The Concept of Faith in Early Rabbinic Literature

While studies of the idea of "faith" (i.e., Greek pistis) in Hellenistic Judaism are relatively numerous,¹ comparatively little attention has been given to the idea in Palestinian and early rabbinic Judaism.² This essay will address several questions on this topic:  Is there a concept of faith in early rabbinic literature, and if so, what are its distinguishing features? Is faith seen as a virtue? Does it have ethical and/or religious ("soteriological") implications? That is, is it viewed as necessary for salvation? I will argue that references to faith and related topics in the early rabbinic literature show that the sages retain many of the key elements of Hebrew Biblical ideas of faith, but also go beyond these key elements at some points, so that faith has the sense of both faithfulness and trust, and at times a sense of adhering intellectually to correct beliefs as well - although the former, as ethical virtues, take precedence over the latter.

In the Hebrew Bible, faith or emunah is principally faithfulness, in the sense of loyalty or obedience, while during the period between the destruction of the Second Temple and the Arab conquest, the meaning of emunah is broadened to mean not only faithfulness, but also trust. While the Biblical idea of emunah is still seen as central to Judaism, belief or trust, as a moral quality, becomes more prevalent in the rabbinic literature, and takes on religious significance as well. An examination of non-religious uses of this and related terms gives us some interesting insights into the associations that come into play in the religious usages. Similarly, a study of negative expressions of faith can add to our understanding of the ways in which the sages viewed faith. In the course of discussing these various aspects of the problem, it will be seen that the relation between "faith and works" in early rabbinic Judism is more complicated than is often thought.

Emunah: Practical Loyalty or Cognitive Trust?