I’m delighted to see this long-overdue, excellent, and faithful translation of Adolf Schlatter’s brilliant and award-winning monograph on faith in the New Testament. While written in 1885, the work is eminently relevant and provides a proper and highly illuminating framework for contemporary discussions on the nature of faith in the writings of Paul. But the volume does not merely shed light on the modern debate; it makes a vital contribution in its own right, both on an academic and a devotional level.
—Andreas J. Köstenberger, research professor of New Testament and biblical theology and director of the Center for Biblical Studies, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; co-founder of Biblical Foundations; translator of Adolf Schlatter’s The History of the Christ and The Theology of the Apostles
Faith is one of the most exciting areas of exploration and revision in current biblical scholarship. Yet it is impossible to know our present location or future destination apart from past landmarks. Adolf Schlatter's monumental Faith in the New Testament, freshly translated by Joseph Longarino, is a gift to scholars and the church. When we draw on the best from the past, we can map a truer future.
—Matthew W. Bates, professor of theology, Quincy University; author of Salvation by Allegiance Alone
It is bizarre that we have had no English translation of Adolf Schlatter’s Faith in the New Testament until now. Schlatter is one of the more subtle modern thinkers about the message of the New Testament and its implications for current life. Schlatter is never content to remain at the surface. He reaches, instead, for the subject matter of Scripture and attempts to make explicit how grappling with the subject matter impacts the human being in all its complexity. All students of the New Testament should read him. Dr. Longarino’s translation now makes this possible for readers who cannot read German. We are in Longarino’s debt not only for his careful and thoughtful translation work but also for making such a remarkable scholar’s thought available more widely.
—C. Kavin Rowe, vice-dean for faculty and George Washington Ivey Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Duke Divinity School
Well over a century ago (1885), Adolf Schlatter offered a thorough and influential exploration of the New Testament authors’ views of faith, with close attention to relevant antecedents. Schlatter’s linguistic analysis was detailed and his scope was broad. The German original has now, finally, been translated into English, a task long overdue and much welcomed. Longarino’s translation makes accessible to an English audience not only the content of Schlatter’s magisterial study but also a glimpse into the zeitgeist of biblical scholarship of that era. This English translation is clear, elegant, and a pleasure to read.
—Jeannine Brown, professor of New Testament and director of online programs, Bethel Seminary
Shockingly, Adolf Schlatter’s 1885 Faith in the New Testament, one of the classics in New Testament theology, has never been available in English. Many specialists still describe faith as meritorious human work. Schlatter explained that, across the New Testament, in fundamental agreement despite the diversity of witnesses, faith mediates salvation and the declaration of righteousness by God. Faith is God’s work in us, a gift from Jesus himself. In this labor of love for which we are indebted, Joseph Longarino strives to mirror Schlatter’s German style in English. Longarino lets us hear for ourselves the rekindling and active power of Schlatter’s Word of faith.
—A. Andrew Das, professor of religious studies and assistant dean of the faculty, Elmhurst University
There has been something of a resurgence of research as of late on the meaning and function of ‘faith’ (pistis-language) in the New Testament writings. Sadly, however, few have drawn upon the incredible and pioneering work of one the greatest early 20th century New Testament scholars: Adolf Schlatter. This accessible and readable translation of Schlatter’s comprehensive study will be of enormous benefit for those seeking to understand not only the meaning of individual New Testament texts but also what is one of the most fundamental theological themes of the New Testament.
—Joshua Jipp, associate professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
We are greatly indebted to Joe Longarino for this elegant translation into English of Adolf Schlatter’s classic analysis of faith in the New Testament. And Schlatter’s work is still well worth reading. It combines linguistic precision, historical perception, and theological insight, in a way that much modern New Testament scholarship and exposition can still profit greatly from engaging. An old treasure has been brought forth from the great storehouse of German scholarship and piety that English readers can now peruse, ponder, and enjoy.
—Douglas A. Campbell, professor of New Testament, Duke Divinity School
Exactly one hundred years since Schlatter’s mandatory retirement in 1922, and 137 years since Der Glaube im Neuen Testament first appeared in 1885, an English rendition finally sees the light of day. Joseph Longarino’s direct and unsparing translation will force readers to wrestle with Schlatter’s complicated diction. Specialists will want to compare with the original, not because the translation is defective, but because the original is so rich, subtle, and allusive that no translation will exhaust the original’s force. Schlatter’s synthesis merits scrutiny, reflection, and respect because Schlatter’s linguistic competence, command of history, and hermeneutical sophistication consistently result in fresh insight and fruitful proposals regarding this central concept of what Schlatter saw as divine disclosure—‘revelation of an absolute goodness [Güte],’ to quote the book’s final sentence.
—Robert W. Yarbrough, professor of New Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary
