Select Commentary on "The Two Babylons" by Alexander Hislop
April 12, 2013
G.D.O'Bradovich III
No other city in the world has ever been celebrated, as the city of Rome has, for its situation on seven hills. Pagan poets and orators, who had no thought of elucidating prophecy, have alike characterised it as the seven hilled city.
Thus Virgil refers to it: "Rome has both become the most beautiful (city) in the world, and alone has surrounded for herself seven heights with a wall.
Propertius, in the same strain, speaks of it (only adding another trait, which completes the Apocalyptic picture) as "The lofty city on seven hills, which governs the whole world, " Its "governing the whole world" is just the counterpart of the Divine statement " which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Constantinople is built on seven hills and is of strategic importance, unlike Rome in Italy. Constantinople = Rome (in modern day Turkey) =Jerusalem (the city of peace due to the fortifications) = Troy = Babylon (in modern day Turkey, not to be confused with Babylon in Italy.)
[Making] "all nations DRUNK with the wine of her fornication " "Babylon hath been a GOLDEN CUP in the Lord s hand, that made all the earth drunken : the nations have drunken of her wine ; therefore the nations are mad (Jer. li. 7).”
Christianity was the world's first religion and all current religions have come from it. The wine of "fornication" is the communion wine. Alcohol is prohibited in Islam. The Orthodox Church and Constantinople have influenced Italian Rome. Rome in Italy has influenced Protestants. Islam acknowledges Saints George and John the Baptist.
“In the early ages of mankind," says Wilkinson in his " Ancient Egyptians," "the existence of a sole and omnipotent Deity, who created all things, seems to have been the universal belief “
This belief is consistent with Christianity as the world's first religion.
He ... had been the ringleader in the scheme for building the great city and tower of Babel ;”
Bel or Belus, the father of Ninus, founded Babylon,while, nevertheless, Ninus or Nimrod was properly the builder of it.”
[The] “goddess of fortifications, every one knows that there is the amplest evidence. That goddess is Cybele, because she first erected them in cities." The first city in the world after the flood (from whence the commencement of the world itself was often dated) that had towers and encompassing walls, was Babylon surrounded Babylon with a wall of brick.
Cyclops were known as "the inventors of tower-building.
Bel or Belus founded Babylon. Ninus or Nimrod built it. Cybele is the goddess of fortifications. Constantinople is surrounded by a wall and had dozens of towers. The description of Babylon and Constantinople are identical. NB-Interesting, Italian Rome does not have walls for protection.
Ancient tradition that he [Nimrod] came to a violent end. The circumstances of that end, however, as antiquity represents them, are clouded with fable. It is said that tempests of wind sent by God against the Tower of Babel overthrew it, and that Nimrod perished in its ruins.
Egyptian Osiris was regarded as identical with Tammuz.
Persian records we are expressly assured that it was Nimrod who was deified after his death by the name of Orion, and placed among the stars
Osiris is identical with Tammuz. Osiris=Tammuz= Orion is Nimrod/Ninus.
Pagans knew that it was by dying that the promised Messiah was to destroy death...
[The] cutting off of the head of the great god Belus, is plainly to the same effect...
Where "Pagans" are understood as Christians. Nimrod and Osiris were decapitated. Belus/Bel is decapitated.
The previous form of apostacy during the life of Nimrod appears to have been open and public.
When Christianity was the only religion, and politics and religion were unified, it was “open and public.”
[For] the "Giants" were just the "Mighty ones," of whom Nimrod was the leader...
Adonis, who is identified with Osiris, perish by the tusks of a wild boar, is easily unravelled...
The "mighty ones" built the walls of Constantinople/Babylon. Osiris=Tammuz=Orion=Adonis
[Zoroaster] was said to be the first that invented magic arts, and that most diligently studied the motions of the heavenly bodies.
Nimrod, that established the sciences of magic and astronomy, the invention of which was subsequently attributed to (the Bactrian) Zoroaster.
Zoroaster invented magic arts and studied astronomy.
Nimrod/Ninis is Zoroaster.
Nimrod=Zoraoster=Mercury=Hermes=Thoth. Adonis is Osiris.
Nimrod/Ninis is Zoroaster.
Nimrod=Zoraoster=Mercury=Hermes=Thoth. Adonis is Osiris.
