I asked Claude.ai: Show me the connection between the words for faith in Hebrew, Greek in the Bible, and the etymology of fidelity and authenticity.
And this is the answer given:
This is a fascinating exploration of how concepts of faith, trust, and genuineness connect across languages and cultures.
Hebrew: אמונה (emunah) - Faith/Faithfulness
Hebrew Root: אמן (aman) meaning "to confirm, support, be faithful"
- Related words: אמת (emet = truth), אמין (amin = faithful/reliable)
- The word "Amen" comes from this same root
- Emunah encompasses both belief and faithfulness/reliability
Greek: πίστις (pistis) - Faith/Trust
Greek Root: πιστ- meaning "to trust, have confidence"
- Related to πιστός (pistos = faithful, trustworthy)
- Also connected to πείθω (peitho = to persuade, convince)
Latin Connections
Fidelity: From Latin fides (faith/trust) → fidelitas (faithfulness)
- Root fid- means "to trust"
- Same root as "fiduciary," "confidence," "bona fide"
Authenticity: From Greek authentikos (original, genuine)
- From authentes (one acting with own authority)
- Related to autos (self) + hentes (worker/doer)
The Remarkable Convergence
All these terms share a core conceptual DNA around trustworthy genuineness:
- Hebrew emunah = steadfast reliability that proves itself through consistency
- Greek pistis = confident trust based on proven trustworthiness
- Latin fides = faithfulness that maintains loyalty to truth
- Greek authentikos = genuine because it comes from the true source
In biblical usage, faith (emunah/pistis) isn't just intellectual belief - it's relational trust based on proven reliability. This connects directly to:
- Fidelity: remaining true/faithful to someone or something
- Authenticity: being genuine to one's true nature or origin
The theological concept emerges: true faith requires both fidelity (faithful commitment) and authenticity (genuine relationship with the true source). Biblical faith is simultaneously about trusting in God's faithfulness and being authentic in one's response to that trustworthy character.
This is prompted by Stephen Tong's lecture about Faith in his Church Servitude series back in my seminary days. He emphasized that Faith is fidelity, like how Hi-Fi equipment tries to duplicate the authenticity of the original. So our faith likewise is to be authentic to God and the truth.