πιστεύω

English (LSJ)

fut. -εύσω : plpf.

   A πεπιστεύκειν Act.Ap.14.23 : (πίστις) :—trust, put faith in, rely on a person, thing, or statement, τινι Hdt.1.24 ; τῷ λόγῳ Id.2.118, cf. S.El.886, etc. ; π. θεῶν θεσφάτοισι A.Pers.800 ; τῇ τύχῃ Th.5.112 ; σφίσιν αὐτοῖς Id.3.5; ταῖς ἀληθείαις D.44.3 ; [σημείοις] Antipho 5.81 ; π. τινὶ περί τινος Arist. EN1157a21 ; ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων Plb.2.43.2 : with neut. Adj. or Pron., λόγοις ἐμοῖσι πίστευσον τάδε believe my words herein, E.Hel.710; τοῦτ' . . Αἰγυπτίοις πιστεῦσαι δεῖ Arist.Mete.343b10 ; μὴ πάντα πειρῶ πᾶσι πιστεύειν Men.Mon.335 : later with Preps., π. ἐν τῷ Θεῷ, ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ, LXXPs.77(78).22, Ev.Marc.1.15 ; π. εἰς τὸν Θεόν Ev.Jo.14.1, al.; εἰς τὸ ὄνομά τινος ib.1.12; π. ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον Act.Ap.9.42 : abs., believe, περὶ μὲν τούτου . . οὔτε ἀπιστέω οὔτε ὦν π. τι λίην Hdt.4.96; χαλεπὰ παντὶ ἑξῆς τεκμηρίῳ πιστεῦσαι although it is hard to believe every single bit of evidence about them, Th.1.20 : c. acc. cogn., π. δόξαν entertain a confident opinion, Id.5.105 :—Pass., to be trusted or believed, ἄνδρες ἄξιοι πιστεύεσθαι Pl.La.181b, cf.Ep.309a, X.Cyr.4.2.8; πιστευθῆναι ὑπό τινος enjoy his confidence, ib.6.1.39, cf. An.7.6.33 ; π. παρά τινι D.23.4, 58.44 ; πρός τινας Id.20.25 ; ὡς πιστευθησόμενος as if he would be believed, Id.27.54, cf. 36.43 ; π. ὡς δημοτικὸς ὤν Arist.Pol. 1305a28 ; πιστεύονται [οἱ λόγοι] Id.EN1172b6 ; ἐπιστεύοντο ἃ ἔλεγον they were believed in what they said, D.32.4 ; πρόγνωσιν ἐπεπίστευντο were believed to possess foreknowledge, J.AJ17.2.4.    2 comply, ὡς οὐχ ὑπείξων οὐδὲ πιστεύσων λέγεις; S.OT625, cf. 646 ; opp. ἀπιστέω, Id.Tr.1228.    3 c. inf., believe that, feel confident that a thing is, will be, has been, E.HF146; ἀληθῆ εἶναι Pl.Grg.524a, cf. R. 450d; ὃς ἂν γνώμῃ πιστεύῃ τῶν ἐναντίων προὔχειν Th.2.62 ; προέσθαι τὴν προῖκ' οὐκ ἐπίστευσεν D.30.7 ; π. ὡς... ὅτι... X.Hier.1.37, Arist. Ph.254a3, al. : the inf. is sts. omitted, τὰ μὲν οὐ πιστεύουσιν οἱ νέοι (sc. εἶναι or γεγονέναι) Id.EN1142a19, cf. APr.68b13, GA716a7 :—Pass., παρὰ Διὸς . . οἱ νόμοι πεπιστευμένοι ἦσαν γεγονέναι Pl.Lg.636d; πιστευθεὶς ἀληθεύσειν believed sure to... X.An.7.7.25 ; ὁ ἥλιος . . πεπίστευται εἶναι μείζων τῆς οἰκουμένης Arist. de An.428b4; πρῶτοι νόμοις ἐγγράπτοις χρήσασθαι πεπιστευμένοι Str.6.1.8 : without inf., πιστευθείσης εἱμαρμένης αἴρεται πᾶσα νουθεσία Diog.Oen.33, cf. 23.    4 c. dat. et inf., τοῖσι ἐπίστευε σιγᾶν to whom he trusted that they would keep silence, Hdt.8.110, cf. X.Cyr.3.3.55, Lys.19.54.    5 have faith, Act.Ap.2.44, 19.18, etc.    II π. τινί τι entrust something to another, τινὶ ἡγεμονίαν, χρήματα, X.Mem.4.4.17, Smp.8.36; τὰν ὠνὰν τῷ θεῷ GDI1684, al. (Delph.); γυναικὶ μὴ πίστευε τὸν . . βίον Men.Mon.86; also περὶ τῶν ἐμῶν τούτῳ ἀξιῶ πιστεύειν ὑμᾶς Lys.30.7:—Med., have entrusted to one, ἀρχήν Berichte der russ. Akad. fuür Gesch. der materiellen Kultur 4.82 (Olbia, ii/iii A.D.):—Pass., πιστεύεσθαί τι to be entrusted with a thing, have it committed to one, παρά or ὑπό τινος, Plb.3.69.1, Phylarch.24J., cf. Vett. Val.65.3: c. inf., πιστευθέντας τοῖς ἐχθροῖς διαφθείρειν Arist.Pol.1287a39 (nisi leg.πεισθέντας): c. gen., πιστευθεὶς τῆς Κύπρου Plb.18.55.6, cf. 6.56.13, D.S.12.15, etc.

