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{{short description|Female figure and also place of evil mentioned in the Book of Revelation}}
[[File:Whore-babylon-luther-bible-1534.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Colored version of the Whore of Babylon illustration from [[Luther Bible|Martin Luther's 1534 translation of the Bible]]]]
{{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'''" ({{langx|grc|μυστήριον, Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη, ἡ μήτηρ τῶν πορνῶν καὶ τῶν βδελυγμάτων τῆς γῆς|label=[[Ancient Greek|Greek]]|mystḗrion, Babylṑn hē megálē, hē mḗtēr tôn pornôn kaì tôn bdelygmátōn tês gês}}).

She is further identified as a representation of "that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth" in [[Revelation 17:18]].<ref>{{bibleverse|Revelation|17:18|KJV}}, [[King James Bible]]</ref>

== Passages from Revelation ==
The "great [[whore]]" of the Book of Revelation is featured in chapter [[Revelation 17|17]]:

{{blockquote|{{sup|1}}And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: {{sup|2}}With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. {{sup|3}}So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. {{sup|4}}And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: {{sup|5}}And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. {{sup|6}}And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.{{nbsp}}[...] {{sup|9}}And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. {{sup|10}}And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space. {{sup|11}}And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition. {{sup|12}}And the ten horns which thou saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.{{nbsp}}[...] {{sup|15}}And he said unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.{{nbsp}}[...] {{sup|18}}And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.|Revelation 17:1–6, 9–12, 15, 18, [[King James Bible]]<ref>{{bibleverse|Revelation|17:1–18|KJV}}</ref>}}

== Symbolism ==
{{See also|Babylon|Rape in the Hebrew Bible#Personified capital cities threatened with rape}}
[[File:Herrad von Landsberg whore babylon.jpg|thumb|The whore of Babylon as illustrated in ''[[Hortus deliciarum]]'' by [[Herrad of Landsberg]], 1180]]

The Whore is associated with [[The Beast (Revelation)|the Beast]] of Revelation by connection with an equally evil kingdom.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}} The word ''whore'' can also be translated [[metaphor]]ically as '[[Idolatry|Idolatress]]'.<ref>[http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=G4204 πόρνη] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213183940/https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=G4204 |date=2019-12-13 }}: 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 [[apocalypse|apocalyptic]] downfall is [[prophecy|prophesied]] to take place in the hands of the image of the [[The Beast (Revelation)|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>[http://www.philvaz.com/apologetics/a92.htm Rome or Jerusalem] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327085828/http://www.philvaz.com/apologetics/a92.htm |date=2019-03-27 }}? ''A Protestant Study on the Whore of Babylon in Revelation''</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.apocalipsis.org/rev-int.htm |title=The Interpretation of Revelation |access-date=2011-11-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026131010/http://www.apocalipsis.org/rev-int.htm |archive-date=2011-10-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://www.catholic.com/tracts/hunting-the-whore-of-babylon Hunting the Whore of Babylon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130220657/http://www.catholic.com/tracts/hunting-the-whore-of-babylon |date=2016-11-30 }}. Catholic Answers</ref><ref>[http://www.apocalipsis.org/rev-17.htm Ch 17: Babylon the whore] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103113520/http://www.apocalipsis.org/rev-17.htm |date=2011-11-03 }}. Commentary on Revelation</ref>

[[Caroline Vander Stichele]] demonstrated that the narrative of the Whore of Babylon follows many of the same patterns of the [[Rape in the Hebrew Bible#Personified capital cities threatened with rape|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">{{Cite journal |last=Vander Stichele |first=Caroline |date=2000 |title=Just a Whore. The Annihilation of Babylon According to Revelation 17:16 |url=http://www.lectio.unibe.ch/00_1/j.htm |journal=Lectio Difficilior. European Electronic Journal for Feminist Exegesis |publisher=[[University of Amsterdam]] |volume= |issue=1 |pages= |doi= |access-date=28 May 2021 |archive-date=2 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214420/http://www.lectio.unibe.ch/00_1/j.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Rome ===
{{See also|Roma (mythology)|l1=Dea Roma}}

