The problem of definitions

This is a wonderful word picture, and accurate, to boot! Wright is talking about the vocabulary for translating the Greek word πιστις (PISTIS):

This situation, frustrating and confusing to those without Greek and even to some who have it, is further complicated by the tendency for words, like bright three-year-olds, not to sit still where you told them to, but to wander around the room, start fiddling with things they weren't supposed to touch, form new friendships (especially when they bump into their Latin cousins, but that's another story) and generally enjoy themselves at the expense of the exegete who is trying to keep them under control.—Justification, page 89

<idle musing>
Isn't that a delightful word picture? I laughed out loud when I read it. Just think of that little 3 year-old, having a grand old time while the parents vainly try to contain the energy that only a 3 year-old has. Now, picture a theologian, trying to keep 2000 years of history of translation and interpretation within one English word. I can just see πιστις dancing around the room laughing at the manuscript the poor scholar is trying to write...
</idle musing>