The Πίστις Χριστοῦ Debate and Its Recent Developments

Main Article Content

Kevin W. McFadden

Abstract

After introducing the πίστις Χριστοῦ debate, this article attempts to explain a paradigm shift that has led to the current debate. It then summarizes some recent developments in the subjective genitive view and some recent developments in the objective genitive view. It also introduces readers to a recently articulated ‘third view’ of πίστις Χριστοῦ. Finally, it offers the author’s view of the question in conversation with some of the scholars mentioned in the article.

Article Details

How to Cite
McFadden, Kevin W. “The Πίστις Χριστοῦ Debate and Its Recent Developments”. Reformed Theological Review 82, no. 3 (December 1, 2023): 237–264. Accessed May 13, 2024. https://rtrjournal.org/index.php/RTR/article/view/373.

References

Allen, R. Michael. The Christ’s Faith: A Dogmatic Account. New York: T&T Clark, 2009.

Allen, Michael. ‘‘It Is No Longer I Who Live’: Christ’s Faith and Christian Faith.” Journal of Reformed Theology 7 (2013): 3–26.

Augustine, On the Holy Trinity. Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3. Ed. Philip Schaff. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978.

Barr James. The Semantics of Biblical Language. New York: OUP, 1961.

Barth, Karl. Community, State, and Church: Three Essays. New York: Anchor Books, 1960.

Bates, Matthew W. “The External-Relational Shift in Faith [Pistis] in New Testament Research: Romans 1 as Gospel-Allegiance Test Case.” CBR 18, no. 2 (2020): 176–202.

Bird, Michael F. and Preston M. Sprinkle, eds. The Faith of Jesus Christ: Exegetical, Biblical, and Theological Studies. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2009.

Bultmann, Rudolf. Theology of the New Testament. Trans. Kendrick Grobel. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1951.

Burton, Ernest De Witt. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians. ICC 34. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1921.

Campbell, D. A. “The Meaning of ?????? and ????? in Paul: A Linguistic and Structural Perspective.” JBL 111, no. 1 (1992): 91–103.

Campbell, Douglas A. “Romans 1:17—A Crux Interpretum for the ?????? ??????? Debate.” JBL 113, no. 2 (1994): 265–285.

Campbell, Douglas A. Pauline Dogmatics: The Triumph of God’s Love. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2020.

Downs, David J. and Benjamin J. Lappenga. The Faithfulness of the Risen Christ: Pistis and the Exalted Lord in the Pauline Letters. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2019.

Dunn, James D. G. “Once More, ?????? ???????.” Appendix 1 in The Faith of Jesus Christ, 2nd ed., 249–71. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.

Dunn, James. D. G. “?? ???????: A Key to the Meaning of ?????? ???????.” In The Word Leaps the Gap: Essays on Scripture and Theology in Honor of Richard B. Hays. Ed. J. Ross Wagner, C. Kavin Rowe, and A. Katherine Grieb. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008.

Easter, Matthew C. “The Pistis Christou Debate: Main Arguments and Responses in Summary.” CBR 9, no. 1 (2010): 33–47.

Grasso, Kevin. “A Linguistic Analysis of ?????? ???????: The Case for the Third View.” JSNT 43, no. 1 (2020): 108–144.

Harrisville, Roy A., III. “Before ?????? ???????: The Objective Genitive as Good Greek.” NovT 48, no. 4 (2006): 353–358.

Haussleiter, Jonannes. “Der Glaube Jesu Christi und der christliche Glaube: Ein Beitrag zur Erklärung des Römerbriefes.” Neue kirchliche Zeitschrift 2 (1891), 109–45.

Hays, Richard B. The Faith of Jesus Christ: The Narrative Substructure of Galatians 3:1–4:11. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.

Hebert, Gabriel. “‘Faithfulness’ and ‘Faith’” RTR 14, no. 2 (1955): 33–40.

Hooker, Morna D. “?????? ???????.” NTS 35, no. 3 (1989): 321–42.

Howard, George E. “Faith of Christ.” ABD, vol. 2. New York: Doubleday, 1992).

Hunn, Debbie. “Debating the Faithfulness of Jesus Christ in Twentieth-Century Scholarship.” The Faith of Jesus Christ: Exegetical, Biblical, and Theological Studies, 15–31. Ed. Michael F. Bird and Preston M. Sprinkle. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2009.

Hunn, Debbie. “?????? in Galatians 5.5–6: Neglected Evidence for ‘Faith in Christ.” NTS 62 (2016): 477–483.

Irons, Charles Lee. The Righteousness of God: A Lexical Examination of the Covenant-Faithfulness Interpretation. WUNT 2:386. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2015.

Johnson, E. Elizabeth and David M. Hay, eds. Pauline Theology, Volume IV: Looking Back, Pressing On. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1997.

Johnson, Luke Timothy. “Rom 3:21–26 and the Faith of Jesus.” CBQ 44, no. 1 (1982): 77–90.

Kugler, Chris. “?????? ???????: The Current State of Play and the Key Arguments.” CBR 14, no. 2 (2016): 244–255.

