Early Christian claims to the Holy Spirit arose in a vibrant cultural matrix that included Stoicism, Jewish mysticism, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Greco-Roman medicine, and the perspectives of Plutarch. In a range of articles, this multidisciplinary volume discovers in these texts rich cultural connections related to inspiration and the Holy Spirit. Essential reading for scholars of Judaism and the New Testament, as well as classicists and theologians.

Reflects on the Holy Spirit in relation to the life of faith: the chapters consider how we become aware of the Holy Spirit's presence; review how the tradition of faith has interpreted the movement of the Holy Spirit; and detail what it means to discern and embrace the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit, being given as a gift in the opening chapters of Acts, initiates and sustains the early Jesus community, empowering their teaching, unity, meals, sharing of possessions and worship.

Poniendo a Pablo dentro del mundo de la época helenista judía y griega, este libro examina su nuevo mensaje sobre la posición preeminente del espíritu en su doctrina sobre las virtudes. La pregunta central es ¿cómo el concepto del espíritu se hace la fuente principal de todas las virtudes cristianas en la vida ordinaria de los judíos y gentiles creyentes, y cómo se refleja en sus cartas? El libro examina las siete cartas indiscutibles de Pablo e ilustra la enseñanza fundamental del poder del espíritu en la adquisición de las virtudes y la evitación de los vicios. De hecho, se da un énfasis a las virtudes y vicios reflejadas en cada una de las siete cartas. También investiga como la vida de los creyentes en la comunidad cristiana fluye del Espíritu recibido de Dios. El libro ofrece al lector un estudio completo del entendimiento del término espíritu en las tradiciones helenista judías y griegas dando un enfoque a la manera como Pablo usa el lenguaje filosófico en su exhortación ética, un lenguaje que probablemente habría sido común para muchos de sus oyentes gentiles creyentes, con el fin de ofrecer un entendimiento persuasivo de su exhortación a la vida virtuosa.

Few churches today can trace their lineage as far back as the Copts. Their ancient traditions and rituals go back as far as the very beginnings of Christianity. For centuries, they have withstood many trials and martyrdoms. But in the twentieth century, many Copts left their homeland and scattered all over the Earth, seeking prosperity and security. Many went to the West, but many others went to the heart of the Islamic world: the Arabian Gulf. They took their faith with them into this new and challenging environment. In this context, hybrid forms of spirituality emerged, anchored in the ancient practices but sharpened by contact with globalisation. This migrant spirituality characterises their stories and touches the heart of what it means to be a Christian sojourner today.

Israel’s Lord: YHWH as “Two Powers” in Second Temple Literature addresses the nature of Jewish monotheism in Second Temple literature, advancing an argument that much of the literature reflects the existence of two powers in heaven that are both rightly understood as YHWH. To this end, Wilhite and Winn review various figures such God’s Word, God’s Wisdom, the Angel of the Lord, the Son of Man, and others that bear features closely associate with the God of Israel. Using criteria related to these features they argue that most, though not all, of these figures are rightly identified as the figure who appeared in Israel’s scriptures and was called YHWH. Such a “two powers” paradigm is relevant for understanding early Christian commitments regarding Jesus. The debate about Jesus’ divinity depends in large part on what options were available for the earliest Christians when considering his titles and status. The authors contend that with such a “two powers” paradigm available to the earliest Christians, it should inform any reading of New Testament texts and their varying depictions of Jesus as “Lord.”

Back cover: How did the Qumran discoveries change New Testament scholarship? What are the main insights to be gained from the Qumran corpus with regard to the Jesus tradition, Paul's language and theology, the dualistic language and worldview of the Fourth Gospel, or the formation of the biblical Canon? The articles of this volume present the fruits of 25 years of scholarship on Qumran and the New Testament.

Amid increasing interaction between Eastern and Western theologians, several recent biblical interpreters have characterized Paul's soteriology as theosis, or deification, harking back to patristic interpretations of Paul. In this book Ben C. Blackwell critically evaluates that interpretation as he explores the anthropological dimension of Paul's soteriology. Blackwell first examines two major Greek patristic interpreters of Paul -- Irenaeus and Cyril of Alexandria -- to clarify what deification entails and to determine which Pauline texts they used to support their soteriological constructions. The book then focuses on Paul's soteriology expressed in Romans 8 and 2 Corinthians 3-5 (with excursuses on other passages) and explores how believers embody Christ's death and life, his suffering and glory, through the Spirit. Blackwell concludes by comparing the patristic view of deification with Paul's soteriology arising from the biblical texts, noting both substantial overlap and key differences.

This volume examines the reasons that prompted the New Testament writers to create the texts which would become the formation of the Christian religion, exploring the possibility that certain religious experiences were understood as revelatory, and consequently inspired the writing of texts which were seen as special from their inception. Mark Wreford uses Luke-Acts and Galatians as test-cases within the New Testament, reflecting both on the stated importance of religious experiences – whether the author's own or others' – to the development of these texts, and the status the texts claim for themselves. Wreford suggests that Luke-Acts offers a helpful example of the relationship between religious experience and the creation of Scripture, as an extensive narrative which reflects on early Christian claims to Spirit-inspired witness and which begins with an explicit authorial statement of purpose. Similarly, in Galatians, Paul's autobiographical account of God's revelation of Christ to him is the foundation of a letter that is intended to play an authoritative role in shaping its addressees' own faith and practice. Wreford argues that religious experiences are presented as the driving force behind the creation of the texts, examining how such religious experience links with notions of scripture and canonicity. He then asserts that both Luke and Paul understood themselves to be creating new scriptural writings on the basis of their relationship to new religious experiences, citing the experience and speech at Pentecost, the inclusion of gentiles in the experience, and Paul's own conversion experience as key elements behind the self-understanding of these New Testament authors.

This volume explores conversion experience in the ancient Mediterranean with attention to early Judaism, early Christianity, and philosophy in the Roman empire from an interdisciplinary perspective.