Whore of Babylon
The Whore of Babylon is a symbolic figure of evil in the prophetic book of the Bible the Book of Revelation. Revelation describes her as, "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earthâs abominations."[1]
Bible scholars have various theories on what entity or entities the whore represents. In ancient times, Tertullian suggested that Babylon was a stand-in for Rome.[2] Like Babylon of Revelation, Rome ruled over the kings of the earth,[3] sat on seven mountains,[4] was the center of the world's merchandise,[5] corrupted nations,[6] and was a persecutor of saints.[7]
If Babylon does represent Rome, it would suggest that the beast represents Emperor Nero and that the whore represents the Jews, who John accuses of collaborating with the Roman authorities against Christians.[8]
References
- â Revelation 17:5
- â "Babylon in the New Testament," International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
- â Revelation 17:18
- â Revelation 17:9
- â Revelation 18:3 and Revelation 18:11-13
- â Revelation 17:2, Revelation 18:3, and Revelation 19:2.
- â Revelation 17:6
- â Who is the Whore of Babylon?, Catholic Apologetics.