[Over the] course of time both of them, under the names of Rhea and Nin, or " Goddess- Mother and Son," were worshipped with an enthusiasm that was incredible, and their images were everywhere set up and adored.
In Orthodox countries, icons of Christ and the Theotokos are found everywhere and venerated.
This son, thus worshipped in his mother's arms, was looked upon as invested with all the attributes, and called by almost all the names of the promised Messiah
[Invested] with all the attributes ...of the ...Messiah.
Aphrodite or Venus was identical with Astarte,* and Astarte being interpreted, is none other than " The woman that made towers or encompassing walls. “
The son and mother are Jesus and Mary. This is due to the fact they where Christians. Aphrodite is Venus is Astarte is Cybele.
"Alma Mater," " the Virgin Mother." “She was called the " queen of heaven." (Jeremiah xliv. 17, 18, 19, 25.)
We understand that the early Islamic writer of Jeremiah does not like the veneration of Mary, the Saints or the consumption of wine.
[The] goddess was thus represented as the Dove with the olive branch...
The names of blasphemy bestowed by the Papacy on Mary have not one shadow of foundation in the Bible, but are all to be found in the Babylonian idolatry.
Where we understand Babylonian idolatry as Orthodox icons and the veneration thereof.
[The] Madonna was always represented with blue eyes and golden hair, a complexion entirely different from the Jewish complexion...
Ariadne, the wife of Bacchus, was called " the yellow-haired Ariadne”...
Atergatis, the fish goddess of Syria, who was called the mother of Semiramis...
[Nimbus] or peculiar circle of light that frequently encompasses the head of the Roman Madonna.
Judaism dates after the first world religion of Christianity. This explains why Madonnas in Western Europe are not depicted as a Jewess, because at that time (Renaissance) there was no tradition of Jesus being Jewish, as all paintings consistently depicting Jesus as European, not Middle Eastern. The halo is found in Orthodox icons around Mary and the Saints.
"Mother of harlots and abominations of the earth." Image-worship in every case the Lord abhors...
The Islamic writer of this verse does not care for the Orthodox Christian veneration of icons.
If Rome be indeed the Babylon of the Apocalypse,...
No comment needed.
Something has been said already that goes far to prove the identity of the Roman and Babylonian systems
The Babylonian (in Italy) and Roman (Constantinople) systems of Christianity are similar.
That Christmas was originally a Pagan festival, is beyond all doubt.
The names of Pagan gods entered the English language in the 16th century, while words associated with Christianity predate the Pagans gods by many centuries. Therefore, there is considerable doubt regarding the Pagan origins of Christmas.
In Egypt, the son of Isis, the Egyptian title for the queen of heaven, was born at this very time...
This is in reference to December 25. This is incorrect as the Egyptian year begins with the helical rising of Sirius in July, not in December. The author is confusing "Egyptian" with "Roman".
Among the Sabeans of Arabia, who regarded the moon, and not the sun, as the visible symbol of the favourite object of their idolatry,
Islam still uses an unadjusted annual lunar calendar of approximately 354 days.
[The] festival of Bacchus, was celebrated in Babylon. "It was the custom," says he, " during the five days it lasted..."
Egyptian calendar consists of 360 days (12 months of 30 days) with 5 days added.
The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally common in Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt.”
The Oxford English Dictionary has the first reference to a Christmas tree dating to 1789. It may have been common in ancient" Rome and Egypt.
If the mother was a tree, the son must have been recognised as the "Man the branch.”
The thing is incredible. Lady-day and Christmas-day, then, are purely Babylonian.
"Lady-day" and Christmas have always been Christian Holy Days. Where Babylonian is understood as Roman Christianity, then these days are "Babylonian".
As the stories of Bacchus, or Adonis and Proserpine, though originally distinct, were made to join on and fit in to one another, so that Bacchus was called Liber, and his wife Ariadne, Liberal (which was one of the names of Proserpine)...
The above quote demonstrates that the personalities and names of the gods and goddesses were interchangeable based on the native language. [Greek, Latin, Egyptian et cetera]
Dionysius the Little, to whom also we owe it, as modern chronologers have demonstrated, that the date of the Christian era, or of the birth of Christ Himself, was moved FOUR YEARS from the true time.
[But] there seems to be no doubt of the fact, that the birth of the Lord Jesus was made full four years later than the truth...