In the [[First Epistle of Peter]] (1 Peter 5:13),<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Peter|5:13}}</ref> [[First Epistle of Peter#Authorship|the author]] implies they are in "Babylon", which has been held to be a coded reference to Rome.<ref>{{cite book |last=Harris |first=Stephen L. |author-link=Stephen L Harris |title=Understanding the Bible |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U-yAQQAACAAJ |edition=8th |location=New York |publisher=McGraw-Hill |year=2010 |page=477 |isbn=978-0-07-340744-9 |access-date=2021-09-04 |archive-date=2021-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020182419/https://books.google.com/books?id=U-yAQQAACAAJ |url-status=live }} "'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>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KuauhZijcb4C&pg=PA69|title=Knowing the End From the Beginning|isbn=978-0567084620|last1=Grabbe|first1=Lester L.|last2=Haak|first2=Robert D.|date=2003|publisher=A&C Black |via=[[Google Books]]|access-date=2016-03-01|archive-date=2020-01-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200101225459/https://books.google.com/books?id=KuauhZijcb4C&pg=PA69|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4vUkZpLbOooC&pg=PA41|title=The First Letter of Peter|via=google.ca|isbn=978-1602580244|last1=Feldmeier|first1=Reinhard|year=2008|publisher=Baylor University Press |access-date=2016-03-01|archive-date=2016-05-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510043759/https://books.google.com/books?id=4vUkZpLbOooC&pg=PA41|url-status=live}}</ref> Many Biblical scholars<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=NIMam563-fsC&pg=PA528 Women in scripture: a dictionary of named and unnamed women in the Hebrew]{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>*[[L. Michael White]], [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/revelation/white.html ''Understanding the Book of Revelation''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228151125/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/revelation/white.html |date=2017-12-28 }}, [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]]
* [[Helmut Köster]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=qWflda5Erq4C&pg=PA260 ''Introduction to the New Testament'', Volume 2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501090712/https://books.google.com/books?id=qWflda5Erq4C&pg=PA260 |date=2016-05-01 }}, 260
* Pheme Perkins, ''First and Second Peter, James, and Jude'', 16
* Watson E. Mills, ''Mercer Commentary on the New Testament'', 1340
* Nancy McDarby, [https://books.google.com/books?id=i962jBEOJVYC&pg=PA349 ''The Collegeville Bible Handbook''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527164850/https://books.google.com/books?id=i962jBEOJVYC&pg=PA349 |date=2016-05-27 }}, 349
* Carol L. Meyers, Toni Craven, Ross Shepard Kraemer [https://books.google.com/books?id=NIMam563-fsC&pg=PA528 ''Women in Scripture: A Dictionary of Named and Unnamed Women in the Hebrew'']{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, p. 528
* David M. Carr, Colleen M. Conway, [https://books.google.com/books?id=dJerjvlxCHsC&pg=PA353AN ''Introduction to the Bible: Sacred Texts and Imperial Contexts''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603103403/https://books.google.com/books?id=dJerjvlxCHsC&pg=PA353An |date=2016-06-03 }}, 353
* Larry Joseph Kreitzer [https://books.google.com/books?id=VNQlTGRm-bEC&pg=PA61 Gospel Images in Fiction and Film: On Reversing the Hermeneutical Flow] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430000750/https://books.google.com/books?id=VNQlTGRm-bEC&pg=PA61 |date=2016-04-30 }}, 61
* Mary Beard, John A. North, S. R. F. Price [https://books.google.com/books?id=2rtaTFYuM3QC&pg=PA283 ''Religions of Rome: A History''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160515202313/https://books.google.com/books?id=2rtaTFYuM3QC&pg=PA283 |date=2016-05-15 }},
* David M. Rhoads, [https://books.google.com/books?id=4rGPq4fKncIC&pg=PA174 ''From Every People and Nation: The Book of Revelation in Intercultural Perspective''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617153059/https://books.google.com/books?id=4rGPq4fKncIC&pg=PA174 |date=2016-06-17 }}, 174
* Charles T. Chapman, [https://books.google.com/books?id=qPAiFCpfNUEC&pg=PA114 ''The Message of the Book of Revelation''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527085447/https://books.google.com/books?id=qPAiFCpfNUEC&pg=PA114 |date=2016-05-27 }}, 114
* Norman Cheadle, [https://books.google.com/books?id=u0Pxziu43BUC&pg=PA36 ''The Ironic Apocalypse in the Novels of Leopoldo Marechal''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506224403/https://books.google.com/books?id=u0Pxziu43BUC&pg=PA36 |date=2016-05-06 }}, 36
* Peter M. J. Stravinskas, [https://books.google.com/books?id=ihHMmu2_NFkC&pg=PA18 ''The Catholic Answer Book'', Volume 1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518013129/https://books.google.com/books?id=ihHMmu2_NFkC&pg=PA18 |date=2016-05-18 }}, 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</ref> believe that "Babylon" is a metaphor for the pagan [[Roman Empire]] at the time it [[Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire|persecuted Christians]], before the [[Edict of Milan]] in 313. According to [[Eusebius of Caesarea]] Babylon would be Rome or the Roman Empire:

