye, Tim. "Revelation Unveiled". pp. 262–271. (softcover).
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.
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. 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.Stephen E. Robinson, "Warring Against the Saints of God" , Ensign, January 1988.Dennis A. Wright, "Great and Abominable Church" , Encyclopedia of Mormonism (Daniel H. Ludlow ed.) (Macmillan: New York, 1992).
Seventh-day Adventist view