The Faith of the Man of the Bible

Vjera je uvijek svojevrsna avantura u koju se čovjek upušta. S jedne strane dar, s druge strane to je i vlastiti stav koji mora biti dosljedan i u skladu s jedne strane s Bogom, s druge strane s društvom u kojemu se čovjek kreće. U pozadini naše riječi “vjera“ stoji hebrejski izraz “aman“, koji je preko Septuaginte i Vulgate dospio k nama. Prilog donosi etimologiju hebrejske riječi, koja je polazna točka za daljnja teološka razmišljanja. Ova se riječ pojavljuje u hebrejskim oblicima “nifal“, “hifil“, te isto tako nalazimo derivate “amen“, “emuna“ i “emet“. Donosi se pregled najvažnijih biblijskih mjesta koja sadrže spomenute izraze. Klasična su mjesta o kojima se u teologiji najviše govori Post 15,6; Iz 7,16; 2 Sam 7. Radi se o intenzivnim oblicima (hifil) koji i jezično daju na znanje da se radi o ozbiljnoj stvari, o stavu osobe. Abraham je povjerovao riječima Božjim, imao pouzdanja u njih i zbog toga je bio nagrađen. On tako postaje prototipom vjernika. Prorok Natan dolazi Davidu i govori mu o budućnosti, ne doma što ga David želi graditi Gospodinu, nego njegove obitelji, njegove loze. Ona će stajati, postojati čvrsto pred Gospodinom. Prorok Izaija govori Ahazu u delikatnom političkom trenutku da bi bilo bolje pouzdati se u Gospodina, imati vjeru, povjerenje u njega, nego sklapati saveze s ljudskim moćnicima, koji su nestalni i čija sudbina nije izvjesna. Glagolski oblici na svoj način izražavaju ono kakav bi čovjek vjernik trebao biti: ako je vjernik, onda vjeran Bogu.Faith is always a kind of adventure in which a person engages. It is a gift, and also a personal position that must be consistent and in line with God on one hand, and on the other hand, with the society in which man lives. Behind the word faith is the Hebrew word aman, which came to us through the Septuagint and the Vulgate. The article brings the etymology of the Hebrew word, which presents the starting point for further theological reflection. This word appears in the Hebrew forms nifal, hifil, and we also find derivatives amen, emunah and emet. We are given an overview of the most important places in the Bible containing these phrases. The classic places that are most discussed in theology are Gen 15:6; 2 Sam 7; Isa 7:16. These are intensive forms (hifil), suggesting in addition at the linguistic level that it is a serious matter, a person’s position. Abraham believed in God\u27s words, he had faith in them and for that he was rewarded. He thus becomes the prototype for the faithful. The prophet Nathan comes to David and speaks to him about the future, not the house that David wants to build for the Lord, but about his family, his lineage. It will be established, and endure before the Lord. The prophet Isaiah tells to Ahaz in a delicate political moment that it would be better to trust in the Lord, to have faith and confidence in Him, than to make alliances with earthly rulers, who are unstable and whose fate is not certain. Verb forms in their own way express how a man of faith should be: if he is a man of faith, then he is faithful to God