[B-Greek] Lexical question on PISTIS

Arie Dirkzwager dirkzwager at pandora.be
Fri Jan 23 14:38:14 EST 2004


For the sake of completeness.
There is another unusual meaning of the word pistis. I wrote an article
about it in the Dutch language. You can find it on
http://www.studiebijbel.nl/Theologie/Pistis.htm
Do not think reading Dutch is difficult. Persons who know German should try
it.

I started from Polybius V 42. 2
hO DE hERMEIAS HN MEN APO KARIAS, EPESTH DE EPI TA PRAGMATA SELEUKOU
TADELFOU TAUTHN AUTWi THN PISTIN EGCEIRISANTOS, KAQ' hOUS KAIROUS EPOIEITO
THN EPI TON TAURON STRATEIAN.

The translation by W.R. Paton in the Loeb Classical Library is:
This Hermeias was a Carian who had been in power ever since Seleucus,
Antiochus' brother, on leaving for his expedition against Attalus had
entrusted him with the government.

Concerning TAUTHN AUTWi THN PISTIN EGCEIRISANTOS this translation is a
little free. It should be "when he gave him that PISTIS". Obviously PISTIS
means here "a thing entrusted to a person".

That meaning fits Romans 12: 3 and 6:
- hEKASTWi hWS hO QEOS EMERISEN METRON PISTEWS
- EITE PROFETEIAN KATA THN ANALOGIAN THS PISTEWS

The advantage is that now it is God who gives the Christian a pistis. So
receiving a spiritual gift is not depending on merits of the Christian i.e.
the amount of his belief, what would not be according to the thoughts of
Paul, cf. Galatians 3: 2.

Other texts where this meaning of PISTIS might be the one meant are: 1
Timothy 1: 12,
2 Timothy 1: 11-14 and 2 Timothy 4: 7.

Arie

Dr. A. Dirkzwager
Hoeselt, Belgium
e-mail dirkzwager at pandora.be




More information about the B-Greek mailing list