Denis Petau or Dionysius Petavius (1583-1652). The modern chronologist referred to is Joseph Justus Scaliger (1540-1609) and the date of Christ's birth is misdated by over a thousand years.
The words of Socrates, writing on this very subject, about A.D. 450, are these : "Those who inhabit the princely city of Rome fast together before Easter three weeks, excepting the Saturday and Lord s-day."
The year of 450 A.D. was subsequently added. The princely city is possibility Constantinople, or Italian Rome.
Lent should be solemnly kept before Easter. It was with the view, no doubt, of carrying out this decree that the calendar was, a few years after, readjusted by Dionysius.
Now the Romish Church adopted this mystic egg of Astarte, and consecrated it as a symbol of Christ's resurrection
The Orthodox faithful use Easter eggs. Dionysius Exiguus (470-550) is Denis Petau or Dionysius Petavius (1583-1652). The name in both French and Latin means "Denis the short or little". The dating is removed by almost 1,100 years reflecting the uncertainty of 100 years (1152 or 1052 AD) for Christ's birth and backdating it by 1,000 years.
As Rome cherishes the same feelings as Paganism did, so it has adopted also the very same symbols...
The Roman Church borrowed the use of Easter eggs from the Orthodox Church; where Paganism is understood as the Orthodox Church.
Now, this use of the orange as the representative of the fruit of Eden's " dread probationary tree," be it observed, is no modern invention; it goes back to the distant times of classic antiquity...
“Classic antiquity”. Is that the 14th,15th or 16th century?
There must have been something tragic about the death of this ... Phoroneus, who "first gathered mankind into communities"...
Phoroneus is Nimrod is Ninus. The first community or city was Rome.
[Under] his well-known classic names of Bacchus and Dionysus, has he been canonised, and set up for the worship of the "faithful."
We maintain that Paganism was subsequent to Christianity. They were local saints before they were Paganized and backdated into universal "antiquity".
The Pagans were in the habit of worshiping the same god under different names...
Where "Pagans" are understood as Orthodox Christians, "worshiping" as venerating and "god" as saint. Different languages will use “different names” for the same person. John, Jacques and Giovanni are the same saint.
“chrism, or anointing with oil, and marking the forehead with the sign of the cross, are equally Pagan.”
Where "Pagan" understood as the Orthodox Church. How else can one become a Christian other that being anointed with oil? NB-chrism and Christ are derived from the Greek word for Anoint. It is astounding that the we read that anointing the forehead with oil in the sign of the cross is Pagan. We ask "What could be more Christian?"
“There are letters on the wafer that are worth reading. These letters are I. H. S. What mean these mystical letters? To a Christian these letters are represented as signifying, " lesus Hominum Salvator,""Jesus the Saviour of men."
This is a Italian Roman explanation using the Latin language to interprest IHS. "IHS" are the first three letters of “Jesus” in Greek. The oldest English codices do not have the name “Jesus”, but the abbreviation “IHS”. NB-The earliest English “Bibles” did not contain the name “Jesus”.
“In every system, therefore, except that of the Bible, the doctrine of a purgatory after death, and prayers for the dead, has always been found to occupy a place”
This is true if the Bible that one uses was created by Martin Luther, who did not included books that referenced purgatory or prayers for the dead. The canon of the Roman Catholic Church (Council of Trent, 1546) includes the Apocrypha which has references to purgatory. The Orthodox church has no dogma concerning which books are canon. The author is unaware the Apocrypha has been removed from certain Bibles.
“Thus Plato, speaking of the future judgment of the dead, holds out the hope of final deliverance for all, but maintains that, of " those who are judged," " some " must first " proceed to a subterranean place of judgment, where they shall sustain the punishment they have deserved ; “
Georgius Gemistus (1355-1452/1454), later called Pletho or Phethon, "reintroduced" Plato in the years 1438-39.
“The doctrine of purgatory is purely Pagan, and cannot for a moment stand in the light of Scripture.”
Where Pagan is understood as the Roman Catholic Church. The Orthodox church has no knowledge of Purgatory. The Scripture was decided by Martin Luther.
“Now, if baptismal regeneration, justification by works, penance as a satisfaction to God's justice, the unbloody sacrifice of the mass, extreme unction, purgatory, and prayers for the dead, were all derived from Babylon, how justly may the general system of Rome be styled Babylonian ? “
These sacraments are from Babylon (Constantinople) with Roman additions and alterations, i.e., sacrifice of the Mass and Purgatory.