{{quote|And Peter makes mention of Mark in his first epistle which they say that he wrote in Rome itself, as is indicated by him, when he calls the city, by a figure, Babylon, as he does in the following words: «The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, salutes you; and so does Marcus my son.»(1 Peter 5:13)<ref>{{cite book|last1=of Caesarea|first1=Eusebius|title=Church Fathers: Church History, Book II (Eusebius)|publisher=Newadvent|url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250102.htm|access-date=2016-10-06|archive-date=2017-11-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118084938/http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250102.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

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 [[2 Esdras#4 Ezra|4 Ezra]],<ref>2 Esdras/4 Esdras; see [[Esdras#Naming conventions|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 [[wikt:cryptic#Adjective|cryptic]] name for Rome.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KuauhZijcb4C&pg=PA69|title=Knowing the End From the Beginning|publisher=A&C Black|year=2003|editor=Lester L. Grabbe, Robert D. Haak|page=69|isbn=9780567084620|access-date=2016-03-01|archive-date=2020-01-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200101225459/https://books.google.com/books?id=KuauhZijcb4C&pg=PA69|url-status=live}}</ref> In Revelation 17:9 it is said that she sits on "seven mountains",{{efn|Both the King James Version Bible and the New International Version use the words "seven hills"}} 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]] ({{c.|70 AD}}) depicts [[Roma (mythology)|Rome as a woman]] sitting on seven hills.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2sW808jaEekC&pg=PA46|title=She Who Restores the Roman Empire: The Biblical Prophecy of the Whore of Babylon|year=2002|publisher=iUniverse|author=David Criswell|page=46|isbn=9780595249282|access-date=2016-03-01|archive-date=2016-05-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504215731/https://books.google.com/books?id=2sW808jaEekC&pg=PA46|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Vespasians Imperial Coin|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/C_1872-0709-477 |website=The British Museum |access-date=4 March 2025}}</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>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.internationalstandardbible.com/B/babylon-in-the-new-testament.html|title=Babylon in the New Testament|encyclopedia=International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Online|access-date=2010-10-20|archive-date=2011-03-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312115307/http://www.internationalstandardbible.com/B/babylon-in-the-new-testament.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Jerusalem ===
{{See also|Rape in the Hebrew Bible#Personified capital cities threatened with rape}}
[[File:David Roberts - The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans Under the Command of Titus, A.D. 70.jpg|thumb|''The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem'', by [[David Roberts (painter)|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," ''[[Journal for the Study of the New Testament|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 [[Apostasy|apostate]] false [[Queen consort|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>[http://www.catholic.com/library/Hunting_the_Whore_of_Babylon.asp Hunting the Whore of Babylon] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231171045/http://www.catholic.com/library/hunting_the_whore_of_babylon.asp |date=2006-12-31 }}</ref><ref>Douglas Connelly. "The Indispensable Guide to Practically Everything: Bible Prophecy and End Times". {{ISBN|978-0-8249-4772-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thepreteristpost.com/t2-the-transformation-of-jerusalem|title=Congratulations!|work=thepreteristpost.com|access-date=2011-07-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605093543/http://www.thepreteristpost.com/t2-the-transformation-of-jerusalem|archive-date=2011-06-05|url-status=usurped}}</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 [[Siege of Jerusalem (70)|destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD]].<ref>A commentary on the Apocalypse of John, Edmondo Lupieri, p. 7</ref>

