The Jesus Rosary

Michie

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Some Christians (usually Biblical Fundamentalists) are under the false impression that the Bible forbids repetitive prayer. This is incorrect, but let’s take a look at their argument.

Matthew 6:7 is the one and only proof-text they use to support this claim. In this verse, the original Greek word battalogeō(βαττολογέω) means to stammer, stutter, or use the same word over and over again in a useless way that has no meaning. The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible translates this word as “vain repetitions” and Fundamentalists have used this as their singular proof-text against prayer ropes, rosaries, prayer beads, and any type of repetitious prayer. However, these same Fundamentalists fail to remember the Book of Psalms (particularly Psalm 136), which is highly repetitive, and Revelation 4:8-11 which tells us that repetitive prayer is used constantly in Heaven around the very throne of God.

What these Biblical Fundamentalists don’t realize is that the King James Version (KJV), which is otherwise a pretty good Bible translation, catastrophically failed to translate this particular verse properly, and that few other English Bible translations do this. Most English Bible versions translate the Greek word battalogeō (βαττολογέω) as: babbling (NIV), empty phrases (ESV), empty phrases (RSV), talk on and on (CEV), and babble (NABRE). Obviously, this verse is in no way a prohibition against praying the same meaningful prayer repetitiously. Rather, it is a prohibition against long-winded prayers that are meant to sound flowery, sophisticated, and superior, using useless words that don’t mean much in the prayer itself, but are rather designed to impress the listeners. This understanding fits more in line with the context of the rest of the chapter (Matthew 6) which has to do with making prayer flashy, so as to call attention to one’s self.

Continued below.
The Jesus Rosary – Complete Christianity