Do we know of any antecedents outside the HB to the centrality of faith that we find in the NT? Articulations have been sought in the cultural milieu for other NT themes, such as the resurrection, heaven and hell, and so on (e.g., Zoroastrianism, though, if I understand him correctly, Dr. Ehrman is now more doubtful on some of these points that have been somewhat “standard” for some time), but I have not seen a similar discussion regarding faith. It seems to “jump out” at me whereas in the HB, it is one among other virtues (e.g., following Torah is perhaps the cardinal virtue in the HB). Abram-Abraham is the obviously point of departure in Paul, and perhaps Paul influenced its prominence throughout the NT (in the gospels, especially, it seems to me, in Luke and John, where faith seems to become more “metaphysical”). To state the question more simply, how did faith become the defining characteristic for salvation in the NT?
Faith?
I think I could have asked my 3rd grade child and he would have been able to answer that question correctly.
Jesus Christ himself says that unless you become as a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
I am sorry this topic is not for Phd’s or Road Scholars or the like, it is for the simple minded who are capable of having faith.
To state the question more simply, how did faith become the defining characteristic for salvation in the NT?
Well at least partly because the NT is asking us to accept propositions that are not obviously demonstrably true. It’s useful to remember that in the ancient world most religions were ethnic. You were born into them. They were the customs of your community. It wasn’t about history or doctrine.
…it is for the simple minded who are capable of having faith.
With predictable result.
BDEhrman
FreedomBen
evgendob
Robert
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