Revelation's Exposé of Two Cities: Babylon and New Jerusalem Gordon Zerbe
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Direction 32/1 (2003) Revelation's Exposé of Two Cities: Babylon and New Jerusalem Gordon Zerbe mages, words, and calls for justice and peace are both comprehensive Iin scope and coordinated throughout Scripture (e.g., Ps. 85:10; Isa. 32:17; Rom. 14:17). But the inclusiveness of both peace and justice, along with their close interconnection, is often limited in Christian prac tice. We often major on peace to the neglect of justice, or practice peace as something not done (refusing military service) to the neglect of active peace-building, or focus on personal justice (justification) to the neglect of social justice. The Book of Revelation is a crucial reminder that peace and justice belong together, with neither one circumscribed. John 's Revelation calls us to choose between Babylon's reign of violent wealth and New Jerusalem's reign of justice and peace. For instance, the vision of the great white throne (Rev. 20:11-15), highlighting personal accountability, belongs together with the grand visions of the overthrow of the violent and unjust world order (Baby lon) and the establishment of God's reign of peace and justice (New Jerusalem) in its place. John's pastoral call concludes with an impas sioned plea that faithful believers disengage from the violent injustice of Babylon, and instead commit themselves to New Jerusalem's way of peace and justice. This powerful appeal, with its obvious global hori zon, is acutely relevant for Christian reflection today, not by way of predicting details of a future timetable, but by way of analogy between Gordon Zerbe is Associate Professor of New Testament, Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is currently on a two- year leave as a Mennonite Central Committee volunteer, serving as Visiting Professor of New Testament, Silliman University Divinity School, Dumaguete City, Philippines. 48 Revelation's Exposé of Two Cities: Babylon and New Jerusalem our situation today and the critical situation faced by John and the churches of Asia in the early 90s A.D. The first word of the book of Revelation is apokalypsis, literally, the "unveiling," and thus "revelation," or even "unmasking." The ques tion is: what is really "unveiled" in this book? Three basic questions and their answers constitute the focus of the book's "exposé." (1) Who is really in charge, on the throne of the universe? The simple answer: God the Creator and the slain (but thereby conquering) Lamb are truly and eternally on the throne of the universe (chaps. 1,4-5,19). (2) What is really going on in the world? The simple answer: The dragon (with many aliases), having sensed his imminent demise, is now on an all-out war against God and God's people, having incarnated himself in a terrifying and destructive beast (for John's first readers, a transparent symbol for the Roman imperial regime and military structure), which in turn is propping up the arro gant, lavish, idolatrous, and oppressive city Babylon (a transparent reference to Rome),l which has seduced all nations into its orbit of greed, whose consumptive lifestyle is the engine of the global economy, and whose wealth is based on inequitable trade relationships (chaps. 12-13,17-18). (3) What will be the inevitable outcome? The simple answer: The dragon, beast, and prostitute Babylon will inevitably and imminently be dethroned and destroyed, giving way to the realization of God's reign on earth, pictured as the bridal New Jerusalem descending from heaven (chaps. 18-22). The book of Revelation thus comes to a climax with an exposé of two rival cities, each of them representing alternative political economies between which faithful Christians must choose. Following brief previews,2 both are given the same formal entrance (17:1; 21:9), in which the two cities come to life personified as two women—prostitute and bride. But it is crucial to observe that we find essentially a contrast between the two cities, indeed as two political economies revolving around them, and that the female imagery is used to sharpen the charac ter and implications of the contrast.3 Gordon Zerbe 49 DOOMED BABYLON: REIGN OF VIOLENCE AND INJUSTICE Prostitute Babylon is pictured throughout from the perspective of its imminent judgment for its massive sins: "its sins are heaped as high as heaven" (18:5, translations are the author's unless otherwise indicated). Most pointedly, the city and its sins are presented through a satirical city dirge (taunt song), quarried from the doom songs of Old Testament prophets against tyrant cities.4 Of the three groups which lament the city's demise, the group given most prominence is that of the "global traders" (emporoi),5 highlighted both at the beginning and conclusion of the dirge (18:3, 23), but also as its