On the Translation of Hebrews 11:1

Robert G. Hoerber
The Greek text reads: " , ." The leading English versions translate as follows: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (NRSV, NASB). "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (NKJV). "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (NIV). "Faith gives substance to our hopes, and makes us certain of realities we do not see" (NEB). "Now faith means putting our full confidence in the things we hope for; it means being certain of things we cannot see" (Phillips). "Now faith means that we are confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see" (Moffatt). "Faith means the assurance of what we hope for; it is our conviction about things that we cannot see" (Goodspeed). "Est autem fides sperandorum substantia, rerum argumentum non parentum" (Vulgate).

Dr. Robert G. Hoerber is Professor Emeritus of New Testament Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

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In Hebrews 1:3 we read that the Son is "an exact representation of his (= God's) real being" ( ). The sense of "confidence" or "assurance" must be eliminated, since examples of this meaning cannot be found. Therefore this translation must be ruled out in Hebrews 11:1, although it has enjoyed much favor since Luther. According to Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich-Danker (p. 847) Hebrews 11:1 should be rendered: "In faith things hoped for become realized" or "In faith things hoped for become reality." So the renderings of Hebrews 11:1 by NRSV, NASB, NIV, Phillips, Moffatt, and Goodspeed miss the point, while NKJV and NEB come closer to the meaning of in this verse. Agreeing with our conclusion is Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (vol. VIII, pp. 586f.): In the translation of here [Hebrews 11:1] and in Hb. 3:14 Melanchthon advised Luther to use the rendering "sure confidence." Whereas all patristic and medieval exegesis presupposed that was to be translated substantia and understood in the sense of , Luther's translation introduced a wholly new element into the understanding of Hb. 11:1. Faith is now viewed as personal, subjective conviction. This interpretation has governed Protestant exposition of the passage almost completely, and it has strongly influenced Roman Catholic exegesis. It has also had a broader effect. Yet there can be no question but that this classical Protestant understanding is untenable. The starting-point of exposition must be that in Hb. 11:1 has to have not only a meaning like that in Greek usage elsewhere but also a sense similar to that it bears in the other HB references. Kittel continues: It should also be noted that here is parallel to and that it occurs in a sentence full of central theological concepts. Now as regards it is evident that this does not mean subjective non-doubting nor does it have anything at all to do with conviction: it bears the objective sense "demonstration"...the of is the proof of things one cannot see, i.e., the heavenly world which alone has reality, whereas in Hebrews everything visible has only the character of the shadowy and frontal. Kittel concludes:
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If one follows the meaning of in Hb. 1:3, then bears a similar sense: it is the reality of the goods hoped for, which have by nature a transcendent quality. Primarily, then, and do not describe faith but define the character of the transcendent future things, and do so in the same sense as Philo...and other representatives of Middle Platonism...speak of the reality and actuality of God and the world of Ideas. In a formulation of incomparable boldness Hb. 11:1 identifies with this transcendent reality: Faith is the reality of what is hoped for in exactly the sense in which Jesus is called the of the reality of the transcendent God in 1:3. The one formulation is as paradoxical as the other to the degree that the presence of the divine reality is found in the one case in the obedience of a suffering and dying man (cf. Hb. 5:7) and in the other in the faith of the community. But this is the point of Hebrews. Only the work of this Jesus and only participation in this work (= faith) are not subject to the corruptibility of the merely shadowy and prototypical. Thus Kittel's discussion of confirms the translation of Hebrews 11:1a by Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich-Danker: "In faith things hoped for become realized" or "In faith things hoped for become reality."

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