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Introduction
âFor my many sins, the Pauline Theology Group has given me a foretaste of purgatorial fire by asking me to revisit the question of how to interpret Paulâs notoriously enigmatic expression ÏÎŻÏÏÎżÏ ÎηÏοῊ ΧÏÎčÏÏοῊ (âfaith of/in Jesus Christâ).â
âRichard B. Hays
The Subjective/Objective Genitive Debate
For many years scholars have debated the translation of a phrase that appears in four of the Pauline letters: Romans, Galatians, Philippians, and Ephesians. Almost all modern English versions translate the Pauline phrase as âfaith in Jesus Christâ (see Rom 3:22). This translation is called by scholars of the Greek text the âobjective genitive,â because the word âfaithâ has as its object âJesus Christ,â which is in the genitive case in Greek. The Greek genitive case can be understood in various ways but is distinguished from a subject (of a verb), object (of a verb), and dative (indirect object of a verb). The debate focuses on the following texts; note how the ESV (and most other English versions) translate the phrase using the word âfaithâ and the proper name of Jesus/Jesus Christ/Christ/Son of God or the pronoun (his/him) in reference to Jesus:
âąRomans 3:22ââfaith in Jesus Christâ
âąRomans 3:26ââthe one who has faith in Jesusâ
âąGalatians 2:16ââfaith in Jesus Christâ
âąGalatians 2:16ââfaith in Christâ
âąGalatians 2:20ââfaith in the Son of Godâ
âąGalatians 3:22ââfaith in Jesus Christâ
âąPhilippians 3:9ââfaith in Christâ
âąEphesians 3:12ââour faith in himâ
While the above translations are possible, the same form can also be translated as a âsubjective genitive,â meaning the word âfaithâ is followed by its âsubjectâ in the genitive case in Greek. In other words, the proper noun or pronoun is expressing the subject of the verbal idea of âfaith,â that is âbelieving.â Thus, one would translate the Rom 3:22 phrase as âfaith of Jesus Christâ instead of âfaith in Jesus Christ.â âFaithâ can have other nuanced meanings such as âfaithfulness.â Thus, the best understanding, of which I would argue, would be âthe faithfulness of Jesus Christ,â the subjective genitive interpretation. Each of the above references can be translated in this way without misusing the grammar of the Greek New Testament. The translator has a choice. If the translator should choose the âsubjective genitiveâ interpretation and interpret pistis as âfaithfulness,â then the references would refer to Jesusâ faithfulness rather than human faith or faithfulness. Notice the differences in the following chart: (I am adding the preceding prepositions if any and a variant reading at Gal 3:26): [my translation]
Rom 3:22 | âthrough faith in Jesus Christâ | âthrough the faithfulness of Jesus Christâ |
Rom 3:26 | âthe one who has faith in Jesusâ | âthe one who lives from Jesusâ faithfulnessâ |
Gal 2:16 | âthrough faith in Jesus Christâ | âthrough the faithfulness of Jesus Christâ |
Gal 2:16 | âfrom faith in Christâ | âfrom the faithfulness of Christâ |
Gal 2:20 | âby faith in the Son of Godâ | âby the faithfulness of the Son of Godâ |
Gal 3:22 | âfrom faith in Jesus Christâ | âfrom the faithfulness of Jesus Christâ |
Gal 3:26 (P46) | âthrough faith in Christâ | âthrough the faithfulness of Christâ |
Phil 3:9 | âthrough faith in Christâ | âthrough the faithfulness of Christâ |
Eph 3:12 | âthrough faith in him [Christ]â | âthrough his [Christâs] faithfulnessâ |
The choice of translating the Greek genitive case as a subjective genitive or objective genitive can make a huge difference in its meaning in context. Even more, the choice of this translation can also have an effect on how one approaches similar phrases and ideas throughout the New Testament. I will call these passages above the pistis Christou passages (the Greek words involved making a good shorthand for all such passages). Pistis is the Greek word that has a wide range of meanings according to context: faith or faithfulness, reliability, trust, confidence, fidelity, proof, pledge, solemn promise, oath, Christian virtue, or Christian doctrine. So, again, one must ask: what difference does it make? My answer is: it makes a huge difference! That is the reason for writing this book. Accordingly, Richard N. Longenecker has written: âThere is, of course, much more that could be saidâand, indeed, that needs to be said furtherâabout Paulâs understanding of âdivine faithfulnessâ and âhuman faithâ in Romans and his other letters.â Before one even begins the task of arguing for the subjective genitive interpretation instead of the objective genitive or other genitive ideas, here is a beginning list of what is at stake:
1.It is a matter of arguing for more accuracy in English translations or at the minimum, allowing readers to know there is a viable alternative translation (example: footnote on Rom 3:22 in the NRSV). The subjective genitive translation would take away several redundancies found in Romans and Galatians (Rom 3:22; Gal 2:16; 3:22; and Phil 3:9). At present only the NET Bible and the Common English Bible interpret these passages as subjective genitives consistently. I know of only two one-person translations that support the âsubjective genitiveâ interpretation: N. T. Wright and David Stern.
2.The subjective genitive does not take away the necessity for the human response of faith, overtly expressed in Rom 3:22, Gal 2:16, 3:22, and possibly Phil 3:9. This is usually the argument against the subjective genitive, but it lacks the preponderance of evidence.
3.The emphasis in each of the pistis Christou passages is christological, not t...