Filled With The Spirit Part Three Early Christian Literature

Filled With The Spirit Part Three Early Christian Literature The concluding section of John R. Levison's masterful 2009 publication is the crescendo of the whole. In it he discusses 'vestiges of earlier eras', Paul, Acts, and the Gospel of John and 1 John, in that order. To be sure, other early Christian materials could, and perhaps should, have been included. But that would have made the volume excessively long and, in point of fact, the materials Levison utilizes contain the dominant views on the subject among early Christian authors. To begin with, then, Levison observes, while tying together the preceding sections of the book and the present section, that 'What, in fact, distinguishes Christianity from its early Jewish milieu is the absence of both dimensions of the spirit: the God given spirit within and the spirit as a supplemental endowment' (p. 247). Do note the emphatic 'and', as it is the key to what Levison will attempt to prove in this final section. Levison begins to unpack that assertion in his lengthy exposition of the letters of Paul. In Levison's opinion, Paul's understanding of the spirit is in some sense tied to the story of Judah and Tamar. 'Why does Paul describe the holy spirit so as to reflect the language of the story of Tamar and Judah? … [because] Judah and Tamar occupy a pivotal point in a long lineage of promise' (p. 257), (and for Paul, the spirit is the fulfillment of the promise). 'Filling with the spirit, therefore, ties believers to the drama of God's promises, once anticipated and now fulfilled' (p. 259). How Levison demonstrates this is a wonder to behold. However, the suggestion, implicit rather than explicit, that Paul's view of the spirit is somehow connected to or dependent on the Qumran community, is a bit troublesome. When Levison suggests 'It is perhaps the existence of communities such as Qumran that led Paul to repudiate the mutual interdependence of spirit-filling and Torah observance' (p. 271) this reader can't help but feel a bit of disconnect. There's no evidence whatsoever that Paul knew of or ever encountered any Qumranite. Certainly, there is no evidence that he didn't either. But to link the two without evidence is perilous and best and eisegetical at worst. Perhaps Paul is unique in his approach. Perhaps Gamaliel taught it to him. However he came to his understanding, certainly there's no need to posit connection to Qumran however tenuously similar their views may be. That said, Levison demonstrates a profound sensitivity to Paul when he exposits 1 Cor 3:16-17 (pp. 285ff). That section alone is worth the price of the book. And when he draws his section on Paul to a conclusion, writing 'The gift of the spirit turns like a top upon the message of the cross and resurrection, so there is no retreating for Paul behind the gossamer of a more subtle contrast of mortality and immortality' (p. 314) he hits the nail on the head. Levison is at his very, very best, however, in his examination of the Spirit in the book of Acts. His clear and precise and magnificent explanation of the event of Pentecost is – not to mince words – spectacular. And his go at the troublesome and noxious topic of speaking in tongues (pp. 336ff) is the best treatment of the topic I've ever read. Ever, anywhere. The concluding section on John and 1 John portrays very clearly what separates the Christian view of the spirit from the Jewish. It is, whether Levison intended it to be so or not, a window on the parting of the ways that took place between the early Church and the Synagogue, Christianity and Judaism. Seldom are books written on the subject of the spirit that are not either overtly Pentecostal in their theological presuppositions or purely shallow. Levison's volume manages to be neither. His

treatment of the subject is fair and wise. And in spite of the various problems I've encountered along the way, I simply have to say that this book should be read. Yes, it should be read by Old Testament scholars, students of Early Judaism, and students of Early Christianity. It should be read by Pentecostals who so very often misapprehend and misrepresent the spirit, and by Presbyterians and Methodists and Baptists who are – for whatever reason – afraid of the spirit and afraid even of discussing the subject. Indeed, whoever you are or whatever your theological point of view, you will benefit by reading Levison's work. His prose is at times quite moving and he never bores. A miracle indeed for an academic. This is a ground breaking, corner turning, epoch initiating book. So read it.