From: Mike Sangrey (mike@sojurn.lns.pa.us)
Date: Thu Aug 26 1999 - 08:50:52 EDT
jbarach@telusplanet.net said:
> I'm working on Romans 1:16-17 and came across the difficult phrase EK
> PISTEWS EIS PISTIN. Now that I have read several commentaries, I seem
> to be no further ahead and slightly more confused.
<smile> One can gather enough experts to fortify any opinion. <smile>
The following clause, "hO DE DIKAIOS EK PISTEWS ZHWETAI." is widely
recognized as ambiguous, but therein lies the explanation of EK
PISTEWS EIS PISTIN. Does that quote mean that our new life begins
by believing? Or does it mean that having obtained new life, we
are to live it by faith? I think the quote is another case of an
author purposely stating two meanings with one construct: a pun,
if you will. To make the double-meaning clear Paul reflects it
in EK PISTEWS EIS PISTIN (or vice versa) as the KAQWS GEGRAPTAI
would suggest. I'm not sure what translation would be good, but
the meaning, I think, is something like, "[which] starts from faith
and continues in faith."
Also, Romans 1:16-17 is the launching point to the entire theme of
the book. A theme which has both 'becoming alive' and 'being alive'
as prominent threads. It's really quite clever for Paul to capture
such a large idea--indeed, two large ideas--within so few words.
Know the whole book, and the meaning of EK PISTEWS EIS PISTIN will
become obvious.
--
Mike Sangrey
mike@sojurn.lns.pa.us
Lancaster, Pa.
There is no 'do' in faith, everywhere present within it is 'done'.
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