The Roots and Development of the πιστ- Word Group as Faith Terminology'

Abstract

The religious use of the πιστ- word group in the NT is not an isolated development in the first and second centuries CE. Employment of the word group as faith termin ology can be traced back to Classical Greek where, in a few instances, πιστεύειν appears in reference to faith in (the) God(s). In these passages πιστεύειν θεω/θεoις carries the idea of 'religious engagement'. This prepares the way for the Septuagint translators who found the πιστ- word group to be a good equivalent for the Hebrew root ?. Because πιστ- was not a perfect match for ?, the Greek word group, by virtue of its association with the Hebrew word group, began to assume new (Hebrew) nuances of religious faith. This development can be further traced in Sirach and in Philo of Alexandria, as well as in other Hellenistic Jewish writings. Sirach and Philo in particular provide evidence that the πιστ- word group was flexible and expandable in its religious understanding. The NT represents a further major development of the religious use of the word group. Taking up the ideas of the Hebrew ? and the early Classical understanding of πιστεύειν θεω/θεoίς as religious engagement, the NT develops the πιστ- word group into termini technici for the proper relationship of humankind to God.