Several [[Old Testament]] [[Prophets in Judaism|prophets]] referred to Jerusalem as being a spiritual harlot and a mother of such harlotry ([[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]] 1:21; [[Book of Jeremiah|Jeremiah]] 2:20; 3:1–11; [[Book of Ezekiel|Ezekiel]] 16:1–43; 23, [[Epistle to the Galatians|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">{{cite book|last=Drane|first=John|title=Revelation: The Apocalypse of St. John|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NfVWbFl7fbUC&pg=PA53|year=1999|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-312-22513-1|page=53|access-date=2015-10-22|archive-date=2016-05-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509033127/https://books.google.com/books?id=NfVWbFl7fbUC&pg=PA53|url-status=live}}</ref>

For example, in [[Matthew 23]]:34–37 and [[Luke 11]]:47–51, [[Jesus]] assigned all of the [[wikt:bloodguilt|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>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jJQXAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA252|title=A New and Original Exposition of the Book of Revelation|work=google.ca|last1=Roy|first1=William L.|year=1848}}</ref>

== Historicist and idealistic interpretations ==
=== Catholic view ===
[[File:B Facundus 224vdét.jpg|thumb|upright|For medieval Spanish Catholics, the Whore of Babylon (a Christian allegory of evil) was incarnated by the [[Emirate of Córdoba]].]]

In the most common [[Middle Ages|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:

{{blockquote|Babylon [from [[Tower of Babel|Babel]]] is interpreted confusion, Jerusalem vision of peace.{{nbsp}}[...] They are mingled, and from the very beginning of mankind mingled they run on unto the end of the world.{{nbsp}}[...]✓Two loves make up these two cities: [[love of God]] makes Jerusalem, love of the world makes Babylon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1801065.htm#springfield2|title=Church Fathers: Exposition on Psalm 65 (Augustine), 2.|website=www.newadvent.org|access-date=2017-08-11|archive-date=2018-12-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209165200/http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1801065.htm#springfield2|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

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 [[Saint Peter's tomb|tomb of the Fisherman]]."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1801087.htm#springfield2|title=Church Fathers: Exposition on Psalm 87 (Augustine), 7.|website=www.newadvent.org|access-date=2017-08-11|archive-date=2017-08-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819123038/http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1801087.htm#springfield2|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some [[sedevacantism|sedevacantists]] believe that the [[Second Vatican Council|post-concilliar]] church is the Whore of Babylon.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://vaticancatholic.com/apocalypse/ | title=The Apocalypse & the Prophesied Whore of Babylon | date=31 January 2007 }}</ref>

=== Reformation view ===
{{See also|Historicist interpretations of the Book of Revelation#Antichrist}}
[[File:Whore of Babylon 1522 Luther New Testament.jpg|thumb|Whore of Babylon wearing the [[papal tiara]] from a woodcut in [[Luther Bible]]]]
[[File:Scarletwomankkk.jpg|thumb|[[Ku Klux Klan]] cartoon depicting the Whore of Babylon wearing the papal tiara, 1925]]

