1 / 21

The Holy Spirit in the NT

The Holy Spirit in the NT. The Holy Spirit in the NT. Terminology The Greek word for “spirit” is pneuma .

kalona
Download Presentation

The Holy Spirit in the NT

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Holy Spirit in the NT

  2. The Holy Spirit in the NT Terminology • The Greek word for “spirit” is pneuma. • The Gk noun Pneuma derives from the verb *pnewo and denotes air in movement, experienced as wind, breeze, or breath. Even “breath” and “wind” express only a part of the more comprehensive sense of movement implicit in pneuma. • In classical Greek texts the word pneuma is used with four discernible meanings: wind, breath, life, and metaphorical extensions of these.

  3. The Holy Spirit in the NT Terminology • Wind • used as a synonym for the verb forms pnoe/pnoie, used previously for “blow or move” and its reduced and refined mode of the invisibly powered • Breath • is the phenomenon of wind in the macrocosm (the natural world) is paralleled physiologically in the microcosm of the human being by the physiological act of breathing, which can be discerned and measured according to its strength and even animate inanimate objects (cause to move)

  4. The Holy Spirit in the NT Terminology • Life or living being • characterized as the animating power of the spirit to sustain itself (pneumabiou, “breath of life”). This is the starting point for the occasional synonymous use of pneuma and psyche, “breath, life, spirit, soul.” But pneuma is to be sharply distinguished from nous, “mind”; the latter, with its implications of reason, differs practically and theoretically from the dynamic-enthusiastic sense of pneuma. • Early Greek philosophy employs the term pneuma scientifically. According to Anaximenes, macrocosm and microcosm correspond by means of the correlation guaranteed by the spirit, meaning pneuma moves with the blood through the human veins. Its power is either in the heart or in the brain.

  5. The Holy Spirit in the NT Terminology • Metaphorical Uses • The word pneuma is used metaphorically because the phenomena to which it directly refers are invisible but nonetheless perceptible in their effects; this dichotomy generates a surplus of meanings. A distinction should be made, however, between an initial spiritualization and later religious and mythical metaphysics. • The word pneuma is used to characterize human-to-human relations and political sentiments

  6. The Holy Spirit in the NT Terminology • Metaphorical Uses • In Greek manticism (divination), pneuma is seen as divine breath inspiring enthusiasm; • hieronpneuma, “sacred spirit” • mantikonpneuma, “prophetic spirit” • enthousiastikonpneuma, “inspired spirit" - This pneuma imparts knowledge of transcendent events to occasional prophets, priests, and artists.

  7. The Holy Spirit in the NT Terminology • Metaphorical Uses • The concept in the NT involves the metaphorical extensions of the mantic, meaning the word abetted its spiritualization connotation (enthousiastikonpneuma, “inspired spirit" ) with the animating effect of strength causing things to move.

  8. The Holy Spirit in the NT Terminology • The Greek usage of words are more similar to English in that is a noun and it means “air, wind, breath.” • To get more descriptive It requires adjectives (the Greek use of adjectives can be better understood as modifiers) to get a more definitive definition of the contextual meaning of “spirit” or pneuma. However, the NT used the word in an absolute (no modifiers) so like English, context becomes extremely important.

  9. The Holy Spirit in the NT Terminology • Stoicism developed the medical schools’ scientific theory of pneuma into a comprehensive philosophical theory. Spirit, a sublime material substance superior to the four basic elements, encompasses and permeates the whole cosmos and is at the same time its rational soul. It is the substance of the godhead and of the individual soul. Spirit represents the god within the human being; indeed, humankind participates in the divine nous, “reason”. In Stoicism and other Greek based philosophies, there is frequent evidence of an identification of “spirit” and “god”, thus prompting early Christians (especially Paul and Luke) to distinguish the use of pneuma.

  10. The Holy Spirit in the NT Terminology • 379 occurrences of pneumain the NT • pneumais used roughly 47 times in the anthropological sense, mostly with reference to breath (Matt 27:50; John 2:25). • pneuma may describe the whole human being, like sōma and psychē (2 Cor 7:1; 1 Thess 5:23), also in rhetorical pathos within the final greetings (Gal 6:18; Phil 4:23; Phlm 25; 2 Tim 4:22) and thus approaches the meaning of “I.” Therefore pneuma may also be interpreted, under the aspect of the acting and thinking “I,” as pneumapraytētos (1 Cor 4:21), as the locus of feelings (Luke 1:47), intellect (Luke 1:80), and, in a single instance, as reason (1 Cor 2:11).

  11. The Holy Spirit in the NT Terminology • 275 instances pneuma must be understood as “spirit of God” • only John 3:8, Heb 1:7, and 2 Thess 2:8 reflect the original meaning “wind/breath,” in the context of God’s life giving power (the latter two being influenced by OT quotations) • 149 are absolute – by context it is interpreted to mean the “spirit of God” and in many word-for-word translations it is capitalized to denote it as such.

