A Book You Can Trust

 Babylon in Bible History

This is the third of seven articles in consecutive issues of "Awake!" that discuss the seven world powers of Bible history.  The object is to show that the Bible is trustworthy and inspired of God and that it's message is one of hope for an end to the suffering caused by man's cruel domination of his fellow man. 

SITUATED on a fertile plain some 50 miles (80 km) south of modern-day Baghdad, the ancient  city of Babylon was truly magnificient.  With massive walls and a surrounding moat, Babylon seemed impregnable. The city was renowned for it's majestic temples, hanging gardens, and temple towers.  As one of the greatest cities of the ancient world, Babylon has recently been dubbed the city of wonders. 

In the Bible, it was named "Mistress of the Kingdoms" and was te capital of the third world power of Bible history. (Isaiah 47:5)  Like the Egyptian and the Assyrian Empires before it, the Babylonian Empire played a prominent role in Bible history, enabling us to compare what the Bible says about it with what secular sources say.  

Next time: A Book You Can Trust - Trustworthy History

From the jw.org publications