Spirit and Word: Dual Testimony in Paul, John and Luke

A number of New Testament passages depict the Holy Spirit acting in conjunction with gospel preaching or other forms of humanly given communication about Jesus, yet there is considerable disagreement about how these passages should be interpreted. Unresolved exegetical debates about the correlative action (the “dual testimony”) of the Spirit and the humanly conveyed word plague the interpretation of whole writings, extended sections of individual works, and important themes.

This book examines this contested motif in a focused and comprehensive way. It begins by taking the Pauline, Johannine, and Lucan writings in turn, subjecting the central texts that express dual testimony to detailed exegetical analysis. On the basis of this exegetical work it then moves to a big-picture analysis of the way each corpus expresses and uses the dual-testimony motif, identifying individual emphases and tendencies as well as shared elements that can be observed across the three bodies of writing. Two final chapters offer brief reflections on possible developmental scenarios and points at which the preceding exegetical findings may impinge on questions of contemporary theology.

• Table of contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Gospel Preaching and the Spirit's Power
• Chapter 3: Two Metaphors
• Chapter 4: Knowing God
• Chapter 5: Transformation, Warship and Warfare
• Chapter 6: Revelation and Interpretation
• Chapter 7: Two Witnesses to Jesus
• Chapter 8: Jesus' Words and the Teaching of the Paraclete
• Chapter 9: Jesus' Words and the Life-giving Action of the Spirit
• Chapter 10: The Spirit and the From-the-Beginning Message
• Chapter 11: Apostles and Spirit
• Chapter 12: Individual Features and Common Ground
• Chapter 13: Antecedents and Development
• Chapter 14: The New Testament and Contemporary Issues
• Bibliography
• Index