trexmaster

The name makes you think that those involved in apologetics ("apologists") are apologizing and regretfully acknowledging errors and immorality in Biblical text, but apologizing is the last thing they'll do. They seem to deny error or "justify" immorality rather than express regret or sorrow for the existence of those things. Why do they still insist on labelling themselves apologists anyway?

Chris Weimer

Aπολογια was the Greek word for "defense". Apologists are defenders.

Doug Shaver

From the Online Etymology Dictionary:

apology
1533, "defense, justification," from L.L. apologia, from Gk. apologia "a speech in defense," from apologeisthai "to speak in one's defense," from apologos "an account, story," from apo- "from, off" (see apo-) + logos "speech." The original Eng. sense of "self-justification" yielded a meaning "frank expression of regret for wrong done," first recorded 1594, but it was not the main sense until 18c. The old sense tends to emerge in Latin form apologia (first attested 1784), especially since J.H. Newman's "Apologia pro Vita Sua" (1864). The Gk. equivalent of apologize (1725 in the modern sense of "acknowledge and express regret"), apologizesthai, meant simply "to give an account."

Unaffiliated

Think Socrates Apology

trexmaster

Thank you for answering my question.

Steven Avery

I apologize for having nothing to add to this thread. ("The Adder's Paradox")

Ubercat

Apologetics: The thankless task of trying to pull gods foot from gods mouth.

-Ubercat