“Wherever a chapel is opened, or a temple consecrated, it cannot be thoroughly complete without some relic or other of he-saint or she- saint to give sanctity to it.”
Relics of the Orthodox Saints are placed in churches.
“so Bacchus was celebrated as the first who wore a crown,”
Nimrod is Ninus is Bacchus. This may be a reference to Saint Stephen.
“In Pagan Rome especially this was the case. The altars were profusely adorned with flowers. From that source directly the Papacy has borrowed the custom of adorning the altar with flowers”
Where "Pagan Rome" is the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church still decorates with flowers during Easter.
“Another peculiarity of the Papal worship is the use of lamps and wax-candles”
Besides firewood, how else would one light a church? Lamps and candles are used in the Orthodox Church.
“as we learn from the Apocryphal writer of the Book of Baruch. "They (the Babylonians)," says he, "light up lamps to their gods, and that in greater numbers, too, than they do for themselves, although the gods can not see one of them, and are senseless as the beams of their houses."
The quote is from a book that is not "Scripture". The "gods" or Saints are in great numbers.
“Surely, at every step, the reader must see more and more the exactitude of the Divine name given to the woman on the seven mountains, " Mystery, Babylon the Great !"
We agree that heretics have left the center of the Orthodox Church that was founded on seven hills and started various fragments of Christianity.
“A still more curious fact may be mentioned respecting this hieroglyphical character [the Tau], that the early Christians of Egypt adopted it in lieu of the cross, which was afterwards substituted for it, prefixing it to inscriptions in the same manner as the cross in later times”
The Egyptians used a form of the cross (there are dozens of variations), indicating they were Christian.
“great attractions for the Pagans, who, even in worshipping Horus, had always been accustomed to make use of the mystic Tau or cross, as the "sign of life,"
Yes, the Christian Cross (or Tau) is a “sign of life” for Christian worshipers in Egypt.
"The Romans had," says Bower, " as they thought, till the year 1662, a pregnant proof, not only of Peter s erecting their chair, but of his sitting in it himself ; for, till that year, the very chair on which they believed, or would make others believe, he had sat, was shown and exposed to public adoration on the 18th of January, the festival of the said chair. The former chair was borrowed from the Pagans; the next appears to have been purloined from the Mussulmans ; for when the French soldiers under General Bonaparte took possession of Rome in 1795, they found on the back of it, in Arabic, this well-known sentence of the Koran, "There is no God but God, and Mahomet is His Prophet.”
I found this interesting so it was included. I have not researched this story.
“for Nimrod is singled out by the voice of antiquity as commencing this fire-worship”
Nimrod introduces fire worship, serpent worship, and star worship and building the walls of Babylon.
“and when the twin founders of the now world- renowned city reared its humble walls, the city and the palace of their Babylonian predecessor had long lain in ruins. The ruined state of this sacred city, even in the remote age of Evander, is alluded to by Virgil”
Once again references to the walls of the “world-renowned city” of Constantinople.
“A colony of Etruscans, earnestly attached to the Chaldean idolatry, had migrated, some say from Asia Minor, others from Greece, and settled in the immediate neighbourhood of Rome.”
“which Noah was introduced under the name of Dagon, or the Fish-god”
“It was then precisely that our Lord Jesus Christ began to be popularly called Ichthys, that is, "the Fish," manifestly to identify him with Dagon.”
“the Saviour began to be called Ichthys, or "the Fish," thereby identifying Him with Dagon, or the Fish-god ; “
Chaldean idolatry=Babylonian idolatry=Orthodox Church's veneration of Saints. This settlement of Rome in Italy occurred in approximately 1390 A.D. The initials of ICTHYS stand for “Jesus Christ, Son(of) God, Savior”. Dagon was created after Jesus and subsequently identified with him.
“Now, in remembrance of the birth of the god out of a " hole in the earth," the Mysteries were frequently celebrated in caves under ground.”
According to Orthodox tradition, Jesus was born in a cave.
“that the original name of Rome itself was Saturnia, " the city of Saturn."
"BABYLON is FALLEN, is FALLEN.”Babylon (Constantinople) has fallen twice, the first time was in the year 1204 and the second fall occurred in the year 1453.
