Pneumatology

1. Pneumatology Introduction

2. “The mystery of Pentecost is as important as the mystery of Redemption. The redeeming work of Christ is an indispensable precondition of the deifying work of the Holy Spirit.” Vladimir Lossky, In the Image and Likeness of God

3. On Pentecost, the Spirit, Relation and Particularity • Jeremy Begbie on the Spirit and innovation

4. Are We Binitarian or Trinitarian? • Kilian McDonnell • “In the West, we think essentially in Christological categories, with the Holy Spirit as an extra, an addendum, a "false" window to give symmetry and balance to theological design. We build up our large theological constructs in constitutive Christological categories, and then, in a second, non-constitutive moment, we decorate the already constructed system with pneumatological baubles, a little Spirit tinsel.” • McDonnell, 'Determinative Doctrine of the Holy Spirit,' 142

5. 1. The Marginal Role of the Spirit in Theology Traditionally, Father and Son (patrology and Christology) have taken upper hand in theology a) Often the Spirit was seen as a “junior” member of the Trinity b) Especially in the Christian West (Roman Catholic and Protestant), key doctrines such as soteriology and ecclesiology were based mainly on Christology rather than on pneumatology • Only in the Christian East (Orthodox Churches), there was a better balance between pneumatology and Christology Holy Spirit has, therefore, been called the “Cinderella” of Theology!

6. 2. Reasons for the “Neglect” of the Spirit • Any talk about the “spirit/Spirit” is less “tangible” and more elusive than that of the Son and Father a) It is difficult to establish the meaning of the term “spirit” b) Furthermore, the Bible occasionally uses metaphors such as “wind” of the Spirit; those metaphors emphasize the mysterious, hidden, unknown nature of the Spirit

7. 2. Reasons… • In the Bible, the Spirit never draws attention to him/herself but rather turns attention to the Son and through Son to the Father • E.g. J.I. Packer – the Spirit is the spotlight who illuminates Jesus • The difficulty in establishing the full “personality” of the Spirit similar to that of Son and Father • One reason for this is the ancient way of naming the Spirit as the “bond” of love between Father and Son • “Bond” doesn’t have to be personal even though for Augustine, who developed the concept, Spirit was personal on the basis of other biblical hints

8. 2. Reasons… 2.4. The slow development of the doctrinal understanding and especially the establishment of full deity of the Spirit in the history of theology • Trinitarian and Christological doctrines were at the forefront of debates 2.5. The Filioque-clause that was added to the (Nicene-Constantinopolitan) Creed later (meaning that the Spirit proceeds from both Father and Son, instead of the original rendering in which the Spirit proceeds from the Father) has subordinated the Spirit under the Son, and thus pneumatology under Christology

9. 2. Reasons… There were also ecclesiastical concerns about enthusiastic and charismatic movements at various points of history that tended to claim special spiritual authority by virtue of the possession of the Spirit • E.g., the Montanist movement of the 2nd century and the Radical Anabaptists (“Enthusiasts”) of the Reformation times

10. 3. The current renaissance of the Spirit in theology and spirituality There is also interest in “spirit,” spirituality, and “spirits” in the secular culture a) Cultures of Asia, Africa, and Latin America have always been more spirit-driven than especially the post-Enlightenment “scientific” culture of the West • With the entrance of Eastern religions into the West, a new interest in new religions and spiritualities has emerged • Cf. New Age movements with a keen interest in the Spirit b) In science and philosophy, there is a lot of interest in the Spirit • E.g., the relationship between health and spirituality in medical sciences • E.g., the understanding of “matter”’ as energy and movement in natural sciences approaches the concept of the “spirit”

11. 3. The current renaissance… Wide interest in the Spirit among churches and in the ecumenical world a) A better knowledge of the rich pneumatological traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Churches has contributed to a new appreciation of pneumatology b) The rise of Pentecostal-Charismatic movements has brought a lot of attention to grassroots charismatic phenomena and experiences…

12. 3. The current renaissance… • …interest in churches (cont.) c) World Council of Churches and Faith and Order’s studies of pneumatology • General Assembly 1991 (Canberra, Australia): “Come Holy Spirit – Renew the Creation” • General Assembly 1997 (Harare, Zimbabwe): many pneumatological themes in the agenda as well as the establishment of the joint working group with Pentecostals • Conference of the World Mission and Evangelization 2005 (Athens, Greece) focused on the topics of Spirit, healing, and reconciliation

