Sunday, November 22, 2015

Pistis: What Does It Possibly Mean?

Regarding the Greek πίστις (pistis): the lexical evidence seems to allow for the translation "faith" or "faithfulness." BDAG suggests that πίστις (in Galatians 5:22) refers to faithfulness or fidelity. Timothy George (NAB Commentary on Galatians) also thinks that the word denotes "faithfulness" in Paul's list of the spirit's fruit (compare Romans 3:3).

A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures also favors the understanding "faithfulness."

Vincent's Word Studies:

Faith (πίστις)

Trustfulness.

Alford GNT: "πίστις, in the widest sense: faith, towards God and man: of love it is said, 1 Corinthians 13:7, πάντα πιστεύει."

NET Bible renders πίστις as "faithfulness," but in a note for Gal 5:22, it adds:

Or "reliability"; see BDAG 818 s.v. πίστις 1.a.

See https://billmounce.com/greek-dictionary/pistis
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6 comments:

  1. Duncan4:36 AM

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  2. Duncan2:02 AM

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  3. Anonymous2:04 PM

    Hello Edgar, I'm a serious minded bible student and I love to study Jehovah's word!
    But I've come to you hoping you can help me out on a certain quote that seems to be posted often it's from Clement.

    "There was then, a Word importing an unbeginning eternity; as also the Word itself, that is, the Son of God, who being, by equality of substance, one with the Father, is eternal and uncreated."
    (Fragments, Part I, section III)

    I know theirs something too this I just don't know where to start.

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  4. Edgar Foster4:12 PM

    Hello,

    Clement of Alexandria supposedly wrote those words, and they do appear in the primary sources of Clement's fragments. However, I would consider what Clement of Alexandria taught as a whole. Other passages indicate that he subordinated the Son to the Father. He might have even viewed the Son as a creature.

    "But the nature of the Son, which is nearest to Him who is alone the Almighty One, is the most perfect, and most holy, and most potent, and most princely, and most kingly, and most beneficent" (_Stromata_ 7.2).

    "Now the energy of the Lord has a reference to the Almighty; and the Son is, so to speak, an energy of the Father" (ibid).

    "Now the Stoics say that God, like the soul, is essentially body and spirit. You will find all this explicitly in their writings. Do not consider at present their allegories as the gnostic truth presents them; whether they show one thing and mean another, like the dexterous athletes, Well, they say that God pervades all being; while we call Him solely Maker, and Maker by the Word. They were misled by what is said in the book of Wisdom: 'He pervades and passes through all by reason of His purity;' since they did not understand that this was said of Wisdom, which was the first of the creation of God (SOFIAS THS PRWTOKTISTOU TWi QEWi)" (_Stromata_ 5.14).

    Best regards,

    Edgar

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  5. Duncan3:24 AM

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  6. Duncan4:43 AM

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