This redaction of the book of the Apocalypse must have been written after 1453. Certain authors state it was written in 1486.
The author of The Apocalypse does not like idolatry or fornication and he is elated that the Christian city of Babylon (Constantinople) has fallen to the Islamic army.
One redactor does not like alcohol and at the last judgment people are judged by their works, not their faith. This should be the primary indication that this is not a Christian book. The author does not know of a concept that a belief in Jesus that supersedes the Last Judgement. Justification by faith would be a later invention.
The Islamic redactor of the Apocalypse represents a different image of Islam than is found in the 21st century. The reason I call the Apocalypse an Islamic document and not a Christian document is that the during the course of the Liturgical year, the Orthodox Church quotes from various books of the Old Testament, quotes the vast majority of the Gospels and the letters of Saint Paul, but does not quote from the Book of the Revelation of John.
We know from accepted chronology that the book was added only in the 4th century after considerable debate. This indicates that the book of Revelation is recent. Now, we know why there was a debate adding this book to the canon,i.e., it was written by a Moslem, not a Christian.
This redaction of the book of the Apocalypse must have been written after 1453. Certain authors state it was written in 1486.
The author of The Apocalypse does not like idolatry or fornication and he is elated that the Christian city of Babylon (Constantinople) has fallen to the Islamic army.
One redactor does not like alcohol and at the last judgment people are judged by their works, not their faith. This should be the primary indication that this is not a Christian book. The author does not know of a concept that a belief in Jesus that supersedes the Last Judgement. Justification by faith would be a later invention.
The Islamic redactor of the Apocalypse represents a different image of Islam than is found in the 21st century. The reason I call the Apocalypse an Islamic document and not a Christian document is that the during the course of the Liturgical year, the Orthodox Church quotes from various books of the Old Testament, quotes the vast majority of the Gospels and the letters of Saint Paul, but does not quote from the Book of the Revelation of John.
We know from accepted chronology that the book was added only in the 4th century after considerable debate. This indicates that the book of Revelation is recent. Now, we know why there was a debate adding this book to the canon,i.e., it was written by a Moslem, not a Christian.
Conclusion
There are not two Babylons. There is only one, and that is in Italy, now called Rome. Throughout history, place names have moved so that in total there are four known Babylons: in Italy, in modern Turkey, in Egypt ("Babylon the less"), and in modern Iraq. Mr. Hislop is mistaken when he places all idolatry in Iraq and that it migrated to Italy. There is no doubt that some people, even today, see Orthodox Christians worshiping gods when they are only venerating saints. Mr. Hislop has accepted the traditional chronology of Scaliger and Petavius and, not surprisingly, reached a wrong conclusion regarding Babylon's pagan influence. This is not to say that Constantinople was not influential: the world's first city with walls that protected it from invasion for generations was renowned.
I am certain that if Mr. Hislop were alive today, he would agree with the statement that the Roman Church, like the alleged Roman Empire, can not help but borrow anything and everything it comes into contact with: language, art, philosophy, religion, symbols and emblems.
Interestingly, there is one item that the Papacy has never borrowed: the emblem of the two headed eagle. This two headed eagle symbolizes the European and Asian Continents that meet at Constantinople. There can be only one reason that the Papacy has not borrowed it: they can not, for whatever reason, use it. The two headed eagle represents one city only, and that city is Constantinople.
Interestingly, there is one item that the Papacy has never borrowed: the emblem of the two headed eagle. This two headed eagle symbolizes the European and Asian Continents that meet at Constantinople. There can be only one reason that the Papacy has not borrowed it: they can not, for whatever reason, use it. The two headed eagle represents one city only, and that city is Constantinople.
The imperial motto of Constantinople:
Βασιλεὺς Βασιλέων Βασιλεύων Βασιλευόντων (Basileus Basileon Basileuon Basileuonton)
or
Βασιλεὺς Βασιλέων Βασιλεύων Βασιλεῦσι (Basileus Basileon Basileuon Basileusi),
"King of kings, Ruling over rulers".
Βασιλεὺς Βασιλέων Βασιλεύων Βασιλευόντων (Basileus Basileon Basileuon Basileuonton)
or
Βασιλεὺς Βασιλέων Βασιλεύων Βασιλεῦσι (Basileus Basileon Basileuon Basileusi),
"King of kings, Ruling over rulers".
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