LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW - Concordia Lutheran Seminary
LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW - Concordia Lutheran Seminary LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW - Concordia Lutheran Seminary
38 LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW XII to believe in Christ Jesus (eivj Cristo.n VIhsou/n evpisteu,samen) in order that we might be justified evk pi,stewj Cristou/.” The verbal clause “we have come to believe”, to Voelz, is a “hidden signifier” which determines the meaning of both of the disputed nominal (noun-based) phrases. Therefore, pi,stij Cristou/ probably refers to human faith in Christ—not the faith of Christ Himself—due to the clarifying effect on the meaning of the whole sentence which is implied by the central verb evpisteu,samen. 58 James Dunn, on his part, spots a more general weakness in the argument advanced by Hays and others, which might well be discussed in connection with 2:16 since it is here that some of the more extreme suggestions are rooted. 59 Hays’ entire argument, Dunn thinks, “is in danger of overkill”—in the sense that “almost without realising it, we find that every reference to pi,stij in the body of Galatians … [is] swept up into the defence of the subjective genitive.” 60 Even though both 2:16 and 3:22 include clear verbal references to the faith of believers, the tendency is, as Dunn puts it, to hoover up every relevant reference to “faith” in Galatians in order to defend the subjective genitive reading of 2:16, 20 and 3:22. This is nothing short of astonishing. It now appears that a text (Galatians) which has provided such a powerful charter of “justifying faith” for Christian self-understanding, nowhere speaks clearly of that “faith.” 61 To the extent that Dunn is right, and Hays and company have in fact pushed their interpretative stance to the point that the larger goal of Paul’s entire argument is swept aside (or “vacuumed up”!), it is obvious that context is not being allowed to influence the interpretation of individual texts with nearly the force that it should. iii) Galatians 3:22 If the proposed absence of a noun-based expression of the believer’s faith creates an embarrassment for Hays, the very real lack of a verbal statement that Christ had faith poses great difficulties for Hooker. Her proposal to read every occurrence of pi,stij vIhsou/ Cristou with Christ as its subject severely taxes Paul’s logic. Why would Paul have consistently avoided saying that “Christ believed as Abraham believed”, if that was indeed what he meant? The question becomes particularly acute especially at 3:26, where Paul’s potentially confusing statement, “You are all sons of God dia. th/j pi,stewj 58 Voelz concedes that there are “convincing arguments on both sides” of the whole pi,stij Cristou/ question, but notes that “Those who opt for our faith in Jesus have the linguistic evidence we have here presented on their side” (194 n. 21). 59 See the summary above for arguments advanced by Hays et al. 60 Dunn 735, 736. 61 The only possible exception, Dunn 736 notes, is Gal 5:22.
CHAMBERS: PISTIS CRISTOU IN PAUL evn Cristw/| VIhsou/” (i.e., “through the faith [which is] in or of Christ Jesus”) could have been greatly simplified, if Paul did in fact mean to speak of Christ’s own faith, by the use of an equivalent verbal construction, such as “You are all sons of God in Christ Jesus who believed.” 62 Yet that is precisely what Paul does not say! iv) Philippians 3:9 Lastly, the expression th.n [dikaiosu,nhn] dia. pi,stewj Cristou/ in Philippians needs to be understood, Hultgren says, by comparison with other Pauline expressions that speak of both “righteousness” and “faith”. As already noted, in every other place where Paul uses these terms in close proximity it is quite clearly the faith of the believer—not God’s faithfulness—that Paul has in mind. A little more specifically, Dunn makes three points against the subjective view in Philippians 3:9 in particular. First, the repetition of both dikaiosu,nh and pi,stij within the verse shows that Paul was trying to emphasize the contrast between human and divine righteousness, not simply indulging in redundant