skandalon

Skandalon is a Greek noun (σκάνδαλον) meaning a stumbling block, trap, or snare. In classical and Hellenistic usage it referred to an object that causes someone to stumble physically. In later Greek, especially in biblical and theological contexts, it acquired a figurative sense: something that obstructs belief, causes offense, or leads a person to stumble in faith.

Etymology and usage. The term is related to the verb skandalizein, meaning to scandalize or offend. Through its use in the Septuagint and especially the New Testament, skandalon came to denote a moral or spiritual obstacle that hinders recognition of truth or acceptance of divine revelation. The English word scandal ultimately derives from this Greek lineage.

Biblical usage. Skandalon appears in Scripture to describe what keeps people from embracing the message of the gospel or what causes believers to stumble. In Romans 9:32–33, Paul speaks of a stumbling block to Israel regarding righteousness by faith. In 1 Corinthians 1:23, the cross is described as a stumbling block to Jews and as foolishness to Gentiles. 1 Peter 2:8 calls Jesus “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” The term also appears in the Gospel narratives in contexts where human expectations collide with Jesus’ teachings, producing offense rather than faith.

In modern scholarship, skandalon is used to analyze obstacles to faith, both cognitive and moral, and to distinguish legitimate theological offense from secular or political scandals. It remains a concise term for the notion of an impediment that causes people to trip over divine revelation or moral truth.