Who is the woman who rides the beast in Revelation 17? This evidence-based article surveys the biblical text, patristic readings, Catholic teaching, and modern scholarship — and compares rival interpretations (Rome, Jerusalem, the Papacy, symbolic/idealistic, futurist).
Short answer up front: John’s woman of Revelation 17 is a heavily symbolic figure John calls “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots” (Rev 17:5). Interpreters through church history have read her variously as (1) a first-century symbol of imperial Rome, (2) apostate Jerusalem, (3) an archetype for any corrupt world-system or false religion (ideal/typological reading), or (4) a longer-term/historicist symbol such as “apostate Christendom / the papacy.” All readings appeal to features of the text (seven hills, merchants, kings, persecution of saints) — so the debate is interpretive and historical, not just rhetorical. USCCB+1
1 — What the text actually says (the primary data)
Revelation 17 gives the vision: a woman clothed in purple and scarlet, drunk with the blood of the saints, sitting on many waters; she rides a scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns. John (or his angel) then identifies her as “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” and says “the woman that you saw is the great city which rules over the kings of the earth” (Rev 17:5, 18; see Rev 17:1–6, 15–18). That identification (woman = “great city”) is crucial to every reading. USCCB
Load-bearing citation: USCCB translation and notes on Revelation 17 summarize the symbolism and explicitly connect the “great city” label to the imagery. USCCB
2 — The main historical and scholarly interpretations (at a glance)
| Interpretation | Short description | Main textual reasons |
|---|
| Preterist / Rome (1st-century referent) | “Babylon” is a cipher for imperial Rome (or the Roman imperial world). Early readers saw the woman as Rome’s power and idolatrous empire. | “Seven mountains” (Rev 17:9) → Rome’s seven hills; merchants, kings, persecution of saints → fits Roman imperial economy & persecution. obinfonet.ro+1 |
| Jerusalem / Jewish apostasy | The woman represents apostate Jerusalem or Jerusalem’s failure (echoes Ezekiel, Isaiah). | Biblical prophets call Jerusalem a “harlot”; some details (temple imagery, historical fall) can fit Jerusalem. spiritandtruth.org |
| Historicist / Papacy | The woman symbolizes corrupt, institutional Christendom (often identified by Reformers with the Papacy). | Medieval & Reformation historicists saw continuity between John’s symbolic “mother of harlots” and later institutional church abuses; used political/economic power clues. Wikipedia |
| Idealist / symbolic | The woman is a timeless symbol of worldly idolatry, economic vice and persecuting power — not fixed to one city or era. | Revelation’s genre, heavy OT-imagery and symbolic language make this a natural theological reading. obinfonet.ro |
| Futurist | Some read the woman as a future global religious power (a city/organization to come). | Literalist futurists emphasize the final-day images and project a future super-city or system. (Modern, popular among some evangelical circles.) |
Each reading is driven by which clues in the chapters the interpreter gives priority to (geography, history, typology, or canonical theology).
3 — What the early Church Fathers actually said (evidence from antiquity)
Early Christian commentators already proposed concrete identifications — we are not inventing modern theories.