German (Pape)

[Seite 620] tra uen, vertrauen, sich auf Jemand oder auf eine Sache verlassen, τινί, εἴ τι πιστεῦσαι θεῶν χρὴ θεσφάτοισιν, Aesch. Pers. 786; θεοῖς τε πιστεύσαντα τοῖς τ' ἐμοῖς λόγοις, Soph. Phil. 1360, u. öfter; dah. auch = glauben, sich überreden lassen, ὦ πρὸς θεῶν πίστευσον, Οἰδίπους, τάδε, O. R. 646; Ggstz ἀπιστέω, Tr. 1218; γυναιξὶ πιστεύω βραχύ, Eur. Or. 1103; λόγοις ἐμοῖσι πίστευσον τάδε, Hel. 716; u. in Prosa, Her. 1, 24; Thuc. 1, 20; glauben, ἃ ἐγὼ ἀκηκοὼς πιστεύω ἀληθῆ εἶναι, Plat. Gorg. 524 a; οὐ πιστεύεις σαυτῷ οἷός τ' ἂν εἶναι ταῦτα οὕτω διελέσθαι; Crat. 425 b; mit ὅτι, Plut.; τοῖς λόγοις, Plat., oft, u. Folgde; τῷ ἐξελέγχειν, Dem. 29, 2; – pass., πιστεύεσθαι ὑπό τινος, von Jemandem Zutrauen genießen, Xen. Conv. 4, 29; ἐπιστεύετο ὑφ' ὑμῶν, Is. 11, 6; ὑπ' ἀνδρῶν ἀξίων πιστεύεσθαι, Plat. Lach. 181 b; aber auch ἐπιστεύοντο ἃ περὶ ἀλλήλων ἔλεγον, man glaubte, was sie von einander sagten, Dem. 32, 4; – παρὰ Διὸς αὐτοῖς οἱ νόμοι πεπιστευμένοι ἦσαν γεγονέναι, Plat. Legg. I, 636 d; πιστευθείς, Xen. Cyr. 5, 3, 17 An. 7, 6, 33 u. Sp., wie Pol. 16, 31, 4 u. öfter; auch = anvertrauen, τὴν ἀρχὴν πεπιστευμένος, dem der Oberbefehl anvertraut worden, Plat. Ep. I, 636 d; vgl. Xen. Cyr. 4, 2, 8; πεπιστευμένος τὴν πόλιν παρὰ Ῥωμαίων, Pol. 3, 69, 1; auch c. gen., 6, 56, 13. 18, 38, 6. – Πιστεύειν εἰς θεόν, ἐπὶ κύριον, an Gott glauben, N. T., K. S.

Greek (Liddell-Scott)

