Truth or Faithfulness?

Abstract

This article explores the semantic value of ἀλήθεια in Ephesians with special attention given to its polyvalent nature and its potentiality for communicating the notion of ‘faithfulness’ rather than ‘truth’. First, an examination of instances of where ἀλήθεια indicates faithfulness in the LXX and the NT provides a broad hermeneutical viability for this enterprise. Second, a study of ἀλήθεια in Eph. 1:13; 4:21, 24, 25; 5:9; and 6:14 reveals a semantic shift in 5:9 and 6:14 wherein the author’s exhortation centers not on doctrinal truth, but embodying faithfulness as a child of the light and as a defense against the Devil’s schemes.