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Heathen (2)

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

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HEATHEN.—The Anglo-Saxon heathen, ‘one who lives on the heaths and in the woods,’ as opposed to a town-dweller; cf. ‘pagan,’ from paganus, ‘a countryman or villager.’ This word is an indication of the fact that, as a rule, country-dwellers were Christianized later than those living in towns and cities. ‘Heathen’ occurs in Authorized Version of the Gospels in Matthew 6:7; Matthew 18:17, and not at all in Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885, which gives ‘Gentiles’ and ‘Gentile’ respectively in these two places (see Gentiles).

It has been pointed out that paganus also means ‘a civilian’ in opposition to ‘a soldier,’ and that thus a pagan would also mean one who was not a soldier of Christ. This secondary meaning of pagan probably came into use through a contemptuous designation by soldiers of non-military persons as ‘countrymen.’

Literature.—Murray, New English Dictionary; and Encyc. Bibl. s.v.; Bigg, The Church’s Task under the Roman Empire, Lect. ii. p. 42, note 2; Trench, Study of Words.

Albert Bonus.