Perspectives in Translation

Question: How should we translate the phrase pistis Christou (πίστις Χριστοῦ) in such passages as Galatians 2:16?

The NET translates this phrase as follows: “we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.” I find this theologically attractive, because it accentuates the Christological mechanism for justification by faith, and it underscores the salvific and representative nature of Jesus’ obedience. I think that such a reading can be supported on theological and contextual grounds if we read Gal 2:16 in light of (1) Gal 2:19b-20 (“I live by faith in [or the faithfulness of] the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me”) with its participatory explication of salvation rooted in Jesus’ own self-giving act on the cross; and (2) Gal 3:25 (“But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian”) where “faith” is a synecdoche for Christ and his benefits.

The problem is that I am familiar enough with Greek grammar and syntax to know that a genitive modifier restricts the head term but does not fill it with radically sophisticated theological content. In terms of grammar, context, and the reception history of Gal 2:16, I think that “faith in Christ” is eminently correct. That said, let me make two qualifications:

(1) I think Phil 3:9 is a more probable place for rendering the text as the “Messiah’s faithfulness,” and Eph 3:12 may also have something going for it in referring to the Messiah’s faithfulness as the means by which we have access to God (note that the CEB handles the pistis Christou texts differently in Rom 3:22, Phil 3:9 and Gal 2:16, Eph 3:12).

(2) Let us also remember that “faith in Christ” is not simply assent to a doctrine about Christ. Faith in Christ means entrusting ourselves to the event of the gospel, which includes the theocentric act of deliverance wrought by God in Jesus which includes his coming, faithfulness, death, and resurrection. Thus, I would say that Jesus’ faithfulness is implied not in the noun pistis but in christos.

A comprehensive discussion of the views relating to the pistis Christou debate can be found in  Michael F. Bird and Preston M. Sprinkle (eds.), The Faith of Jesus Christ: Exegetical, Biblical, and Theological Studies (Carlisle, UK/Peabody, MA: Paternoster/Hendrickson, 2009).

Michael Bird formerly lectured in New Testament at the Highland Theological College (UHI Millennium Institute) in Scotland and is currently lecturer in theology and New Testament at Crossway College in Brisbane, Australia. He is also an honorary research associate at the University of Queensland. He is the translator of 1 Esdras in the Common English Bible.

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