repetition. Second, the fact that Paul uses the anarthrous form dia. pi,stewj Cristou/ in 3:9a suggests that he probably intended the expression to be taken objectively (“faith in Christ”) rather than subjectively (see again the grammatical discussion above). And third, the fact that the occurrence of “faith” in 3:9b is, by contrast, arthrous (th.n evk qeou/ dikaiosu,nhn evpi. th/| pi,stei, “the righteousness from God based on faith”) conversely implies that Paul is here referring to “the faith”—that is, the faith of the believer just mentioned in 3:9a. “His Greek would be scarcely intelligible”, Dunn protests, “if he meant the first pi,stij to refer to Christ’s faith and the second pi,stij to ‘justifying faith.’” 63 5. THEOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS As this discussion has hopefully begun to illustrate, there are many important theological insights to be gained by interpreting pi,stij Cristou/ subjectively. The messianic overtones of prophecy (i.e., Habakkuk 2:4) take on extra richness. God’s faithfulness to Israel is revealed and extended through Jesus. The “faithful servant” motif of the Old Testament reaches a new high point in the obedient Son. Abraham’s faith(fulness) is even surpassed by that of his “seed”. God’s plan of salvation, both generally and in each of these details, is clearly presented and commended to the believer 62 Dunn 738. 63 Dunn 743-44 (this quote, 744). 39
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CHAMBERS: PISTIS CRISTOU IN PAUL<br />
evn Cristw/| VIhsou/” (i.e., “through the faith [which is] in or of Christ Jesus”)<br />
could have been greatly simplified, if Paul did in fact mean to speak of<br />
Christ’s own faith, by the use of an equivalent verbal construction, such as<br />
“You are all sons of God in Christ Jesus who believed.” 62 Yet that is<br />
precisely what Paul does not say!<br />
iv) Philippians 3:9<br />
Lastly, the expression th.n [dikaiosu,nhn] dia. pi,stewj Cristou/ in<br />
Philippians needs to be understood, Hultgren says, by comparison with other<br />
Pauline expressions that speak of both “righteousness” and “faith”. As<br />
already noted, in every other place where Paul uses these terms in close<br />
proximity it is quite clearly the faith of the believer—not God’s<br />
faithfulness—that Paul has in mind.<br />
A little more specifically, Dunn makes three points against the subjective<br />
view in Philippians 3:9 in particular. First, the repetition of both dikaiosu,nh<br />
and pi,stij within the verse shows that Paul was trying to emphasize the<br />
contrast between human and divine righteousness, not simply indulging in<br />
redundant repetition. Second, the fact that Paul uses the anarthrous form<br />
dia. pi,stewj Cristou/ in 3:9a suggests that he probably intended the<br />
expression to be taken objectively (“faith in Christ”) rather than subjectively<br />
(see again the grammatical discussion above). And third, the fact that the<br />
occurrence of “faith” in 3:9b is, by contrast, arthrous (th.n evk qeou/<br />
dikaiosu,nhn evpi. th/| pi,stei, “the righteousness from God based on faith”)<br />
conversely implies that Paul is here referring to “the faith”—that is, the faith<br />
of the believer just mentioned in 3:9a. “His Greek would be scarcely<br />
intelligible”, Dunn protests, “if he meant the first pi,stij to refer to Christ’s<br />
faith and the second pi,stij to ‘justifying faith.’” 63<br />
5. <strong>THEOLOGICAL</strong> CONSIDERATIONS<br />
As this discussion has hopefully begun to illustrate, there are many<br />
important theological insights to be gained by interpreting pi,stij Cristou/<br />
subjectively. The messianic overtones of prophecy (i.e., Habakkuk 2:4) take<br />
on extra richness. God’s faithfulness to Israel is revealed and extended<br />
through Jesus. The “faithful servant” motif of the Old Testament reaches a<br />
new high point in the obedient Son. Abraham’s faith(fulness) is even<br />
surpassed by that of his “seed”. God’s plan of salvation, both generally and<br />
in each of these details, is clearly presented and commended to the believer<br />
62 Dunn 738.<br />
63 Dunn 743-44 (this quote, 744).<br />
39