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Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Community Volume 17, No. 1 February 2000 Question BoxThe following question was answered by Deacon Bernie Yeatts. Q. In the book of Revelation, "Babylon" is called a harlot, and this is interpreted as referring to Rome. If Rome was a "harlot," why was it chosen to be the seat of the Church? A. In the Revised New Testament of the New American Bible the word "harlot" is used six times, once when describing the some members of the Church at Pergamum (Rev 2:14), once when describing some members of the Church at Thyatira (Rev 2:20), and four times when describing the imperial government of Rome, using the "code name" Babylon (Rev 17:1, 17:15, 17:16, 19:2). Note that the use of "harlot" describes certain members of the Churches at Pergamum and Thyatira who had retained the practice of idolatry despite their profession of faith in Christ. However "harlot" is used to accuse the imperial government which was located at Rome, not members of the Church of Rome. This is an important distinction. By the time the Book of Revelation was written, several persecutions of Christians had taken place in Rome and in other parts of the empire by the direction of the emperors. The condemnation was directed at the forces that had persecuted Christians as scapegoats (at least in the case of Nero in A.D. 66 and 67) since they were an easily identifiable minority who would not deny their allegiance to Christ even in the face of certain death. The irony and the betrayal (or harlotry, using the term favored by the New American Bible) is that Rome prided itself on its peace and freedom (free speech and free association) but it persecuted the people who followed Christ. From the time Palestine came under the control of Rome, the Jews had always been permitted free exercise of their religion and freedom from military service, even though there were isolated and minor incidents of persecution of Jews. As long as the Christians were identified as Jews, the same privileges were enjoyed by them. However. when the Christians could easily be identified as a religious group distinct from the Jews, they became subject to persecution in violation of Roman civil law and practice. However, even though the government was condemned. during the last 30 years of the first century the Church of Rome became and thereafter remained the location of the central authority of the "Catholic" (meaning "universal") Church. There are three main reasons for this. The first is purely practical. There was a saying "all roads lead to Rome." This was a way of stating the importance of the capital city when it came to transportation and communication. If a merchant or movement wanted to take advantage of these factors, it would naturally locate there. The second reason is one of credible leadership. Each for his own reasons, both Peter and Paul had relocated to Rome around the year 60. Both were executed there in the mid-60's. First century Christians naturally looked to Rome as the location from which authentic teaching would come, especially after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70. Other cities, despite the strong faith communities located there, did not have the credibility that the leader of the Apostles and the Apostle to the Gentiles gave to the Church of Rome. The third reason is closely related to the second. Before the destruction of Jerusalem, there was a close relationship between the Church of Rome and the Church of Jerusalem. One evidence of this is periodic collection taken up in Rome for the benefit of the Church in Jerusalem. The background of this relationship seems to have been the large and relatively wealthy Jewish community in Rome who had retained close ties to Jerusalem prior to its destruction. Since Christianity was based on Judaism, it is quite reasonable to have the largest and most prestigious Christian communities evolve from the largest and most prestigious Jewish communities, Jerusalem and, then, Rome. In summary, the condemnation was of "Rome" as a description of the government that betrayed the Christians. The Church of Rome evolved into the seat of authority for the reasons stated above.
IN MEMORIUMLong-time Bible Study member Mark Shivley, who with his wife Elizabeth had been a member of the Evans Bible Study group, died January 12, 2000, after lengthy battle against non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Mark was 46 and had worked for 21 years as a Chief Machinist's Mate in the United States Navy. He and Elizabeth have two sons, Christopher and Eric, and welcomed their first grandchild, grandson Asher, in August l 999. After his retirement from the Navy Mark had also been employed at Sea World. Mark loved helping others; at OLMC he was involved in CCD, RCIA, and Outreach in addition to Scripture Study. He enjoyed the outdoors and shared the fruits of the earth -- the produce from his garden -- with many friends and neighbors. He also was an avid fisherman whose frequent catches of albacore tuna were happily enjoyed by all.
Last Updated on 5/20/03 |