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Victorinus of Pettau (3rd century) — his Commentary on the Apocalypse explicitly reads the woman as Rome, connecting the “seven hills” and listing emperors in the “seven kings” schema. Victorinus is one of the earliest extant Latin exegetes to associate Babylon with Rome. orcuttchristian.org
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Tertullian and other Latin Fathers also compared John’s “Babylon” language with imperial Rome and her pride. The Sabbath Sentinel
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Irenaeus (late 2nd century) treats Revelation as authoritative and reads its anti-imperial thrust, though his comments are more concerned to show God’s triumph and to identify antichrist motifs in history. New Advent
In short: many early readers spoke of “Babylon” as a symbol for Rome or the Roman imperial system — a reasonable view given the historical context (persecutions, Roman economic/political supremacy). orcuttchristian.org+1
4 — How modern scholars read the text
Modern scholarship tends to be more cautious and nuanced:
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Craig R. Koester and other contemporary commentators argue that the woman’s portrait draws on several layers of Isaiah/Ezekiel/Daniel prophetic language and that while the figure evokes Rome (the seven hills) it is “Rome yet more than Rome” — i.e., an image of the Roman imperial world and, at the same time, a symbolic indictment of all worldly empires that seduce nations and persecute God’s people. obinfonet.ro
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N. T. Wright and similar commentators stress Revelation’s immediate anti-imperial meaning (John’s original audience): John is naming and condemning the imperial order that oppresses the churches. They read the woman primarily as symbolic of that imperial order. laridian.com
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Other scholars press the Jerusalem reading (Babylon as metaphor for Israel/Jerusalem’s apostasy), pointing to Old Testament antecedents where Jerusalem is called a harlot (e.g., Ezekiel 16, Isaiah 1), and noting how Revelation uses older prophetic language in a retooled way. spiritandtruth.org
Takeaway: modern academic readings emphasize layered symbolism: the woman is simultaneously local (Rome), intertextual (OT prophetic harlot language), and typological (a recurring pattern of human idolatry and economic exploitation). obinfonet.ro+1
5 — How the Catholic tradition treats the woman
The Catholic tradition (both patristic and recent Catholic commentaries) has often accepted a symbolic-historical reading:
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Latin Fathers (e.g., Victorinus) associated Babylon with Rome; later Catholic writers (Augustine, medieval exegetes) read Revelation both historically and spiritually (two cities theme: Jerusalem vs. Babylon/the world). orcuttchristian.org+1
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Contemporary Catholic resources (e.g., USCCB Bible notes; Catholic Answers, EWTN articles) stress that Revelation is apocalyptic, symbolic literature and warn against simplistic identifications that equate any present church with the harlot; Catholic apologetics regularly rejects the Protestant/Reformation claim that the “whore” is the Catholic Church. USCCB+1
Practical Catholic point: the Church reads Revelation in canonical, liturgical and pastoral context — warning against reading the text as a political hit-list of any existing Christian communion and emphasizing Revelation’s ultimate message of Christ’s victory. Catholic Answers
6 — The Reformation & later historicist reading (how the woman became “the Papacy” to some)
During the Reformation many Protestant leaders read Revelation (especially 17–18) through a historicist lens: they saw prophecies unfolding across church history and identified the “mother of harlots” with the institutional Roman church (the Papacy) because of historical corruption, political power, and persecution of dissenters. Reformers such as Luther, Calvin, John Knox (and later Protestant creedal traditions) sometimes used Revelation to polemicize against Rome. This reading continues among some Protestant groups and is the basis for claims that the Whore of Babylon equals the Roman Catholic Church. Wikipedia
7 — Evidence checklist: what the text supports (summary table)
| Textual clue | What it supports | How different readers use it |
|---|
| “Seven mountains” (17:9) | Geographic image — classically → Rome (seven hills) | Preterists & many early Fathers: Rome; others: symbolic use of OT/ancient imagery |
| “Sits on many waters” (17:1, 15) | Empire over peoples (waters = peoples/nations) | Argues for an empire/global city (Rome, or any world power) |
| “Drunk with blood of saints” (17:6) | Persecuting power | Fits imperial Rome persecuting Christians; fits any persecuting regime |
| “Mother of harlots / merchants” (17:5; 18:11–13) | Economic corruption & cultic idolatry | Fits imperial Rome’s trade/wealth imagery; used by historicists to argue for institutional corruption |
| “The woman is the great city” (17:18) | Direct identification in the text | Interpreters debate which city the author had in mind (Rome, Jerusalem, a symbolic city) |
8 — Which interpretation is best? (evaluative suggestions)
No single reading enjoys unanimous support because Revelation’s images are multilayered. Here’s a sensible working method:
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Start with the text and its primary historical horizon. John wrote from a time when Rome dominated the Mediterranean world and persecuted Christians — any credible reading should account for that. USCCB
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Factor in Old Testament intertextuality. John borrows prophetic language (Ezekiel, Isaiah, Daniel), so echoes of Jerusalem as harlot are legitimate considerations. spiritandtruth.org
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Allow typological/eschatological breadth. Revelation’s theology invites application beyond one century: the woman embodies a recurring human phenomenon — idolatrous, wealthy, persecuting power. obinfonet.ro
A balanced conclusion many scholars favor: the woman most immediately evokes Rome/the Roman imperial order for John’s first readers, yet the image is intended to stand for a recurring spiritual reality — a world-system opposed to God that will finally be judged. orcuttchristian.org+1
9 — Short responses to common questions / objections
Q: “Does Revelation 17 name the Catholic Church as the Whore?”
