Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Chapter 1 Introduction
- Chapter 2 Brothers and sisters – ἀδελφοί
- Chapter 3 The believers
- Chapter 4 The saints – οἱ ἅγιοι
- Chapter 5 The assembly – ἡ ἐκκλησία
- Chapter 6 Disciples – μαθηταί
- Chapter 7 The Way – ἡ ὁδός
- Chapter 8 ‘Christian’ – Χριστιανός
- Chapter 9 Conclusions
- Bibliography
- Selected author index
- Subject index
- Index of texts
Chapter 3 - The believers
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 December 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Chapter 1 Introduction
- Chapter 2 Brothers and sisters – ἀδελφοί
- Chapter 3 The believers
- Chapter 4 The saints – οἱ ἅγιοι
- Chapter 5 The assembly – ἡ ἐκκλησία
- Chapter 6 Disciples – μαθηταί
- Chapter 7 The Way – ἡ ὁδός
- Chapter 8 ‘Christian’ – Χριστιανός
- Chapter 9 Conclusions
- Bibliography
- Selected author index
- Subject index
- Index of texts
Summary
Introduction
In the NT, ‘Christians’ are designated as ‘believers’ seventy-nine times, with the present, aorist, or perfect participle from πιστεύω being used substantively sixty-five times and the adjective πίστος being used substantively fourteen times. I will generally refer to these as ‘believer-designations’. We have the following distribution, given in this way: uses of participle + uses of adjective = total: Synoptics: 4 + 0 = 4; John: 21 + 0 = 21; Acts: 12 + 3 = 15; Paul: 17 + 2 = 19; Ephesians: 1 + 1 = 2; Pastorals: 1 + 7 = 8; Hebrews: 1 + 0 = 1; 1 Peter: 2 + 0 = 2; 1 John: 5 + 0 = 5; Jude: 1 + 0 = 1; Revelation: 0 + 1 = 1.
Strongly influenced by the LXX, πιστεύω in the NT means ‘believe (in)’, ‘trust’, ‘entrust’, and ‘be confident about’, while πιστός means ‘trustworthy, faithful, dependable, inspiring trust/faith’, ‘trusting’.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Self-designations and Group Identity in the New Testament , pp. 68 - 121Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011