  12. The Holy Spirit in the NT Terminology • 275 instances pneuma must be understood as “spirit of God” • pneumahagion, “holy spirit,” 92 times; • This combination does not occur in any other Greek literature…only in the Bible. • pneumahagiosynes, “spirit of holiness,” once (Rom 1:4); • pneumatheou, “spirit of God,” 18 times; • pneumatoupatros, “spirit of the Father,” once. • Referring to Christos it is used 3 times; as pneumatouhuiouautou, “the spirit of his Son,” once; and as pneumaIesou, “spirit of Jesus,” once.

  13. The Holy Spirit in the NT Terminology • Used either absolutely (within context) or with modifiers, pneuma denotes evil spirits approximately 38 times (Jesus and the disciples exorcise them, since the power of the spirit of God in them overcomes the power of Satan) • Jesus and the disciples attack the pneumataakatharta, “unclean spirits” (Mark 1:23); • ponēra, “evil [spirits],” (Luke 7:21); • alala, “dumb [spirit],” (Mark 9:17)

  14. The Holy Spirit in the NT Terminology • Unique uses of pneuma are • Luke 24:37 (ghost); • Heb 12:23; 1 Pet 3:19 (souls); • Heb 1:14; Rev 1:4; 3:1; 4:5 and 5:6 (angels). • Heb 12:9 calls God pater ton pneumaton “Father of spirits.” • The adjective pneumatikos, “spiritual,” is used 23 times in the NT, and the adverb pneumatikōs, “spiritually,” 3 times. • Beyond its use in contrast to words for the flesh and carnality (sarkikos/sarkinos/psychikos; Rom 7:14; 1 Cor 1:15; 3:1; 9:11; 15:44, 46), or its substantival use in reference to things spiritual (Rom 15:27; 1 Cor 9:11) or spiritual persons (1 Cor 14:37; Gal 6:1), the adjective pneumatikos is used as a qualifier for the law (Rom 7:14), prayer (Eph 1:3; 5:9; Col 3:16), the Church (1 Pet 2:5), the resurrected body (1 Cor 15:44–46), and sacrifice (1 Pet 2:5).

  15. The Holy Spirit in the NT NT Literature • As we can see, there is a much more diverse range of meaning for the Holy Spirit seen in the NT versus what we experienced in the OT. This earlier usage does continue: the Spirit of God comes upon Jesus at his baptism (Matt. 3:13–17; 12:28; Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22; 4:16–21) and empowers the church/community for its mission (Acts 2).

  16. The Holy Spirit in the NT NT Literature • Beyond this, however, an appreciation for the close relationship of Jesus to God expands and significantly transforms the understanding of the Holy Spirit, so that the Spirit is related to God and Jesus simultaneously (cf. the related expressions “Spirit of Christ,” “Spirit of the Lord,” “Spirit of Jesus,” and passages such as Gal. 4:6, where God sends “the Spirit of his Son” into the hearts of those who believe in Jesus).

  17. The Holy Spirit in the NT NT Literature • Indeed, a number of NT passages suggest primarily: • The Holy Spirit is God, one of the Trinity • The Holy Spirit Is Sent jointly from God and the risen Christ (i.e., from the Father and the Son; cf. Acts 2:33) • The Spirit in the NT is the fulfillment of the prophecy from the OT however, the NT writings generally regard the gift of the spirit as a present eschatological event (this means while it is acknowledged that the Spirit was foretold to pour out on all flesh, the NT writers focus more on the present and future work of the Spirit, the work not being done!)

  18. The Holy Spirit in the NT NT Literature • Indeed, a number of NT passages suggest primarily: • The Holy Spirit comes to manifest and demonstrate the presence and activity of God and of Jesus Christ in the church. • This idea is expressed in the Gospel of John, where the Holy Spirit is described as an Advocate who provides divine presence and guidance for the disciples (14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7; cf. 1 John 2:1), who testifies on behalf of Jesus Christ (15:26), and who glorifies Jesus Christ (16:14). • Believers are to become disciples being baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19).

  19. The Holy Spirit in the NT Historical Context • Early Christian thought, of course, was mostly based on the Jewish understanding and background. The progression of Christian experience with the Holy Spirit started with the understanding of the Messiah. Jesus is Emmanuel (God with Us) and so having a relationship with Christ is synonymous with being “full” of the Holy Spirit.

  20. The Holy Spirit in the NT Historical Context • pneumaas an experience - Early church fathers described it as we encounter not the subsequent conclusions regarding the power of God by a disinterested outsider, but the immediate experience of one inspired, an experience. • pneuma as a supernatural power – most early writers, including Paul, present the Christian community as a spirit-endowed entity, an adjunct or carrier of God’s power • Pneumaas an identification – when persecution turned into tolerance, then into preference, the Christian community began to migrate to an affinity.

  21. The Holy Spirit in the NT Historical Context • Since the Holy Spirit is mentioned in almost mentioned. We will cover the Holy Spirit description, purpose, roles, and gifts through each of the sections of the NT. • The synoptic Gospels • The Gospel of John • Acts • Paul’s letters • The remaining letters • Revelation

More Related