Re: PISTIS in Romans 1

From: BibAnsMan@aol.com
Date: Tue Sep 26 1995 - 20:59:24 EDT


In a message dated 95-09-26 20:07:05 EDT, David R. Mills writes:

>In a group that reads Greek together weekly, we recently began reading
>Romans. A couple of questions arose that we would like to address to
>experts.
>1. In 1:12, what is the meaning of THS EN ALLHLOIS PISTEWS? The
translations
>"the faith among us" or "the mutual faith" seem to lack the reciprocity
>usually implied by ALLHLWN. A translation such as "the confidence in one
>another" does not retain the usual meaning for PISTIS in the book as a
>whole.
>2. In 1:17, what is the meaning of EK PISTEWS EIS PISTIN? Does the EK
>PISTEWS in the Habakkuk quotation somehow encompass both the former EK
>PISTEWS and the EIS PISTIN?

In answer to question #1, the "ALLHLWN" retains its reciprocal properties, it
is just hard for us to bring it across accurately in English. But I am
probably not telling anything new to you here.

This, however is one of those articular prepositional phrases. Its literal
rendering would be something like, "but this is to be encouraged together
with you, through that which is by one another's faith, both yours and mine."
 PISTIS retains its normal meaning here.

Question #2: EK is probably best translated "from" as in ".... revealed
from faith to faith..." In this sense, it backs up the previous verse in
context. It is the righteousness of God being evidenced or revealed from
faith to faith to faith to faith. Paul is pointing to the individual
believer's faith as it is revealed, whether he is a Jew or a Greek, or
whatever he may be. It is the faith in context demonstrating the
righteousness of God bearing fruit in one's life. The rest of the verse
describes how this happens indicated by the EK again indicating the source
from which the righteous man lives, the grace of God lived and demonstrated
through his faith.

Serving Him,

Jim McGuire
Professor of Greek at
Logos Bible Institute
13248 Roscoe Blvd.
Sun Valley, CA 91352



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