Bible Lexicons

In accordance with its common NT usage, πίστις is used of ";faith,"; ";confidence"; in a person in such passages as P Strass I. 41.38 (c. A.D. 250), when in a legal process a witness is charged—ὡς πρεσβύτης καὶ πίστεως ἄξιος εἰπὲ ἃ οἶδας ἐν τῷ πρά [γματ ]̣ι, and P Oxy XIV. 1627.14 (A.D. 342) διὰ τὴν περὶ ἡμᾶς μετριότητα καὶ πίστις (l. πίστιν), ";owing to your clemency to us and confidence in us"; (Edd.). In P Lond 233.11 (A.D. 345) (= II. p. 273, Chrest. I. p. 68 ) the editor translates τ ̣ῇ σῇ πίστ (ε)ι as apparently = ";at your discretion"; or ";on your own credit."; P Tebt II. 418.15 (iii/A.D.) shows us—ἀπολάβῃς παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ καλῇ πίστει, ";receive it back from me in good faith"; (Edd.) : cf. P Oxy I. 71ii. 11 (A.D. 303) νομίζουσα τούτους τὴν καλήν μοι πίστειν ἀποσώζειν, ";thinking that they would preserve my good name"; (Edd.).

With the conjunction of πίστις and ἀλήθεια in 1 Timothy 2:7 cf. P Oxy I. 70.4 f. (iii/A.D.) πᾶσα κυ ̣[ρί ]α ἔνγραφος συναλλαγὴ πίστιν καὶ ἀλήθ [ειαν ἔ ]χει, ";every valid written contract is credited and accepted"; (Edd.), and P Flor I. 3.2 (b).14 (A.D. 298) ἐξόμνυμι. . . ἐξ ἀληθείας καὶ πίστεως τὴν ἀπογραφὴν πεποιῆσθαι : with 1 Timothy 5:12 cf. CIA App. (Wünsch, praef. p. xv) ὑποκατέχετε ὑμεῖς αὐτὴν ταῖς ἐσχάταις τιμωρίαις ὅτι πρώτη ἠθέτησεν τὴν πίστιν πρὸς Φήλικα τὸν ἑαυτῆς ἄνδρα (cited by Parry ad l.) : with 2 Timothy 4:7 cf. Brit. Mus. Inscrr. Part III. No. 587 b..5 (ii/A.D.) ὅτι τὴν πίστιν ἐτήρησα, and OGIS 339.47 (c. B.C. 120) προχειρισαμένου τοὺς τὴν πίστιν εὐσεβῶς τε καὶ δικαίως τηρήσοντας : and with ἡ πίστις used of ";the (Christian) faith"; (Acts 6:7, al.), cf. Syll 451 (=.3 932).7 (ii/i B.C.) ἀξίως ἀνεστράφησαν αὐτῶν τε καὶ τᾶς ἐνχειρασθείσας αὐτοῖς πίστεως.

The passive sense ";fidelity,"; ";faithfulness,"; which is found in the LXX, and occasionally in the NT (Matthew 23:23, Galatians 5:22), is common in our sources. See e.g. the illiterate P Fay 122.22 (c.A.D. 100) ἐάν τινα εὕρῃς κ ̣α ̣τ ̣α ̣̣ παρό [ντας ] ἔχοντα πείστην πολλ ̣η ̣ν ̣, ";if you find anyone quite trustworthy among those with you"; (Edd.), P Oxy III. 494.9 (A.D. 156) εὐνοούσῃ μοι καὶ πᾶσαν πίστιν μοι ἐνδεικνυμένῃ, ";being well-disposed and showing entire faithfulness towards me"; (Edd.), BGU I. 326i. 15 (a clause in a Will—A.D.194) τῇ τε πίστι [α ]ὐτῆς παρακατατίθομαι (cf. the Lat. formula eius fidei committo), and P Tebt II. 326.10 (c. A.D. 266) εὐνοίᾳ καὶ πίστι καὶ τῇ τοῦ γένους οἰκειότητι, ";owing to his kindness, fidelity, and ties of kinship"; (Edd.).

For the sense of ";guarantee,"; ";pledge,"; as in Acts 17:31, cf. the mantic P Ryl I. 28.187 (iv/A.D.) ποὺς ἀριστερὸς ἐὰν ἅλληται, σημαίνι αὐτὸν ἐπὶ λόγῳ καὶ πίστι πλανηθῆνα [ι, ";if the left foot quiver, it signifies that a man will be deceived over a promise and pledge"; (Edd.).

Πίστις = ";bond"; or ";mortgage"; is found in such passages as P Tebt I. 14.9 (B.C. 114) ἀναγραψάμεν ̣ο ̣ς ̣ αὐτοῦ τὰ ὑπάρχοντα συντάξαι θεῖναι ἐν πίστει, ";making a list of his property and arranging for it to be placed in bond,";

P Reinach 18.10 (B.C. 108) ἐθέμην αὐτῶι ̣ ἐν πίστει καθ᾽ ὧν ἔχω ψιλῶν τό [π ]ων συγγραφὴν ὑποθήκης, and P Oxy III. 486.7 (A.D. 131) λαβοῦσα τὸν καθήκοντα τῆς ὠνῆς δημόσι [ον χρημα ]τισμόν, ἔλεγεν ἐν πίστει με ἔχειν αὐτά, ";although I had received the regular official contract of the sale, he said that I held this land on mortgage."; The phrase ὠνὴ ἐν πίστει is discussed in Philologus lxiii. (N.F. xvii.), 1904, p. 498 ff. See also the references in Preisigke Fachwörter s.v. πίστις, and for NT usage Burton Galatians (in ICC), p.478 ff.