'Faith' in Paul
OK, sorry about this. Yet another question!What recent books or articles would you recommend concerning the question about what ‘faith’ means in Paul? - and I particularly mean the faith of the believer in Christ, rather than the faith of Christ.
It is admittedly a digression from my doctoral focus, but nevertheless related, so any feedback will be appreciated.
Again, many thanks.
posted by Chris Tilling @ 6:40 PM
12 comments
12 Comments:
LT Johnson's commentary on Romans deals with the question in some depth. It's a very good commentary in general.
too, Dunn's commentary in the Word Biblical Commentary series.
Michael Gorman has 2 chapters in Cruciformity: Paul's Narrative Spirituality of the Cross (2001) on "Cruciform Faith". The first deals more with the faith of Christ, and the second deals more with believers who have faith in Christ. Or, as I prefer to think of it, believers who possess the faith of Christ -- for, as Gorman says, our faith is both a response to and a sharing in Christ's faith. Which means we can't really talk about faith in Christ without talking about the faith of Christ.
Peace,
Dan
An African student at Southern Seminary wrote his dissertation under Tom Schriener on this very subject. In a conversation with him, I believe he said that it should be "faith in" instead of "faith of." I will try to track down his name and dissertation title. He teaches in Cameroon.
OK, thanks chaps.
I'll follow up that Johnson commentary, Chris, as I have the rest (Dunn's commentary is probably my favourite on Galatians).
Dan, not long before you wrote these words, I had just made my notes on Gorman. Quite helpful.
I'd be very grateful, Alan, thanks.
If his doctoral work was with Tom Schreiner, I would expect it to be taking the 'faith in' line, as, like Tom, it is more traditional.
Chris, Thomas Tobin has some stuff in favour on an objective genitive interpretation in his book: The Rhetoric of Righteousnes. Try books by Schreiner and Seifrid too.
Far and away the best book on this subject is 'The Faith of Jesus Christ' by Richard Hays. The second edition (2003 I think) has a useful debate between Dunn ('faith in') and Hays ('faith of') which covers most of the main points of discussion of this issue in Paul.
Thanks Mike for the Thomas Tobin tip, and your own blog article. Very useful.
Hi Steven, thanks for visiting. I love your blog.
I do have Hays' book actually, but it is an older print. Is there much additional material in the 2003 edition?
I still feel that I might as well toss a coin about my conclusion, however. I find the argument finely balanced. However, I really ought to make an exegetical decision on this one - and not cop out like I've done with the North/South Galatia issue!
well, why not make the decision by way of a completely original argument drawing on a largely irrelivant piece of theory imported from some obscure PhD in another field of...?
Amen Eddie!! Just call it 'social-scientific' and its bound to work!
Hi Chris,
The original version of Hays' book was in the SBL dissertation series. The latest edition (2001 I think) has the same content but it has a very useful and lengthy appendix containing a debate between Hays and James Dunn on how best to translate 'faith' in Paul, and they manage to discuss texts that were outside the scope of Hays' original thesis.
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