[[Historicism (Christian eschatology)|Historicist]] interpreters commonly used the phrase "Whore of Babylon" to refer to the [[Catholic Church]]. [[Protestant Reformation|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>{{Cite book |last=Bilhartz |first=Terry D. |title=Urban Religion and the Second Great Awakening |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pK_DqHjUfg4C |year=1986 |publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson University Press |location=Madison, NJ |isbn=0-8386-3227-0 |page=115 |access-date=2016-03-01 |archive-date=2016-10-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022153647/https://books.google.com/books?id=pK_DqHjUfg4C |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Edwards|first=Mark Jr.|title=Apocalypticism Explained: Martin Luther, PBS.org|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/explanation/martinluther.html|access-date=2017-09-18|archive-date=2017-09-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905181203/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/explanation/martinluther.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Most early Protestant Reformers believed, and the modern [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]] teaches, that in Bible prophecy a woman represents a church.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=i18-QVydZp4C&dq=bible+prophecy+woman+represents+church&pg=RA1-PA807 Commentary on Daniel and Revelation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921131827/https://books.google.com/books?id=i18-QVydZp4C&pg=RA1-PA807&dq=bible+prophecy+woman+represents+church&hl=en&ei=vbTITKuDFpHOvQPV8tyVCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEYQ6AEwBTgK |date=2021-09-21 }}. Google Books.</ref><ref name="Keys To Bible Symbols">[http://www.bibleuniverse.com/articles/keys-to-bible-symbols.aspx Keys To Bible Symbols] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100928050812/http://www.bibleuniverse.com/articles/keys-to-bible-symbols.aspx |date=2010-09-28 }} 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. {{ISBN|978-1-56476-758-5}}.</ref><ref>LaHaye, Tim. "Revelation Unveiled". pp. 262–271. {{ISBN|978-0-310-23005-2}} (softcover).</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mystery-babylon.net/|title=Who Is Mystery Babylon The Great – Mother Of Harlots|work=mystery-babylon.net|access-date=2011-06-19|archive-date=2011-06-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615170347/http://www.mystery-babylon.net/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Identification of the Pope as the Antichrist was written into Protestant creeds such as the [[Westminster Confession of Faith|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 [[Holy See|Papacy]]"). An image from the 1545 edition of Luther's Bible depicts the Whore as wearing the [[papal tiara]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ghdi.ghi-dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=3321|title=GHDI - Image|access-date=2019-12-26|archive-date=2021-02-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224183608/http://ghdi.ghi-dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=3321|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perceptivetravel.com/issues/0417/germany2.html|title=Recapturing My Religious Satirical Soul in Lutherland, Germany |page =2|access-date=2019-12-26|archive-date=2019-12-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226022925/https://www.perceptivetravel.com/issues/0417/germany2.html|url-status=live}}</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]], [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1988/01/warring-against-the-saints-of-god?lang=eng "Warring Against the Saints of God"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016162339/https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1988/01/warring-against-the-saints-of-god?lang=eng |date=2019-10-16 }}, ''[[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]]'', January 1988.</ref><ref>Dennis A. Wright, [http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Great_and_Abominable_Church "Great and Abominable Church"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319064116/http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Great_and_Abominable_Church |date=2014-03-19 }}, ''[[Encyclopedia of Mormonism]]'' ([[Daniel H. Ludlow]] ed.) (Macmillan: New York, 1992).</ref>

=== Seventh-day Adventist view ===
[[Adventism|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 [[Protestantism|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 [[Religion in ancient Rome|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 [[Huguenot]]s are cited as examples of this persecution.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://amazingdiscoveries.org/R-Reformation_Rome_crusade_slaughter|title=Timeline of Bloody History of Papal Rome – Oppression of Protestants|work=Amazing Discoveries|access-date=2015-06-06|archive-date=2015-06-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622052639/http://amazingdiscoveries.org/R-Reformation_Rome_crusade_slaughter|url-status=live}}</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 [[History of the papacy|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>{{bibleverse|2 Thessalonians|2:7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Seventh-Day Adventists Believe |page=259 |year=1988 |publisher = Review & Herald Publishing Association}}</ref>

[[Ellen G. White]]'s ''[[The Great Controversy (book)|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>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehorsemedia.com/articles/?d=44|title=White Horse Media|author=Austin Best|work=whitehorsemedia.com|access-date=2014-01-11|archive-date=2013-11-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110013728/http://www.whitehorsemedia.com/articles/?d=44|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| last = White| first = Ellen G.| author-link = Ellen G. White| title = The Great Controversy: Between Christ and Satan| orig-year = 1888| url = http://www.whiteestate.org/books/gc/gc.asp| access-date = 2006-06-06| year = 1999| publisher = The Ellen G. White Estate| isbn = 0-8163-1923-5| chapter = Enmity Between Man and Satan| chapter-url = http://www.whiteestate.org/books/gc/gc30.html| page = 581| quote = His word has given warning of the impending danger; let this be unheeded, and the Protestant world will learn what the purposes of Rome really are, only when it is too late to escape the snare. She is silently growing into power. Her doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men. She is piling up her lofty and massive structures in the secret recesses of which her former persecutions will be repeated. Stealthily and unsuspectedly she is strengthening her forces to further her own ends when the time shall come for her to strike. All that she desires is vantage ground, and this is already being given her. We shall soon see and shall feel what the purpose of the Roman element is. Whoever shall believe and obey the word of God will thereby incur reproach and persecution.| archive-date = 2007-05-31| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070531225517/http://www.whiteestate.org/books/gc/gc.asp| url-status = live}}</ref>