Lohmeyer, Ernst. Grundlagen paulinischer Theologie, Beiträge zur Historischen Theologie 1. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1929.

Martyn, J. Louis. Galatians. Anchor Bible. New York: Doubleday, 1997.

Martyn, J. Louis. “The Apocalyptic Gospel in Galatians.” Int 54, no. 3 (2000): 246–66.

Matlock, R. Barry. “Detheologizing the ?????? ??????? Debate: Cautionary Remarks from a Lexical Semantic Perspective.” NovT 42, no. 1 (2000): 1–23.

Matlock, R. Barry. “The Rhetoric of ?????? in Paul: Galatians 2.16, 3.22, Romans 3.22, and Philippians 3.9.” JSNT 30, no. 2 (2007): 173–203.

McFadden, Kevin W. “Does ?????? Mean ‘Faith(fulness)’ in Paul?” TynB 66, no. 2 (2015): 251–270.

McFadden, Kevin W. Faith in the Son of God: The Place of Christ-Oriented Faith in Pauline Theology. Wheaton: Crossway, 2021.

Moo, Douglas J. A Theology of Paul and His Letters: The Gift of the New Realm in Christ. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2021.

Morgan, Teresa. Roman Faith and Christian Faith: Pistis and Fides in the Early Roman Empire and Early Churches. New York: OUP, 2015.

Moule, C. F. D. “The Biblical Conception of ‘Faith.’” ExpTim 68 (1956–1957), 157.

Moule, C. F. D. “Le Christ et la foi: Étude de théologie biblique.” SJT 14, no. 4 (1961): 422.

Murray, John. The Epistle to the Romans. Vol. 1. NICNT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1959.

Neugebauer, Fritz. In Christus: Eine Untersuchung zum Paulinischen Glaubensverständnis. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1961.

Oropeza, B. J. “Justification by Faith in Christ or Faithfulness of Christ? Updating the ?????? ??????? Debate in Light of Paul’s Use of Scripture.” JTS 72, no. 1 (2021): 102–124.

Pifer, Jeanette Hagen. Faith as Participation: An Exegetical Study of Some Key Pauline Texts. WUNT 2: 486. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2019.

Pollard, Paul. “The ‘Faith of Christ’ in Current Discussion.” Concordia 23, no. 3 (1997): 213–228.

Reasoner, Mark. Romans in Full Circle: A History of Interpretation. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2005.

Robinson, D. W. B. “‘Faith of Jesus Christ’—a New Testament Debate.’” RTR 24, no. 3 (1970): 71–81.

Sanday, William and Arthur C. Headlam. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. 5th ed. ICC. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1902.

Schlatter, Adolf. Faith in the New Testament: A Study in Biblical Theology. Trans. Joseph Longarino. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2022.

Schliesser, Benjamin. Abraham’s Faith in Romans 4: Paul’s Concept of Faith in Light of the History of Reception of Genesis 15:6. WUNT 2.224. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2007.

Schliesser, Benjamin. “‘Exegetical Amnesia’ and ?????? ???????: The ‘Faith of Christ’ in Nineteenth-Century Pauline Scholarship.” JTS 66, no. 1 (2015): 61–89.

Schliesser, Benjamin. “‘Christ-Faith’ as an Eschatological Event (Galatians 3.23–26): A ‘Third View’ on ?????? ???????’, JSNT 38, no. 3 (2016), 277– 300.

Seifrid, Mark A. “The Faith of Christ.” In The Faith of Jesus Christ: Exegetical, Biblical, and Theological Studies, 129–146. Ed. Michael F. Bird and Preston M. Sprinkle. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2009.

Silva, Moisés. “Faith versus Works of the Law in Galatians.” Justification and Variegated Nomism. Vol. 2, The Paradoxes of Paul, 217–48. WUNT 2:140. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004.

Sprinkle, Preston M. “????????????? as an Eschatological Event.” In The Faith of Jesus Christ: Exegetical, Biblical, and Theological Studies, 167–170. Ed. Michael F. Bird and Preston M. Sprinkle. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2009.

Stubbs, David L. “The shape of soteriology and the pistis Christou debate.” SJT 61, no. 2 (2008): 137–157.

Tipton, Lane G. “Biblical Theology and the Westminster Standards Revisited: Union with Christ and Justification Sola Fide.” WTJ 75 (2013): 1–12.

Torrance, T. F. “One Aspect of the Biblical Conception of Faith.” ExpTim 68 (1956–1957): 111–114.

Ulrichs, Karl Friedrich. Christusglaube: Studien zum Syntagma ?????? ??????? und zum paulinischen Verständnis von Glaube und Rechtfertigung. WUNT 2.227. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2007.

Wright, N. T. Paul and His Recent Interpreters: Some Contemporary Debates. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2015.

Valloton, Pierre. Le Christ et la foi: Etude de théologie biblique. Geneva: Labor et Fides, 1960.

von Schenk, Wolfgang. “Die Gerechtigkeit Gottes und der Glaube Christi.” Theologische Literaturzeitung 97 (1972), 162–74.