‘Trust is the foundation of things hoped for’

Abstract This chapter argues that trust between God and humanity is a neglected theme in Christian theology, especially in comparison with the more complex concept ‘faith’, of which trust is part, and other aspects of faith, notably belief, knowledge, hope, or fideism. Following Morgan’s previous study Roman Faith and Christian Faith, it argues that relational trust, trustworthiness, faithfulness, and entrustedness form the core of very early Christian pistis and fides. Trust, though little theologized, has continued to be important throughout the tradition, and trust in God is important to many practising Christians today. Trust therefore deserves more exploration. This volume does not aim to create a ‘New Testament theology’ of trust in any comprehensive or systematic sense, but to draw out the theological implications of trust between God, Christ, and humanity as it is sketched in various New Testament writings. To help us to think about trust, it explores some of the wealth of recent work on trust in philosophy and psychology, using it to formulate a working definition and a series of questions about divine–human trust. It considers the relationship between the historical and theological study of the New Testament, arguing that neither can be based on the other. They are better seen as working in parallel and in dialogue, each offering the other questions and ideas and challenging each other’s models and metaphysical assumptions.