=== Jehovah's Witnesses view ===
[[Jehovah's Witnesses]], whose early teachings were strongly influenced by Adventism but have since diverged,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1969/10/watch-towers-debt-to-seventh-day-adventism|magazine=The Ministry|title=Watch Tower's Debt to Seventh-day Adventism: A Fascinating Footnote to History|date=October 1969|access-date=2018-12-08|archive-date=2018-12-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209124614/https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1969/10/watch-towers-debt-to-seventh-day-adventism|url-status=live}}</ref> believe that the Whore of Babylon represents "the world empire of false religion",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102005146|title=Take Your Stand for True Worship –Watchtower Online Library |work=jw.org|access-date=2012-10-20|archive-date=2012-12-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121221115339/http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102005146|url-status=live}}</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>[http://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/bible-teach/babylon-the-great-revelation/ ''What Does the Bible ''Really'' Teach?'' p. 219 par. 2 {{ndash}} p. 220 par. 3]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151011151844/http://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/bible-teach/babylon-the-great-revelation |date=2015-10-11 }} Published by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.</ref>

===View in Thelema===
{{thelema|expand=Related topics}}

[[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 {{lang|la|Liber Cheth vel Vallum Abiegni}}.{{sfnp|Crowley|1983|loc="Liber Cheth vel Vallum Abiegni"}}

In her most abstract form, Babalon represents the female sexual impulse and the liberated woman. In the [[creed]] of the [[Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass|Gnostic Mass]] she is also identified with [[Mother Nature|Mother Earth]], in her most fertile sense.{{sfnp|Helena|Tau Apiryon|2001}} 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 "[[Therion (Thelema)|To Mega Therion]]" (The Great Beast). The role of the Scarlet Woman was to help manifest the energies of the [[Aeon (Thelema)|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 (cosmogony)#Alchemy and Hermeticism|Chaos]], called the "Father of Life" in the [[Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass|Gnostic Mass]], being the male form of the creative principle. Chaos appears in ''[[The Vision and the Voice]]'' and later in {{lang|la|Liber Cheth vel Vallum Abiegni}}. Separate from her relationship with her consort, Babalon is usually depicted as riding the [[The Beast (Bible)|Beast]]. She is often referred to as a [[religious prostitution|sacred whore]], and her primary symbol is the [[Chalice (cup)|chalice]] or [[Holy Grail|graal]].

As Crowley wrote in his ''[[The Book of Thoth (Crowley)|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 (Thelema)|Aeon]]."{{sfnp|Crowley|1974}}

==See also==
* [[Anti-Catholicism]]
* [[Barbelo|Barbēlō]]
* [[Book of Daniel]]
* [[Great Apostasy]]
* [[Rastafari#Babylon and Zion|Rastafari § Babylon and Zion]]
* ''[[The Two Babylons]]''
* [[Woman of the Apocalypse]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |surname=Crowley |given=Aleister |author-link=Aleister Crowley |title=The Book of Thoth: A Short Essay on the Tarot of the Egyptians |others=Illustrated by Frieda Harris |isbn=978-0877282686 |year=1974 |publisher=Samuel Weiser, Inc.}}
*{{Cite book |surname=Crowley |given=Aleister |year=1983 |title=The Holy Books of Thelema |place=York Beach, Maine |publisher=[[Samuel Weiser]]}}
*{{Cite book |author1=Helena |author2=Tau Apiryon |title=Mystery of Mystery: A Primer of Thelemic Ecclesiastical Gnosticism |year=2001 |chapter=The Creed of the Gnostic Catholic Church: an Examination |edition=Revised 2nd |series=Red Flame |number=2 |isbn=0-9712376-1-1 |location=Berkeley |publisher=Ordo Templi Orientis |url=https://sabazius.oto-usa.org/the-creed-of-the-gnostic-catholic-church-an-examination/ |archive-date=2024-09-27 |access-date=2024-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927001306/https://sabazius.oto-usa.org/the-creed-of-the-gnostic-catholic-church-an-examination/ |url-status=dead }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category inline}}

{{Doomsday}}
{{Book of Revelation}}
{{Religious slurs}}
{{Thelema series}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Whore of Babylon| ]]
[[Category:Anti-Catholic slurs]]
[[Category:Babylon]]
[[Category:Bible-related controversies]]
[[Category:People in the Book of Revelation]]
[[Category:Christian terminology]]
[[Category:Mythological queens]]
[[Category:Roman Empire in art and culture]]
[[Category:Seventh-day Adventist theology]]
[[Category:Thelema]]
[[Category:Women in the New Testament]]