What does Jesus mean by “vain repetition” or “babbling” in Matthew 6:7?

Question

What ancient tradition of prayer is Jesus critical of in Matthew 6:7?

In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. (NABRE)

But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. (KJV)

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. (NIV)

And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. (RSV)

And when you are praying, speak not much, as the heathens. For they think that in their much speaking they may be heard. (DRA)

I'm not asking for a personal interpretation of this passage, and I especially don't want opinions on the controversial matter of 'literal' prayers (which may or may not include the Lord's Prayer and the Psalms).

What is clear is that Jesus is making a reference to pagans/heathens (εθνικοι), who do something displeasing during their prayers (βαττολογησητε). The prayers of these pagans were presumably recognizable enough to be known both to the direct audience of Jesus and to the direct audience of Matthew. What do we know about these pagans and their way of praying? Was there a specific group? Are there any sources that describe the prayers of pagans at that time?

_{(An ideal answer might have the form "Jesus is talking about [pagan group], who would [way of talking] while praying ... that they did this is mentioned even in [extra-biblical source], which describes them as [quotation]".)}

Answer 1

^{Disclaimer: I'm not an expert on the topic by any means. But, this answer agrees with all the scholarly opinions I've heard on the matter.}

No particular pagan group is named in regards to these prayer practices. But, we can reasonably assume that, since none is named, many of the pagan groups in the area and time practiced similar forms of prayer. So, we can safely use one of the more notable groups -- the Romans, under whose occupation of Jews were living. And in light of their occupation and the other references to Rome in the NT, we could argue this is the most likely group of pagans being referred to.

Wikipedia, oddly enough, summarizes the qualities of ancient Roman prayer (and ancient pagan prayer in general) that I'm familiar with.

All sacrifices and offerings required an accompanying prayer to be effective. Pliny the Elder declared that "a sacrifice without prayer is thought to be useless and not a proper consultation of the gods." Prayer by itself, however, had independent power. The spoken word was thus the single most potent religious action, and knowledge of the correct verbal formulas the key to efficacy. Accurate naming was vital for tapping into the desired powers of the deity invoked, hence the proliferation of cult epithets among Roman deities. Public prayers were offered loudly and clearly by a priest on behalf of the community. Public religious ritual had to be enacted by specialists and professionals faultlessly; a mistake might require that the action, or even the entire festival, be repeated from the start. The historian Livy reports an occasion when the presiding magistrate at the Latin festival forgot to include the "Roman people" among the list of beneficiaries in his prayer; the festival had to be started over. Even private prayer by an individual was formulaic, a recitation rather than a personal expression, though selected by the individual for a particular purpose or occasion. (Religion in ancient Rome, Prayers, vows, and oaths)

The major theme in all pagan prayer, as far as I've researched, is that the outward actions or words are the efficacious aspect of prayer. Hence, as in the lines I've emphasized above, the correct formula and names were vital. And preforming the correct formula and names was sure to bring about the desired result. The gods themselves seemed to have very little say in the matter.

Hence, pagan prayer often entailed a set of formulaic prayers to various deities, since the pray-er couldn't know for sure which deity or which formula was correct.

I'll refrain from elaborating on the precise meaning of Christ's caution, as it varies from denomination to denomination. I'd recommend a related question for each major denomination if you're interested in how Christ's words can (have been) interpreted in light of the nature of pagan prayer.