1989/07/01 by Joan Goodnick Westenholz · 2 citations
Arts and Humanities · #Ancient Near East History #Ancient history #Art #Biblical Studies and Interpretation #Classics #History #Literature #Mesopotamia #Mormonism, Religion, and History #Old Testament
paper · doi:10.1017/s0017816000016199
openalex publication_date 1989/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and glittered with gold and jewels and pearls, and she was holding a gold winecup filled with the disgusting filth of her prostitution; on her forehead was written a name, a cryptic name: “Babylon the Great, the mother of the prostitutes and all the filthy practices on the earth.” (Rev 17:4–5, NJB ) In discussions of the ancient Near Eastern setting for the Old Testament, various aspects of Mesopotamian society and culture are nominated as the precursors of certain features of Israelite practice.