The Holy Spirit Before Christianity
The Holy Spirit Before Christianity

Author: John R. Levison

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 9781481310789

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With his latest book, The Holy Spirit before Christianity, John R. Levison again changes the face and foundation of Christian belief in the Holy Spirit. The categories Christians have used, the boundaries they have created, the proprietary claims they have made--all of these evaporate, now that Levison has looked afresh at Scripture. In a study that is both poignant and provocative, Levison takes readers back five hundred years before Jesus, where he discovers history's first grasp of the Holy Spirit as a personal agent. The prophet Haggai and the author of Isaiah 56-66, in their search for ways to grapple with the tragic events of exile and to articulate hope for the future, took up old exodus traditions of divine agents--pillars of fire, an angel, God's own presence--and fused them with belief in God's Spirit. Since it was the Spirit of God who led Israel up from Egypt and formed them into a holy nation, now, the prophets assured their hearers, the Spirit of God would lead and renew those returning from exile. Taking this point of origin as our guide, Christian pneumatology--belief in the Holy Spirit--is less about an exclusively Christian experience or doctrine and more about the presence of God in the grand scheme of Israel's history, in which Christianity is ancient Israel's heir. This explosive observation traces the essence of Christian pneumatology deep into the heart of the Hebrew Scriptures. The implications are fierce: the priority of Israelite tradition at the headwaters of pneumatology means that Christians can no longer hold stubbornly to the Holy Spirit as an exclusively Christian belief. But the implications are hopeful as well, offering Christians a richer history, a renewed vocabulary, a shared path with Judaism, and the promise of a more expansive and authentic experience of the Holy Spirit.

We Believe in the Holy Spirit
We Believe in the Holy Spirit

Author: Joel C. Elowsky

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2009-07-13

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 0830825347

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This volume offers patristic comment on the first half of the third article of the Nicene Creed. Readers will gain insight into the history and substance of what the early church believed about the Holy Spirit and his work.

The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit

Author: Kevin DeYoung

Publisher: Gospel Coalition Booklets

Published: 2011-03

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781433527678

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This Gospel Coalition booklet presents the Holy Spirit as our ultimate gift. DeYoung details the Spirit's role in our lives, including his activity in conviction, conversion, glorification, and the imparting of gifts.

The Holy Spirit in the Ancient Church
The Holy Spirit in the Ancient Church

Author: Henry Barclay Swete

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 1997-01-08

Total Pages: 439

ISBN-13: 0965351785

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In this volume, the study of the history of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is carried on from the sub-apostolic writers to the end of the patristic period, which is generally held to terminate with Gregory the Great in the West and John of Damascus in the East. This is an early classic study in doctrinal development by one of the foremost exegetes of the late 19th/early 20th century.

The Age of the Spirit
The Age of the Spirit

Author: Phyllis Tickle

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2014-01-07

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780801014802

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A thousand years ago, the church experienced a time of tremendous upheaval called the Great Schism. The one faith became two churches, East and West, and the course of world history was forever changed. And it all swirled around one Latin word in the Nicene Creed, filioque, that indicated the Holy Spirit proceeded both from God the Father "and from the Son." From the time that phrase was officially instituted onward, the Holy Spirit's place in the Trinity and role in the lives of believers would be fiercely debated, with ramifications being felt through the centuries to this very day. In this fascinating book, readers will encounter not just the interesting historical realities that have shaped our faith today but also the present resurgence of interest in the Holy Spirit seen in many churches across the theological spectrum. Tickle and Sweeney make accessible and relevant the forces behind the current upheaval in the church, taking readers by the hand and leading them confidently into the Age of the Spirit.

He Who Gives Life
He Who Gives Life

Author: Graham Arthur Cole

Publisher: Crossway

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 1581347928

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This comprehensive theology of the Holy Spirit examines and explains the role of the third member of the Trinity.

The Century of the Holy Spirit
The Century of the Holy Spirit

Author: Vinson Synan

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Published: 2012-01-30

Total Pages: 1259

ISBN-13: 1418587532

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A definitive history of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movement and an intriguing reference for persons outside the movement, The Century of the Holy Spirit details the miraculous story of Pentecostal/Charismatic growth--in the U.S. and around the world. This book features five chapters by the premier Pentecostal historian, Vinson Synan, with additional contributions by leading Pentecostal/Charismatic authorities--David Barrett, David Daniels, David Edwin Harrell Jr., Peter Hocken, Sue Hyatt, Gary McGee, and Ted Olsen. Features include: Explains and analyzes the role of all major streams, including women, African-Americans, and Hispanics Thoroughly illustrated with photographs, charts, figures, maps, and vignettes 4-color fold-out timeline/genealogy tree 16 full-color pages, plus black-and-white photos throughout Includes bibliographies and indexes

A Brief History of the Doctrine of the Trinity in the Early Church
A Brief History of the Doctrine of the Trinity in the Early Church

Author: Franz Dünzl

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2007-10-30

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 0567031934

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Franz Dünzl gives an account of the formation of the doctrine of the Trinity in a narrative based on contemporary sources: as he remarks in the preface, he wants to describe the human struggle over the truth of the Christian image of God and as far as possible let the early Christians speak for themselves. His main concern is to describe the dynamic of the disputes over the theology of the Trinity in a vivid way which is easy to follow, pointing out the foundations of the doctrine and the decisive shifts in its development. He tries to see the often bitter discussion not as a barren dispute but as an evolutionary process in which the rivalry is a necessary and positive factor in moving the debate forward. After an introduction to the problem, the book describes the beginning of christology and the first models of the relationship between 'Father' and 'Son': it then describes the controversies leading up to the Council of Nicaea, which are discussed at length, going on to show how Nicaea didn't settle the question and continuing the account up to the Council of Constantinople in 381. It brings out the political influences which governed this second stage of the discussion in an illuminating way. A survey and bibliography round the book off.