Bible Word of the Day

Babbler (Unsophisticated/Non-Greek Philosopher)

Meaning
The term babbler was a derogatory word used by Greek philosophers applied to those were not very good at the art of debating or arguing. The ability to debate and argue a point of thought was a highly prized skill in ancient Greek culture. Moreover there were often common locations within a Greek city like Athens were men met and discussed trends and news of the day as well as debated new philosophies and points of view. One of these places in ancient Athens was called the Areopagus. This was a limestone hill located just northwest of the Acropolis in ancient Athens near an ancient court building. And the word babbler was applied by this group of Stoic and Epicurean philosophers toward the Apostle Paul when he spoke to them regarding salvation and the risen Christ. This term was commonly used negatively toward those they felt like sophistication in their arguments or did not prize the art of debating.

In addition this term was also applied to those we would grab ideas or concepts from other arguments or lines of thought and loosely put them together into a not well formed argument or point of view. In Paul’s case it wasn’t his debating style, nor his line of reasoning. What they disapproved of was the idea of monotheism. This might sound strange, but in the New Testament world of the Bible people worshiped many gods. There were the gods associated with the businesses and trades people worked in. There were the gods associated with a particular family as well as the gods associated with the specific town or geographical region where people lived. There were also gods for different types of life styles and the general gods of the nation to which people belonged. Therefore someone like a Christians was actually considered an atheist because they only worshipped one God. Paul explained to these ancient philosophers that what they worshipped were not gods at all, but there was one true and living God they could worship.