Babylon
The story begins at the Tower of
Babel with the construction of a ziggurat which may be taken narratively as a monument to false worship and human
power. (Gen. 11: 1-9)
In historical times the
Kingdom of
Babylon, the enemy of Israel, took the Southern Kingdom of Judah captive to Babylonia and
destroyed the Temple of Solomon. (cf. biblical books of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Ezra, Nehemiah)
Thus, for the early Christians, Babylon
is a symbol of spiritual wickedness and in the book of Revelation designates the city of Rome the persecutor
of the true Faith. (cf. the NT Book of Revelation, and I Peter)
Today it may refer to any city or
system of sin. For example, in the 1997 film The Devil's Advocate, Babylon (the
Great) refers to New York City.
Babylon also
signifies a polyglot and multicultural society, because ancient Babylon was such
a society and in the Bible the Tower of Babel is where God confused the earth's languages
from one to many.
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- "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!
- ... the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive
luxuries."
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- Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my
people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive
any of her plagues;
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- for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
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- Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has
done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup.
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- Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave
herself. In her heart she boasts, `I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I
will never mourn.'
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- Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and
famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges
her.
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- "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and
shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn
over her.
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- Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: "`Woe!
Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has
come!'
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- "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no
one buys their cargoes any more-- ....
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- The merchants ... will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will
weep and mourn
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- and cry out: "`Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple
and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
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- In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!' "Every sea
captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their
living from the sea, will stand far off.
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- When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, `Was there ever
a city like this great city?'
- 19
- They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry
out: "`Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!
...
- 21
- Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and
threw it into the sea, and said: "With such violence the great city of
Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. (Rev. 18:2-21)
Copyright© 1995-2002 and following by
Dino Enrico Cardone