πιστεύω: μέλλ. -εύσω· ὑπερσ. πεπιστεύκειν Πράξ. Ἀποστ. ιδ΄, 23· (πίστις). Ἔχω πίστιν, ἐμπιστεύομαι, ἔχω πεποίθησιν εἴς τινα ἤ τι, ἢ (ἐπὶ λόγου ἢ διηγήσεως) παρέχω πίστιν, δέχομαι ὡς ἀληθές, ἀλλ’ αἱ δύο ἔννοιαι συμπίπτουσιν ὡς θέλει φανῆ ἐκ τῶν παραδειγμάτων· π. τινὶ Ἡρόδ. 1. 24., 2. 118, 120, Τραγ., κλ.· θεῶν π. θεσφάτοισι Αἰσχύλ. Πέρσ. 800· τῇ τύχῃ Θουκ. 5. 112· σφίσιν αὐτοῖς 3. 5· ταῖς ἀληθείαις Δημ. 1081. 14· τῷ λόγῳ Σόφ. Ἠλ. 886, κτλ.· σημείοις Ἀντιφῶν 139. 4· π. τινὶ ἢ ὑπέρ τινος Ἀριστ. Ἠθικ. Νικ. 8. 4, 3. Πολύβ. 2. 45, 2· μετ’ οὐδ. ἀντωνυμ. ἢ ἐπιθέτ., λόγοις ἐμοῖσι πίστευσον τάδε, πίστευσον κατὰ τὰ ἑξῆς, Εὐρ. Ἑλ. 710· ταῦτ’... Αἰγυπτίοις πιστεῦσαι δεῖ Ἀριστ. Μετεωρ. 1. 6, 12· μὴ πάντα πειρῶ πᾶσι πιστεύειν Μενάνδρ. Μονόστιχ. 335· ― μεταγεν., μάλιστα ἐν τῇ Καιν. Διαθ. εὑρίσκομεν: π. εἰς Θεόν· ὡσαύτως, π. ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον Πράξ. Ἀποστ. θ΄, 42, ἴδε Ἰω. Βαλέττα Ἐπιστολιμ. Διατριβ. ἐν Λονδίνῳ 1871: ― ἀπολ., πιστεύω, παραδέχομαι ὡς ἀληθές, περὶ μὲν τούτου..., οὔτε ἀπιστέω οὔτε ὧν π. τι λίην Ἡρόδ. 4. 96· χαλεπὸν παντὶ τεκμηρίῳ πιστεύειν, δύσκολον εἶναι νὰ πιστεύῃ τις εἰς πᾶσαν ἀπόδειξιν καὶ τὴν ἰσχυροτάτην, Θουκ. 1. 20· μετὰ συστοίχ. αἰτ., π. δόξαν, ἔχειν πεποίθησιν, πιστεύειν μετὰ πεποιθήσεως, αὐτόθι 5. 105. ― Παθ., πιστεύομαι, θεωροῦμαι ἀληθής, ἄξιος πιστεύεσθαι Πλάτ. Λάχ. 181Β· πιστεύεσθαι ὑπό τινος, ἀπολαύειν τῆς ἐμπιστοσύνης αὐτοῦ, Ξεν. Κύρ. 6. 1, 39, Ἀνάβ. 7. 6, 33· οὕτω π. παρά τινι Δημ. 622. 12., 1330. 23· πρός τινα ὁ αὐτ. 464. 20· ὡς πιστευθησόμενος, ὡς εἰ ἔμελλε νὰ πιστευθῇ, Δημ. 830. 15, πρβλ. 957. 26· π. ὡς δημοτικὸς ὢν Ἀριστ. Πολιτικ. 5. 5, 10· πιστεύονται [οἱ λόγοι] ὁ αὐτ. ἐν Ἠθ. Νικ. 10. 1, 4. ― Μέσ., πιστεύω ἀμοιβαίως, ἐπιστεύοντο ἃ περὶ ἀλλήλων ἔλεγον Δημ. 883. 14. 