An Alternative Perspective on the Human Embodiment of the Whore of Babylon.

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In commentary on this website, I explain how I believe that the various kingdoms mentioned in Revelation have human representatives. For example, the beast representing Rome is embodied by the Caesars, the virgin of Revelation 12 representing the saints is embodied by the Virgin Mary, and the Whore of Babylon representing apostate Jerusalem is embodied by the firstborn princess of Israel, Queen Berenice. However, a new interesting idea has just come to my attention by a friend and fellow preterist Joe Simpson. Joe Simpson recently explained that he believes that the Whore of Babylon representing first century apostate Jerusalem is embodied by Nero’s wife Poppea.

There is a common belief in preterist circles that Poppea may have been a Jewish sympathizer and possibly even a Jewish convert. As a Jewish sympathizer or Jewish convert, Poppea is thus believed to have possibly taken upon herself the interests of the Jews by inspiring Nero to place the blame for the burning of Rome on Christians as the Jews of Rome were frequently rioting in the city because of Christians (Suetonius Lives of the Twelve Caesars 5.25.) If Poppea did, in fact, inspire Nero to persecute the Christian church in A.D. 64, this would certainly fulfill Revelation 17:6. If Poppea was the Whore of Babylon it would also fulfill Revelation 18:2 in a shockingly literal way as Poppea was killed by Nero in a fit of rage.

That having been said, this view does have weaknesses. Perhaps the biggest problem with this interpretation is that there is no good historical evidence that Poppea was a Jewish convert or even a Jewish sympathizer. The idea that Poppea was a Jewish sympathizer or convert is derived from the following account in The Antiquities of the Jews:

About the same time king Agrippa built himself a very large dining-room in the royal palace at Jerusalem, near to the portico. Now this palace had been erected of old by the children of Asamoneus. and was situate upon an elevation, and afforded a most delightful prospect to those that had a mind to take a view of the city, which prospect was desired by the king; and there he could lie down, and eat, and thence observe what was done in the temple; which thing, when the chief men of Jerusalem saw they were very much displeased at it; for it was not agreeable to the institutions of our country or law that what was done in the temple should be viewed by others, especially what belonged to the sacrifices. They therefore erected a wall upon the uppermost building which belonged to the inner court of the temple towards the west, which wall when it was built, did not only intercept the prospect of the dining-room in the palace, but also of the western cloisters that belonged to the outer court of the temple also, where it was that the Romans kept guards for the temple at the festivals. At these doings both king Agrippa, and principally Festus the procurator, were much displeased; and Festus ordered them to pull the wall down again: but the Jews petitioned him to give them leave to send an embassage about this matter to Nero; for they said they could not endure to live if any part of the temple should be demolished; and when Festus had given them leave so to do, they sent ten of their principal men to Nero, as also Ismael the high priest, and Helcias, the keeper of the sacred treasure. And when Nero had heard what they had to say, he not only forgave (22) them what they had already done, but also gave them leave to let the wall they had built stand. This was granted them in order to gratify Poppea, Nero’s wife, who was a religious woman, and had requested these favors of Nero, and who gave order to the ten ambassadors to go their way home; but retained Helcias and Ismael as hostages with herself. As soon as the king heard this news, he gave the high priesthood to Joseph, who was called Cabi, the son of Simon, formerly high priest [Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 20.8.11].

In Antiquities 20.195 Poppea is said to be a “religious” woman.  According to J. Massyngberde Ford the word used here is “theosebes, ‘God fearing,’ a technical word for proselyte.” (J. Massyngberde Ford, The Anchor Bible: Revelation A New Translation With Introduction And Commentary, (Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1975), 228).  Though there is also no historical testimony that Poppea encouraged Nero to blame the Christians for the great fire of Rome in A.D. 64 which caused Nero to kill many Christians that year in public spectacle if she truly was a Jewish proselyte, perhaps she did?

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