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Judaeo-Christian faith as trust and loyalty

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2020

MICHAEL PACE Open the ORCID record for MICHAEL PACE [Opens in a new window]  and
DANIEL J. MCKAUGHAN Open the ORCID record for DANIEL J. MCKAUGHAN [Opens in a new window]
MICHAEL PACE*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, Chapman University, One University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA
DANIEL J. MCKAUGHAN*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, Boston College, 351N Stokes Hall, Chestnut Hill, MA02467-3806, USA
*
e-mail: [email protected]
e-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Disputes over the nature of faith, as understood in the Judaeo-Christian tradition, sometimes focus on whether it is to be identified exclusively with trust in God or with loyalty/fidelity to God. Drawing on recent work on the semantic range of the Hebrew ʾĕmûnâ and Greek pistis lexicons, we argue for a multidimensional account of what it is to be a person of faith that includes trust and loyalty in combination. The Trust-Loyalty account, we maintain, makes better sense of the faith of exemplars, including Abraham, and fits well with the biblical language of faith. Further, a normatively appropriate combination of trust and loyalty towards others is a recognizable social virtue, aimed at promoting flourishing relationships. Finally, we consider how to make sense of ancient and modern exemplars of faith who protest against God, such as Job and Elie Wiesel, and argue that the Trust-Loyalty view is uniquely well suited to accommodate them.

Type
Original Article
Information
Religious Studies , Volume 58 , Issue 1 , March 2022 , pp. 30 - 60
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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