A: No. The text names “Babylon the Great” and “the great city” — historically read as a symbolic name. Some Protestants have historically identified the symbol with the Roman Church, but that is a historical/theological interpretation, not a clear-cut textual identification. Catholic apologists reject the charge and point to textual and contextual reasons why the book does not single out the post-apostolic Roman Church as the harlot. Catholic Answers+1
Q: “Is the woman definitely Rome?”
A: Probably for John’s immediate readers. The seven-hills clue and references to imperial commerce and persecution point strongly to the Roman imperial world — but John uses “Babylon” as a symbolic name, and the figure’s theological meaning goes beyond a single city. obinfonet.ro+1
Q: “Could it be Jerusalem?”
A: Yes — as an alternative. Some interpreters read the woman as apostate Jerusalem (drawing on Ezekiel and Lamentations). This view emphasizes prophetic continuity but must explain other details (seven hills/merchants) less naturally. spiritandtruth.org
10 — Quick timeline: how the interpretation evolved
| Era | Dominant trend in interpretation |
|---|
| 1st–3rd c. | Readers/pastors see Revelation as anti-imperial; some Fathers (Tertullian, Victorinus) identify Rome. orcuttchristian.org |
| 4th–5th c. | Augustine and others spiritualize/apologetically read Revelation; “Babylon” becomes a symbol in two-cities theology. Wikipedia |
| Medieval | Varied allegorical readings; Revelation less central in Latin liturgy but used for moral/pastoral teaching. |
| Reformation | Historicist reinterpretation: some Reformers identify the Whore with the Papacy. Wikipedia |
| Modern scholarship | Layered, cautious readings: immediate anti-imperial thrust (Rome) + typological significance (world empire/idolatry). obinfonet.ro |
11 — Recommended primary and secondary sources (to read next)
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The Book of Revelation — read Rev. 17–18 in a reliable translation (e.g., USCCB Bible). USCCB
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Victorinus of Pettau — Commentary on the Apocalypse (early Latin commentary) — witness to the early Rome reading. orcuttchristian.org
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Craig R. Koester, Revelation: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (for a modern, balanced scholarly treatment). obinfonet.ro
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Irenaeus, Tertullian, Augustine — selections discussing Revelation and the symbolism of Babylon. (See patristic collections / New Advent resources.) New Advent+1
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Catholic Answers / USCCB notes — for Catholic pastoral and canonical treatment of Revelation. Catholic Answers+1
12 — Short model paragraph you can use in a blog or lecture
Revelation 17 presents an intentionally polyvalent image — “Mystery, Babylon the Great.” Early readers (Victorinus, Tertullian) naturally associated the figure with imperial Rome, and modern scholarship agrees that Rome is a primary referent for John’s audience. Yet John’s imagery is saturated with Old Testament prophetic language (Ezekiel, Isaiah) and therefore points beyond a single city: the woman stands for any opulent, idolatrous world-power that seduces nations, exploits trade, and persecutes God’s people — a pattern that recurs until God’s final judgment. orcuttchristian.org+1
Conclusion
The woman of Revelation 17 is a richly symbolic figure. Honest reading of the text and its historical context makes Rome (the imperial system) a very likely immediate referent for John and his first readers, but the vision’s theological thrust is broader — it indicts any and every system that seduces people away from God (economic greed, idolatry, political oppression). Over the centuries Christian interpreters have emphasized one or another of these dimensions (Rome, Jerusalem, Papacy, universal symbol), and each reading contributes to our understanding — but none can be declared the only possible meaning without ignoring other scriptural and historical cues. USCCB+1
