An Apocalyptic Womb? The Great Harlot of Revelation 17-18

Abstract

The depiction of the literary figure of the Great Harlot in Revelation 17 and 18 is a poignant expression of the wider New Testament apocalyptic concern with God’s power over humanity and creation. The depiction portrays what is deemed requisite social control through and over women’s bodies, and in a particularly poignant way, in that of the Great Harlot. This essay explores how a neglected element, namely the Harlot’s womb is tenuously present and, alongside divine power, is eschatologically positioned and apocalyptically framed in Revelation 17-18, while exploring its intersections with the violence generated within a gendered context and through the posturing of authorita-rian political and social regimes.