The Translation of Πίστις and Its Cognates in the Pauline Epistles

Abstract

The standard translation of πίστις is faith. This article examines whether and how far the contemporary understanding of “faith/believe” does justice to the Pauline uses of the πιστ- words. I argue that (generally) in the Pauline letters πίστις is relational, not an idea that one holds as true. In the LXX passages with πιστ- words that Paul discusses in his letters, the sense of trust is most noticeable. Paul does not make a significant shift in the meaning of πίστις; rather, he gives it a central place which becomes decisive in the human relationship to God. I suggest that πίστις and its cognates are best translated as “trust.” The Bible’s relational understanding of πίστις as trust in God gives us a more reliable guide than faith.