13. 3. The current renaissance… • 3.2. …interest in churches d) Roman Catholic Church’s focus on the study of the Holy Spirit in 1998 as part of the preparation for the entrance into the new millennium e) Number of new important theological works in pneumatology by leading theologians such as Yves Congar (Catholic), J. Moltmann and M. Welker (Reformed), W. Pannenberg (Lutheran), C. Pinnock (Evangelical-Baptist), and A. Yong (Pentecostal), among others • Number of conferences, meetings, and symposia on pneumatological topics as well

14. 3. The current renaissance… In sum, at many levels among Christians and theologians, there is an enthusiasm over pneumatology and Holy Spirit, in the words of the Roman Catholic Elizabeth Dreyer: • Renewed interest in the Holy Spirit is visible in at least three contexts: individual Christians who hunger for a deeper connection with God that is inclusive of all of life as well as the needs of the world; the church that seeks to renew itself through life-giving disciplines and a return to sources; and the formal inquiry of academic philosophy and theology.

15. 4. The Place of Pneumatology in Systematic Theology • Typically, in systematic theologies or doctrinal manuals, there is no separate chapter on pneumatology • Most often the discussion of the Holy Spirit is interwoven with other theological topics such as inspiration of Scripture, soteriology (the “subjective” side of soteriology, the reception of the “objective” work of Christ), and some topics in ecclesiology such as sacraments

16. 4. The Place of Pneumatology… It is important to note that in early Creeds, the mention of the Holy Spirit is part of the Third Article that deals with church, forgiveness of sins, and eschatology • In later theology, the Spirit was connected mainly with the Second Article, Christology and salvation

17. 4. The Place of Pneumatology… 4.4. Pannenberg’s three volume Systematic Theology provides a new approach to the discussion of the Holy Spirit: while there is no separate chapter on pneumatology, the Holy Spirit is part of the treatment of every main theological topic from revelation to God to Trinity to creation to anthropology to Christology to church, and eschatology • Another important approach is that of C. Pinnock who in his Flame of Love: A Theology of the Holy Spirit attempts a short systematic theology through the lens of pneumatology: all main theological loci are being discussed in the context of pneumatology

18. 5. The relation of pneumatology to other theological topics: Holy Spirit is integrally connected with all main theological loci, e.g., • a) Christology: the Spirit of Christ • b) Revelation: inspiration of the Word of God by the power of the Spirit • c) Church: the body of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit

19. 6. New Approaches in Pneumatology a) Feminist and other womens’ pneumatologies b) Liberationist pneumatologies such as those coming from Latin America as well as other socially and politically oriented interpretations c) “Green” and environmental pneumatologies d) Pneumatologies from Asia, Africa, and Latin America d) Pneumatologies that address the theology of religions issues (the relation of Christian faith to other religions)

20. HISTORICAL CONSIDERATIONS AND HIGHLIGHTS

21. CAPPADOCIAN FATHERS • Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzen, Gregory of Nyssa • Key figures in developing pneumatological doctrine along with Athanasius • Concerned with establishing the deity of the Spirit

22. MONTANISM • Second century charismatic, prophetic movement • Did not submit to church authority but claimed spiritual authority and revelation directly from the Spirit

23. AUGUSTINE • Holy Spirit as the union, the “bond of love” between the Father and the Son • Holy Spirit as Gift (one might say “the giving gift”) • Establishes addition of the filioque clause (the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son)

24. REFORMATION • Martin Luther • Battling on two fronts: On one hand the Catholic church and on the ones he termed “Enthusiasts” (i.e. Radical Reformers) • Luther insisted on the integral relationship between the Spirt and Word as well as Spirit, Word and Sacraments • The Spirit is not given “directly” but in the preached Word and sacraments • Primary role of the Spirit for Luther was sanctification • Calvin • Importance of Spirit’s role in creation • Highlights the Spirit’s life-giving role (cf. Moltmann and Pannenberg) • Strong connection between Spirit and Scripture. Entire process of inspiration, illumination, interpretation and persuasion is the work of the SpiritSpirit’s transformative work in the Christian life • Pneumatological view of Sacraments