Abstract

The vision of Apocalypse 17 describes in a judgmental manner the Great Whore. Whereas nothing in her attire or adornment indicates the justification of such a title, sexual appellatives permeate her description thus confining her interpretation within certain boundaries.
This research subjects the vision of the Great Whore to a feminist critique by employing various interpretative strategies, especially readers’ response in order to overcome the gap existing between socio-historical (traditional) interpretations of the Great Whore and feminist-critical (postmodern) ones.
Preoccupied with analyzing the effects the text has on readers, the dissertation is ultimately a reaction to readings that conceive the Great Whore figuratively, as referring to a city. For this reason, I embrace the sexuality permeating the description of the Great Whore.
The thematic approach currently described implies engaging with the vision of the Apocalypse afresh, by articulating the stand against the androcentric ideology in the text and inadequate treatment of feminine imagery.
In this attempt, I fully acknowledge the power of the metaphorical expressions contained in the image of the Great Whore, as well as value the sources identified traditionally in the construction of this counter-creation of God.
Ultimately, I offer a corrective approach in the textual treatment of the Great Whore, which is frequently read and interpreted in the light of Apocalypse 18.
Intertextuality and intersubjectivity help maintain a balance while interpreting by constantly unmasking the ideological effects of Biblical texts, contained in particular generic expressions.

Die Vision im Kapitel 17 der Offenbarung des Johannes presentiert die große Hure abwertend. Obwohl nichts in ihrer äußeren Erscheinung legitimiert die sexuelle Denotation „Die Große Hure“,zeigt ihre Darstellung durch den Seher immer wieder dieselben textuellen Stichworte,die ihre Sexualität beschreiben. Dieser Forschungsansatz examiniert die Vision aus verschiedenen feministischen Interpretationssstrategien, insbesonderen die Rezeptionssästhetik um die Distanz zwischen denhistorisch-theologischen und feministisch-kritischen Auslegungen zu verringern.Die Große Hure ist mehrt als Stadt und mehr als eine Frau. Die Metaphern zeigen wie reich die Traditionensind, die dieses Bild inspiriert haben. Gleichzeitig, stellt sich die Dissertation als Korrektivmaßnahme in der Exegese der Apokalypse des Johannes.