Dialectical Trust in Potentiality and Transformation: Ricoeur’s Attestation, Agamben’s Pistis, and Philosophical Reflections on the Apostle Paul

Trust in the potential for change and transformation is a significant topic in philosophical readings of the Apostle Paul in contemporary thought. Giorgio Agamben is one of the main names in this discussion, given his account of Paul’s messianic pistis. On the other hand, Paul Ricoeur, who is also interested in Paul, is not often considered in these discussions. However, the present investigation proposes that Ricoeur’s hermeneutical reflection, especially his concept of attestation, enriches the philosophical discussion on Paul and the notion of trust in potentiality and transformation. 
The intention of bringing Ricoeur into dialogue with Agamben assumes that reflections on the trust of (Paul’s) pistis in potentiality and transformation could benefit from a hermeneutical approach that includes the role of uncertainty or suspicion as we think about the self in the experience of conviction or trust. 
The study is organized into three main parts to achieve this goal. The first two sections treat Ricoeur’s attestation and Agamben’s pistis individually, while the third part articulates a constructive dialogue between the two, offering a dialectical account of trust in potentiality and transformation. The dialogue offers a rich combination of philosophical anthropology and (political) metaphysics in contemporary thought.