2) παραδέχομαι, συμφωνῶ, οὔθ’ ὡς ὑπείξων οὔθ’ ὡς πιστεύσων Σοφ. Ο. Τ. 625, πρβλ. 646· ἀντίθ. τῷ ἀπιστέω, ὁ αὐτ. ἐν Τρ. 1228. 3) μετ’ ἀπαρ., πιστεύω ὅτι..., εἶμαι βέβαιος ἢ πεπεισμένος ὅτι εἶναί τι ἢ θὰ εἶναι ἢ ὑπῆρξεν, Εὐρ. Ἡρ. Μαιν. 146· ἀληθῆ εἶναι Πλάτ. Γοργ. 524Α, κτλ., πιστεύω ἐμὲ προέχειν, εἰδέναι, κτλ., Θουκ. 2. 62, Πλάτ. Πολ. 450D, κτλ.· π. ποιεῖν, τολμῶ νὰ πράξω τι, Δημ. 866. 1· π. ὡς..., ὅτι..., Ξεν. Ἱέρ. 1. 37, Ἀριστ. Φυσ. 8. 3, 8, κ. ἀλλ.· ― τὸ ἀπαρ. ἐνίοτε παραλείπεται, τὰ μὲν οὐ πιστεύουσιν οἱ νέοι (ἐξυπακ. εἶναι ἢ γεγονέναι) Ἀριστ. Ἠθικ. Νικ. 6. 8, 6, πρβλ. Ἀναλ. Πρότ. 2. 23, 1, π. Ζ. Γεν. 1. 2, 2· ― Παθ., παρὰ Διός... οἱ νόμοι πεπιστευμένοι ἦσαν γεγονέναι Πλάτ. Νόμ. 636D· πιστευθεὶς ἀληθεύσειν ἃ ἔλεγες... Ξεν. Ἀνάβ. 7. 7, 25· ὁ ἥλιος... πεπίστευται εἶναι μείζων τῆς οἰκουμένης Ἀριστ. π. Ψυχῆς 3. 3, 15. 4) μετὰ δοτ. καὶ ἀπαρ., τοῖσι ἐπίστευε σιγᾶν, εἰς οὓς εἶχε τὴν πεποίθησιν ὅτι θὰ ἐτήρουν σιγήν, εἰς ὧν τὴν ἐχεμυθίαν εἶχε τὴν πεποίθησιν, Ἡρόδ. 8. 110, πρβλ. Ξεν. Κύρ. 3. 3, 55, Λυσ. 156. 42. ― Παθ. 5) ἐν τῇ Καινῇ Διαθήκῃ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς Ἐκκλ., πιστεύω εἰς τὸν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, γίνομαι Χριστιανός, Θεοφάν. 35, 7. ΙΙ. π. τινί τι, ἐμπιστεύομαί τι εἴς τινα, τίνι δ’ ἄν τις μᾶλλον πιστεύσει παρακαταθέσθαι ἢ χρήματα ἢ υἱοὺς ἢ θυγατέρας...; Ξεν. Ἀπομν. 4. 4, 17, Συμπ. 8, 36· ἑαυτόν τινι Λυσ. 183. 36· γυναικὶ μὴ πίστευε τόν... βίον Μενάνδρου Μονόστ. 86. ― Παθ., πιστεύομαί τι, μοὶ ἐμπιστεύουσί τι, Πλάτ. Ἐπιστ. 309Α, πρβλ. Ξεν. Κύρ. 4. 2, 8· π. τι παρὰ ἢ ὑπό τινος Πολύβ. 3. 69, Φύλαρχ. παρ’ Ἀθην. 593C· μετ’ ἀπαρ., πιστευθῆναι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς διαφθείρειν Ἀριστ. Πολιτικ. 3. 16, 10, πρβλ. Στράβ. 239· μετὰ γεν., πιστευθεὶς τῆς Κύπρου Πολύβ. 18. 38, 6, πρβλ. 6. 56, 13, Διόδ. 12. 15, κτλ. ― Ἴδε Κόντου Γλωσσ. Παρατηρ. σ. 19.

French (Bailly abrégé)

I. intr.
1 croire en, se confier à, se fier à ou dans, τινι ; Pass. être traité avec confiance, recevoir des témoignages de confiance : ὑπό τινος de qqn;
2 croire à, ajouter foi à : τινι à ce que dit qqn ; τι croire à qch ; Pass. être cru, avoir créance auprès de qqn ; avec un inf. : πιστευθεὶς ἀληθεύσειν ἃ ἔλεγες XÉN on avait la confiance que tu disais vrai;
II. tr. confier : τινί τι qch à qqn ; ἑαυτόν τινι LYS se confier à qqn ; Pass. recevoir en dépôt.
Étymologie: πιστός¹.

English (Abbott-Smith)

πιστεύω, [in LXX chiefly for אמן hi.;]
1.intrans., to have faith (in), to believe; in cl., c. acc., dat., in NT also c. prep, (on the significance of the various constructions, v. M, Pr., 67f.; Vau. on Ro 4:5; Ellic. on I Ti 1:16; Abbott, JV, 19-80): absol., Mt 24:23, 26 Mk 13:21, I Co 11:18; c. acc. rei, Ac 13:41, I Co 13:7; c. dat. pers. (to believe what one says), Mk 16:[13, 14], I Jo 4:1; τ. ψεύδει, II Th 2:11; περί . . . ὅτι, Jo 9:18; esp. and most freq. with reference to religious belief: absol., Mt 8:13, Mk 5:36, Lk 8:50, Jo 11:40, al.; seq. ὅτι, Mt 9:28, al.; c. dat. (v. supr., and cf. DB, i, 829a), Jo 3:12 5:24 6:30 8:31, Ac 16:34, Ga 3:6 (LXX), II Ti 1:12, I Jo 5:10, al.; c. prep., (expressing personal trust and relianceas distinct from mere credence or belief; v. M, Pr., l.c.; DB, i, 829b), to believe in or on: ἐν (Ps 77 (78):22, al.), Mk 1:15 (v. Swete, in l.); εἰς, Mt 18:6, Jo 2:11 (v. Westc., in l.), and freq., Ac 10:43 19:4, Ro 10:14, Ga 2:16, Phl 1:29, I Jo 5:10, I Pe 1:8; εἰς τ. ὄνομα, Jo 1:12 2:23 3:18, I Jo 5:13; ἐπί, c. acc., Mt 27:42, Ac 9:42 11:17 16:31 22:19, Ro 4:5; ἐπί, c. dat., Ro 9:33 (LXX) 10:11 (ib.), I Ti 1:16, I Pe 2:6 (LXX); ptcp. pres., οἱ π., as subst., Ac 2:44, Ro 3:22, I Co 1:21, al.; aor., Mk 16:[16], Ac 4:32; pf., Ac 19:18 21:20 (on Johannine use of the tenses of π., v. Westc, Epp. Jo., 120).
2.Trans., to entrust: c. acc. et dat., Lk 16:11, Jo 2:24; pass., to be entrusted with: c. acc., Ro 3:2, I Co 9:17, Ga 2:7, I Th 2:4 (v. Lft., Notes, 21f.), I Ti 1:11, Tit 1:3.

English (Strong)

from πίστις; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. credit; by implication, to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ): believe(-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.

English (Thayer)

