In the English language, prior to about 1600, the verb 'believe' always had a person as its direct object, not a statement. It did not mean believing that a statement is true, with varying degrees of certainty, but more like what we mean when we say to somebody, “I believe in you.”

The word comes from the Old English "be loef," which means “to hold dear.” The similarity to the modern English word belove is obvious. To believe meant not only confidence and trust in a person, but also to hold that person dear--to belove that person. Believing and beloving were synonyms.