"WHOSE FAITH SAVES?" Summary of a Lecture by Luke Timothy Johnson
From notes taken by
On September 21, 1999, Luke Timothy Johnson
spoke at the St. Paul School of Theology in
(Johnson is Robert W.
Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins in the Candler School
of Theology,
To take the second point first: the Greek phrase "p i s t i s c r i s t o u " (pistis christou) occurs in several places in Paul's letters. The genitive noun christou can be translated two ways, to read either "the faith (pistis) of Christ" or "faith in Christ." If you translate it the latter way, it means the believers' faith in Christ, but if you translate it the former way, it refers to Christ's faith in God. The grammatical context doesn't determine which choice should be taken, so it is up to the exegete to determine the appropriate reading. Johnson used his exegetical skills to argue that the context demands a "faith of Christ" reading. If he is correct, then the NRSV and other respected translations are wrong on a fundamental point in Paul, because they opt for the "faith in Christ" reading.
Some examples:
If the alternative reading is the correct one, then justification is not through human faith but through Christ's faith. (The "alternative readings" involve using the NRSV reading and changing only the phrases in boldface type.)
("NRSV" means "New Revised Standard Version. Source of "NRSV Reading" quotations: QuickVerse computer program, copyright 1992-97 by Craig Rairdin and Parsons Technology, Inc.)
Again, the alternative reading shifts the focus from believers' faith to Christ's faith. In the third example, the phrase pistis christou (or a similar phrase) occurs three times.
· Alternative Reading: But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, {22} the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, {23} since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; {24} they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, {25} whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement through his faithful death. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; {26} it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies out of the faith of Jesus.
Johnson commented at this point in the lecture that the distinguished scholar Joseph Fitzmyer "vehemently" disagrees with this view.
What, then, is this faith of Jesus? It is obedience. Paul speaks of Abraham's faith in Romans 4, shown in an act of obedience (to be willing to sacrifice Isaac), and of Jesus' death on the cross, an act of obedience to God. In Romans 5, Paul compares Adam and Christ, the first a disobedient man, the second an obedient man. Paul compares two human beings and their human responses to God. The Philippians hymn also highlights Jesus' obedience.
This is the Philippians hymn: (Philippians 2:5-11 NRSV) "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, {6} who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, {7} but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, {8} he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross. {9} Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, {10} so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, {11} and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
What is the result for theology if the
alternative translation of pistis christou is correct? It is that we are justified not by
our faith but by Jesus' faith. That means that all human beings
have access to salvation, not just believers, since it is not the faith of
believers which justifies. Perhaps this is what Paul is thinking in Romans 3
when he writes (Romans 3:30 NRSV), "since God is one; and he will justify
the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same
faith."
New Testament students: you may stop reading here.
Moving on to Johnson's original first point, a challenge to the idea that Paul has little interest in the human Jesus. Johnson referred extensively to Richard Hays, New Testament scholar at Duke, who shares Johnson's view on this issue. First, Hays holds that the story of the man Jesus is the substructure or plot of Paul's theology. According to Hays, Paul's references to the historical Jesus include that he was born of a woman, was born under the law, was descended from David, had a brother, taught about things like the end times and divorce, called God "Abba," broke bread with his followers, was tried and crucified, and gave a good witness before Pilate. For instance, Hays believes that Galatians 4:4-5 is a story line, a plot summary which forms a frame for Paul's theology. (Galatians 4:4-5 NRSV: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, {5} in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children"). Second, Hays points out that Paul uses narrative fragments in his letters: "So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed" (1 Corinthians 8:11 NRSV); "the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20 NRSV); and "and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:2 NRSV). These narrative fragments use material from the story of Jesus. Third, Paul uses characterization, too. He speaks of Jesus' character, his loving, self-giving disposition, his radical faith. In Greco-Roman culture, the ultimate test of people's character was how they died. Jesus' character was revealed in the way he faced death. The Holy Spirit, noted Johnson, can imprint this character on us, the believers. The imprint is not of the historical details of Jesus' life but of his character, a pattern of existence, a disposition, an attitude. This is what the imitation of Christ means, receiving "the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2.16) and "the law of Christ" (Gal. 6.2), the latter possibly translatable as "the pattern of Christ." This mind/law/pattern includes regard for the interests of others.
These three points, all, I believe, attributable to Hays, show Paul's interest in the human Jesus. Other historical details found in the gospels don't add much else.
Further developing this point, Johnson said that one may read the Letter to the Romans as laying out the story of Jesus (chapters 1-5) that becomes the story of the believers (6-16). For instance, Rom 6 speaks of baptism as incorporation into Christ; 8 speaks of transformation by the Spirit into the image of God's son, the firstborn of the new humanity; 12 urges believers to transform their minds; 13 speaks of putting on the Lord Jesus Christ; 14 alludes to the story of Jesus (don't hurt the believer for whom Christ died); and 15 instructs, " Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you" (v. 7).
An objection to Johnson and Hays stems from Paul's statement, "From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way" (2 Corinthians 5:16 NRSV). However, Johnson answered the objection by saying that what Paul means here is that he no longer regards Christ as cursed by God.
(Deuteronomy 21:22-23 NRSV) When someone is convicted of a crime punishable by death and is executed, and you hang him on a tree, {23} his corpse must not remain all night upon the tree; you shall bury him that same day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God's curse. You must not defile the land that the LORD your God is giving you for possession" (my emphasis). That is, according to Jewish law, a crucifed person was accursed; Paul perhaps once thought that Jesus' death showed that God had rejected Jesus.
An implication of Johnson's first point (Paul meant the faith of Christ rather than of faith in Christ) is that modern translations of Paul get him wrong, and Johnson commented on how he has been trying for years to get changes made in translations, thus far unsuccessfully.