imperfect ἐπίστευον; future πιστεύσω; 1st aorist ἐπίστευσα; perfect πεπίστευκα; pluperfect (without augment, cf. Winer s Grammar, § 12,9; (Buttmann, 33 (29))) πεπιστεύκειν (πεπίστευμαι; 1st aorist ἐπιστεύθην; (πιστός); the Sept. for הֶאֱמִין; in classical Greek from Aeschyl, Sophocles, Euripides, Thucydides down; to believe, i. e.
1. intransitive, to think to be true; to be persuaded of; to credit, place confidence in;
a. universally: the thing believed being evident from the preceding context, L T Tr WH ὁ for ᾧ), to credit, have confidence, followed by ὅτι, τίνι, to believe one's words, τίνι ὅτι, τῷ ψεύδει, περί τίνος, ὅτι, πιστεύειν is used in the N. T. of "the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of his soul"; thus it stands α. absolutely to trust in Jesus or in God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: ὅτι, τῷ λόγῳ, ᾧ (ὅν) εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, β. of the credence given to God's messengers and their words, with a dative of the person or thing: Μωϋσεῖ ἐπί πᾶσιν οἷς ἐλάλησαν οἱ προφῆται, to place reliance on etc. ὅτι, John 10:(37),38{a}; τοῖς ἔργοις of Christ, τῇ ἀλήθεια, ἐπιστεύθη τό μαρτύριον, the testimony was believed, Winer s Grammar, § 39,1a.; Buttmann, 175 (152)); τῇ γραφή, ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ, to put faith in the gospel, Buttmann, 174 (151 f); cf. Winer s Grammar, 213 (200f)) (Ignatius ad Philad. 8,2 [ET] (but see Zahn's note); cf. γ. below)). γ. used especially of the faith by which a man embraces Jesus, i. e. "a conviction, full of joyful trust, that Jesus is the Messiah — the divinely appointed author of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God, conjoined with obedience to Christ": πιστεύω τόν υἱόν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἶναι Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, ἐπιστεύθη (was believed on (cf. Winer s Grammar, § 39,1a.; Buttmann, 175 (152))) ἐν κόσμῳ, πιστεύειν εἰς τόν Ἰησοῦν, εἰς τόν υἱόν τοῦ Θεοῦ, etc., is very common; properly, to have a faith directed unto, believing or in faith to give oneself up to, Jesus, etc. (cf. Winer s Grammar, 213 (200f); (Buttmann, 174 (151))): R G L Tr text); R G,R G L); εἰς τό φῶς, εἰς τό ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ, to commit oneself trustfully to the name (see ὄνομα, 2, p. 448a), ἐπ' αὐτόν, ἐπί τόν κύριον, to have a faith directed toward, etc. (see ἐπί, C. I:2g. α., p. 235b (cf. Winer s Grammar, and Buttmann, as above, also Buttmann, § 147,25)): T Tr text WH; L text; ἐπ' αὐτῷ, to build one's faith on, to place one's faith upon (see ἐπί, B. 2a.γ., p. 233 a; Buttmann, as above): ἐν αὐτῷ, to put faith in him, L marginal reading; cf. T Tr WH also (who probably connect ἐν αὐτῷ with the following ἔχῃ; cf. Westcott's Commentary at the passage, Meyer, others)) (cf. πιστεύειν ἐν τίνι means to put confidence in one, to trust one; (cf. β. at the end)); ἐν τούτῳ πιστεύομεν, on this rests our faith (A. V. by this we believe), τῷ κυρίῳ, to (yield faith to) believe (cf. B. 173 (151)): R G L Tr marginal reading; τούτῳ before οὗ in to trust in Christ (God), διά τίνος, through one's agency to be brought to faith, διά Ἰησοῦ εἰς Θεόν, R G Tr marginal reading; διά τῆς χάριτος, διά τοῦ λόγου αὐτῶν εἰς ἐμέ, διά τί, πιστεύω followed by ὅτι with a sentence in which either the nature and dignity of Christ or his blessings are set forth: R G; μοι ὅτι, τί, πιστεύω σωθῆναι, πιστεύειν is used emphatically, of those who acknowledge Jesus as the saviour and devote themselves to him: L adds αὐτῷ); ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας added, with a dative of instrumentality καρδία, οἱ πιστεύοντες, as a substantive: who are on the point of believing, ἐπίστευσα (marking entrance into a state; see βασιλεύω, at the end), I became a believer, a Christian (A. V. believed): ἐπί τόν κύριον (see above), πιστεύσας, ὁ πιστεύσας, οἱ πεπιστευκότες, they that have believed (have become believers): πιστεύω see Westcott on τό πιστεύειν εἰς Χριστόν, the prominent element is the grace of God toward sinners as manifested and pledged (and to be laid hold of by faith) in Jesus, particularly in his death and resurrection, as appears especially in πιστεύειν is used by John of various degrees of faith, from its first beginnings, its incipient stirring within the soul, up to the fullest assurance, (cf. references under the word πίστις, at the end). is applied also to the faith by which one is persuaded that Jesus was raised from the dead, inasmuch as by that fact God declared him to be his Son and the Messiah: πιστεύσῃς ἐν τῇ καρδία σου ὅτι ὁ Θεός αὐτόν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν σωθήσῃ, Buttmann, § 133,19). Since according to the conception of Christian faith Christ alone is the author of salvation, ὁ πιστεύων repudiates all the various things which aside from Christ are commended as means of salvation (such e. g. as abstinence from flesh and wine), and understands that all things are lawful to him which do not lead him away from Christ; hence, πιστεύει (τίς) φαγεῖν πάντα, hath faith to eat all things or so that he eats all things, Winer s Grammar, § 44,3b.; per contra Buttmann, 273 f (235)). δ. πιστεύειν used in reference to God has various senses: αα. it denotes the mere acknowledgment of his existence: ὅτι ὁ Θεός εἷς ἐστιν, εἰς Θεόν, τῷ Θεῷ, ἐπί τόν Θεόν, τήν ἀγάπην, ἥν ἔχει ὁ Θεός, εἰς τήν μαρτυρίαν, ἥν κτλ., ββ. to trust: τῷ Θεῷ, God promising a thing, κατέναντι); ὅτι, ε. πιστεύειν is used in an ethical sense, of confidence in the goodness of men: ἡ ἀγάπη πιστεύει πάντα, τό πιστεύειν is opposed to ἰδεῖν, ὁρᾶν, ibid. and Theophilus ad Autol. 1,7 at the end), cf. διακρίνεσθαι, ὁμολογεῖν, τίνι τί, to intrust a thing to one, i. e. to his fidelity : ἑαυτόν τίνι, πιστεύομαι τί, to be intrusted with a thing: Ignatius ad Philad. 9 [ET]; examples from secular authors are given in Winer s Grammar, § 39,1a.). On the grammatical construction of the word cf. Buttmann, § 133,4 (and the summaries in Ellicott on Cremer, under the word). It does not occur in Revlation, nor in Philemon , 2 Peter , 2,3John (Cf. the references under the word πίστις, at the end.)