Πίστις

[Meaning] a hope of an uncertain matter.¹
Those who say² that supposition is a kind of belief make a mistake. For supposition follows upon belief;³ for belief is a supposition, since it is impossible that belief comes into being without supposition. Furthermore it is impossible that supposition is a kind of belief, for the one who has the same supposition at one time can believe, and at another not. That is impossible in reference to a genus: for it is impossible that the same animal at one time is a man and at another not, or that the same color at one time is white and at another not. For a man, when he undergoes a change, is not an animal either. So the supposition could not remain the same if it existed without belief. For even the believed supposition remains stable. Effectively, someone who has the same supposition about something is not prevented from believing it at one time and at another time not [believing it]. For instance, in having a supposition that the soul is immortal, one is not prevented from later not believing [this supposition] because of certain arguments.