lengthy centerpiece (18:11-17, 19). Without question the economic aspects of the doomed city Babylon (Rome) and its satellite political economy were both the most celebrat ed and the most hated. The depictions of Babylon's doom are extensive, highlighting its lavish wealth, arrogance, and craving for consumption, and its political oppression and economic exploitation, including its brutal military con quests and its destruction of the earth itself. Babylon's Lavish Wealth and Arrogance The ostentatious wealth of Babylon is displayed first in the visual depiction of the prostitute (17:3-6). She is clothed in purple and scarlet (17:3) and adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls (17:4), an image repeated in 18:16, where fine linen is added to her garb. All these items head the list of luxury goods itemized in the lament of the global traders over their lost cargoes (18:11-13). In her hand is a golden cup of liba tions (17:4). In the next chapter, the word "wealth" itself is repeated as a key feature of the city (18:17, 19), as well as its "living with excess" (18:3, 7, 9), and its "shiny things" and "brilliant things," that is, glitzy luxuries (18:14). Furthermore, the city "glorified itself," referring both to its arrogance, but also to its sparkling external appearance and amassing of wealth (18:7). Finally, Babylon is pictured as a place of insatiable craving for con sumption, the true character of its "soul" (18:14). Arrogant provocation comes directly from Babylon's own mouth: "I rule as queen; I am no widow, and I will never see grief (18:7 NRSV). An image taken from Isaiah's earlier characterization of historical Babylon (Isa. 47:8), almost every word of this boast is incendiary. John takes up the reference to attack Rome's own propaganda: "Roma Aeterna," invincible, omnipo tent, and destined to rule forever.6 50 Revelation's Exposé of Two Cities: Babylon and New Jerusalem Babylon's Political Economy of Violent Greed In Revelation's first reference to Babylon, its doom is announced since it dispenses "wine of wrath," identified as its prostitution (14:8; 18:3); but in return it will receive God's "wine of wrath" (14:10; 16:19; 19:15). Just as the city is drunk with blood, so also it will be forced to drink blood in judgment (16:6; 18:6). The vision appropriates the image of "wine/cup of wrath" from the Old Testament prophets, where it is a powerful image of judgment on evil-doers, especially foreign nations.7 The image of the city's "wine of wrath" as its prostitution leads directly to the identification of the city itself as "the great prostitute" (17:1; 19:2). For this John again draws on prophetic precedent, particu larly texts in which the foreign cities Nineveh and Tyre receive such a depiction, highlighting their economic and political exploitation.8 Iden tifying Babylon as prostitute, then, is John's way to lodge a significant political and economic critique against it: for enriching itself at the expense of colonized people, and for forcibly seducing its client states. Babylon as prostitute in Revelation emphasizes its economic exploita tion, not simply its idolatry. Prostitute Babylon thus is described as forcibly9 intoxicating "all nations" with the "wrathful wine of its prostitution" (14:8; 18:3), with which then "earth-dwellers10 have become drunk" (17:2). We see that in the prostitute's golden cup there is not good wine to be found, but a mixture full of dangerous corruption and impurities (17:4). Closely tied to this is the image of Babylon "deceiving all nations with its pharmakos" (18:23). The Greek word pharmakos can refer pos itively to a medicine but also to a narcotic or poisonous drug, even sor cery. Babylon offers not good wine, but a dangerous narcotic and poi son. As such, the city participates in the same deception exhibited by the dragon and the land beast," ensuring that the world continues in its stupor. Through this intoxication, and through sensuous and luxurious apparel, then, the city effectively seduces "the kings of the earth" to prostitute themselves with it (17:2; 18:3), referring to political agree ments and alliances that the city is able to forge, presumably for mutual benefit (but especially for the benefit of prostitute Babylon). Indeed, this adultery by the "kings of the earth," namely, by native rulers of conquered lands, is explained later as "living in excess (luxury) with it/her" (18:9). The native rulers have also participated in the exploita tion of the world, at the expense of their own people. Babylon is not just "the great prostitute" (17:1; 19:2), but indeed "the mother of prostitutes" (17:5). This is a play on the word "metropo- Gordon Zerbe 51 lis," which in Greek means "mother city," and is used of a major city that has spawned colonies, or that is able to absorb many other cities within its sphere of control and influence.