Editing Sola fide (section)

== Origin of the term ==
[[File:Luther at Erfurt - Justification by Faith.jpg|thumb|1861 painting of Luther discovering the ''Sola fide'' doctrine at [[Erfurt]]]]
=== Luther===
[[Martin Luther]] elevated ''sola fide'' to the principal cause of the [[Protestant Reformation]], the rallying cry of the Lutheran cause, and the chief distinction of the Lutheran and Reformed branches of Christianity from [[Roman Catholicism]]. 

Luther added the word ''allein'' ("alone" in German) to [[Epistle to the Romans|Romans]] {{Bibleref2-nb|Romans|3:28}} controversially so that it read: "So now we hold, that man is justified without the help of the works of the law, ''alone'' through faith".<ref>{{Citation | year = 1522 | title = Testament | chapter = Romans 3:28 | quote = So halten wyrs nu, das der mensch gerechtfertiget werde, on zu thun der werck des gesetzs, ''alleyn'' durch den glawben (emphasis added to the German word for 'alone.') | chapter-url = http://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Lutherbibel/R%C3%B6mer_%281522%29#Das_Dritte_Capitel}}.</ref> The word "alone" does not appear in the [[Biblical manuscript|Greek manuscripts]]<ref>{{Citation | quote = λογιζόμεθα γάρ δικαιоῦσθαι πίστει ἄνθρωπον χωρὶς ἔργων νόμου ("for we reckon a man to be justified by faith without deeds of law") | url = http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~fisher/cgi-bin/gnt?id=0603 | publisher = York | title = New testament | language = el | access-date = 5 December 2017 | archive-date = 2 July 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080702051519/http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~fisher/cgi-bin/gnt?id=0603 | url-status = dead }}.</ref> and Luther acknowledged this fact, but he defended his translation by maintaining that the adverb "alone" was required by idiomatic German:<ref>Martin Luther, ''On Translating: An Open Letter'' (1530), Luther's Works, 55 vols. (St. Louis and Philadelphia: Concordia Publishing House and Fortress Press), 35:187–189, 195; cf. also Heinz Bluhm, ''Martin Luther Creative Translator'' (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1965), pp. 125–137.</ref>

{{blockquote|I knew very well that the word ''solum'' ["alone" in Latin] is not in the Greek or Latin text (…) It is a fact that these four letters S O L A are not there (…) At the same time (…) it belongs there if the translation is to be clear and vigorous. I wanted to speak German, not Latin or Greek, since it was German I had undertaken to speak in the translation. But it is the nature of our German language that in speaking of two things, one of which is affirmed and the other denied, we use the word ''solum'' (''allein'') along with the word ''nicht'' [not] or ''kein'' [no]. For example, we say, 'The farmer brings ''allein'' [only] grain and ''kein'' [no] money.<ref>WELS Topical Q&A, [https://wels.net/faq/romans-328-and-martin-luther/ ''Romans 3:28 and Martin Luther'']</ref>}}

Luther further stated that ''sola'' was used in theological traditions before him and this adverb makes Paul's intended meaning clearer:

{{blockquote|I am not the only one, nor the first, to say that ''faith alone'' makes one righteous. There was Ambrose, Augustine and many others who said it before me. And if a man is going to read and understand St. Paul, he will have to say the same thing, and he can say nothing else. Paul's words are too strong – they allow no works, none at all! Now if it is not works, it must be faith alone.<ref>Luther, Martin, [http://www.theologywebsite.com/etext/luther_translating.shtml ''On Translating:  An Open Letter''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151027021502/http://www.theologywebsite.com/etext/luther_translating.shtml |date=27 October 2015 }}</ref>}}

=== Translations ===
Historically, expressions similar to —"justification by faith alone"— had appeared in a number of Catholic bible translations: the Nuremberg Bible (1483) in [[Epistle to the Galatians|Galatians]] {{Bibleref2-nb|Galatians|2:16}} ("δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος ... διὰ πίστεως Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ") has "''nur durch den glauben''",<ref>Küng, Hans, ''Justification: The Doctrine of Karl Barth and a Catholic Reflection'', p249, "The formula sola fide can be taken for orthodox since the 'alone' may be understood as a plausible way of making clear the statement in Romans 3:28. This much is certain - the 'alone' in the translation is not Luther's invention. Even before the Reformation there were already such translations. According to Lyonnet...the German Bible's reading of Gal 2.16 is 'gerechtfertigt...nur durch den Glauben.'"</ref><ref name="TGeorge71">George, Timothy, ''Theology of the Reformers'', p. 71, n. 61, "Luther did not, of course, invent this phrase. The German Bible published at Nürnberg in 1483 translated Gal 2:16 as "gerechtfertigt ... nur durch den Glauben". Further, the term ''sola fide'' was well established in the Catholic tradition, having been used by Origen, Hilary, Chrysostom, Augustine, Bernard, Aquinas, and others but without Luther's particular nuances."</ref> and the [[Bible translations into Italian|Italian]] translations of 1476, 1538, and 1546 have "''ma solo per la fede''" or "''per la sola fede''".<ref>Lyonnet Stanislas, ''Etudes sur l'Epître aux Romains'', p. 118</ref><ref>Hodge, Charles, ''Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans'', p. 100</ref> The official Italian Bible of the Catholic Church, ''La Sacra Bibbia della [[Conferenza Episcopale Italiana]]'' (2008), in Galatians 2:16, reads in part: "but only through faith in Jesus Christ" (''ma soltanto per mezzo della fede'').<ref>{{Cite web |title=La Sacra Bibbia – IntraText (Galatians 2) |url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ITA0001/__PY8.HTM |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=www.vatican.va}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Gateway passage: Galati 2:16 – Conferenza Episcopale Italiana |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galati%202%3A16&version=CEI |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Bible Gateway |language=en}}</ref>

The "faith alone" expression also appears in at least nine modern [[English Bible translations]]:

* [[Amplified Bible]] (AMP)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Gateway passage: Galatians 2:16 – Amplified Bible |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%202%3A16&version=AMP |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Bible Gateway |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Amplified Bible]], Classic Edition (AMPC)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Gateway passage: Galatians 2:16 – Amplified Bible, Classic Edition |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%202%3A16&version=AMPC |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Bible Gateway |language=en}}</ref>
* [[God's Word Translation]] (GW)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Gateway passage: Galatians 2:16 – GOD'S WORD Translation |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%202%3A16&version=GW |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Bible Gateway |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Good News Translation]] (GNT)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Gateway passage: Galatians 2:16 – Good News Translation |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%202%3A16&version=GNT |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Bible Gateway |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Living Bible]] (TLB)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Gateway passage: Galatians 2:16 – Living Bible |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%202%3A16&version=TLB |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Bible Gateway |language=en}}</ref>
* [[The Message (Bible)|The Message]] (MSG)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Gateway passage: Galatians 2:16 – The Message |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%202%3A16&version=MSG |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Bible Gateway |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Names of God Bible]] (NOG)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Gateway passage: Galatians 2:16 – Names of God Bible |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%202%3A16&version=NOG |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Bible Gateway |language=en}}</ref>
* [[The Voice (Bible translation)|The Voice]] (VOICE)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Gateway passage: Galatians 2:16 – The Voice |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%202%3A16&version=VOICE |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Bible Gateway |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Weymouth New Testament]] (WNY)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Galatians 2 WEY |url=https://biblehub.com/wey/galatians/2.htm |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=biblehub.com |at=Galatians 2:16}}</ref>