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The Holy Spirit
This introductory text by F. LeRon Shults and Andrea Hollingsworth outlines the major movements and figures in the historical unfolding of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, with special attention on the role of philosophical interpretation and spiritual transformation, showing how historical developments have shaped contemporary trends in pneumatology.
- GenresTheology
168 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 3, 2009
F. LeRon Shults and Andrea Hollingsworth's The Holy Spirit is a contribution to the Eerdman's Guides to Theology series which so far also has volumes on the Trinity and Feminist Theology. This volume begins with an introduction that very briefly surveys the biblical witness to the Holy Spirit. From this they illustrate their approach to the book. They assert that focusing on only the academic side of the subject would be especially shortsighted for a book on the Holy Spirit. Their strategy then is to link theological interpretation with the real-life transformation it influenced throughout the survey. They also seek to be aware of contexts in which such theologies arose, giving special attention at the end of the introduction to the philosophies of Platonism, Aristotelianism and Stoicism due to their influence on many Christians through the centuries.
Part one, making up the bulk of the book, is a survey of theologies of the Holy Spirit throughout the church's history. Discussing the early church, time is spent on the Cappadocian fathers as well as the Filioque controversy that ultimately divided east from west. Moving into the medieval period they focus nearly exclusively on the western church. This remains true through the Reformation and early modern eras. They cover views as diverse as Pentecostalism, Ecumenism, Feminist, Liberation and other 20th century theologies. Part one ends with a brief summary and ideas for ways to go forward. Any future theologies of the Holy Spirit must take into consideration the fact that matter and spirit are no longer simply assumed to be two separate substances, that the definition of a person focuses much more on relationships than in the past, and the changing understanding of force due to revelations in 20th century physics. Moving forward, they note that each of these shifts brings both challenges and opportunities for future understanding of the Holy Spirit. Part two consists of fifty pages of annotated bibliography on the Holy Spirit, covering the works of many authors mentioned in part one along with others.
Shults and Hollingsworth manage to pack a huge amount of information into 150 pages. Surprising depth is reached in their discussion of the Cappadocian fathers, the Filioque controversy and medieval theologians. By focusing not just on interpretation by academic theologians, but also examining the work of monks such as Bernard of Clairvaux and mystics such as John of the Cross they manage to produce a very balanced, even inspiring book. Especially enlightening was their investigation of Feminist, Liberation, and 20th century theologians showing both how theology of the Holy Spirit continues to draw on ancient sources but also go in fresh, new directions. Finally, the annotated bibliography is loaded and provides numerous suggestions for further reading.
The biggest problem with the book is its brevity. Many persons in history are left unmentioned. This is especially noticeable as they discuss the Protestant Reformation and afterward, times when there are simply too many authors to fit into a book this size. The rise of Pentecostalism in the 20th century is here, but what about precursors to it such as the Cane Ridge Revival? Overall then, this book provides a summary but leaves the reader wanting more.
At times the brevity of the book also means topics are not as well-explained as needed.. The filioque controversy is a difficult and many-faceted topic, and their summary of it is well-done for the length of the book. Yet they do not show how the differing views between east and west play out in the practical worship of the community. In this case they achieve one of their stated goals, interpretation of the theology, but they could have done better in illustrating how this leads to transformation. On that note, the book would have been enhanced with a discussion about how these theologies affected the daily lives of average Christians through the ages. They spoke of transformation by giving monks and mystics a hearing, but “laity” are absent.
This book provides a window on how the Biblical witness has been interpreted in developing theologies of the Holy Spirit through the ages. As an introduction for Bible college students or the interested reader, it is a great tool.
Part one, making up the bulk of the book, is a survey of theologies of the Holy Spirit throughout the church's history. Discussing the early church, time is spent on the Cappadocian fathers as well as the Filioque controversy that ultimately divided east from west. Moving into the medieval period they focus nearly exclusively on the western church. This remains true through the Reformation and early modern eras. They cover views as diverse as Pentecostalism, Ecumenism, Feminist, Liberation and other 20th century theologies. Part one ends with a brief summary and ideas for ways to go forward. Any future theologies of the Holy Spirit must take into consideration the fact that matter and spirit are no longer simply assumed to be two separate substances, that the definition of a person focuses much more on relationships than in the past, and the changing understanding of force due to revelations in 20th century physics. Moving forward, they note that each of these shifts brings both challenges and opportunities for future understanding of the Holy Spirit. Part two consists of fifty pages of annotated bibliography on the Holy Spirit, covering the works of many authors mentioned in part one along with others.
Shults and Hollingsworth manage to pack a huge amount of information into 150 pages. Surprising depth is reached in their discussion of the Cappadocian fathers, the Filioque controversy and medieval theologians. By focusing not just on interpretation by academic theologians, but also examining the work of monks such as Bernard of Clairvaux and mystics such as John of the Cross they manage to produce a very balanced, even inspiring book. Especially enlightening was their investigation of Feminist, Liberation, and 20th century theologians showing both how theology of the Holy Spirit continues to draw on ancient sources but also go in fresh, new directions. Finally, the annotated bibliography is loaded and provides numerous suggestions for further reading.
The biggest problem with the book is its brevity. Many persons in history are left unmentioned. This is especially noticeable as they discuss the Protestant Reformation and afterward, times when there are simply too many authors to fit into a book this size. The rise of Pentecostalism in the 20th century is here, but what about precursors to it such as the Cane Ridge Revival? Overall then, this book provides a summary but leaves the reader wanting more.
At times the brevity of the book also means topics are not as well-explained as needed.. The filioque controversy is a difficult and many-faceted topic, and their summary of it is well-done for the length of the book. Yet they do not show how the differing views between east and west play out in the practical worship of the community. In this case they achieve one of their stated goals, interpretation of the theology, but they could have done better in illustrating how this leads to transformation. On that note, the book would have been enhanced with a discussion about how these theologies affected the daily lives of average Christians through the ages. They spoke of transformation by giving monks and mystics a hearing, but “laity” are absent.
This book provides a window on how the Biblical witness has been interpreted in developing theologies of the Holy Spirit through the ages. As an introduction for Bible college students or the interested reader, it is a great tool.
August 8, 2010
What is different about this approach to The Holy Spirit or even the Theology of the Holy Spirit is the fact that they approach it from Church History. I think one of the best ways to learn doctrine of the Christian faith is to study church history. It gives a great teaching on the cloud of witnesses that came before us and the many approaches to various theological ideas. We can learn from their mistakes and not relive them. We can get perspective. We can get a deeper understanding of a doctrine. We can be irenic in our understanding of views we disagree with. This book does a great job of being balanced, in treating church history respectfully, and approaching doctrine seriously. A great book that even made my Mom and I to have a discussion about the Holy Spirit, Aristotelian philosophy, and church history just by her glancing through the book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews