Empowered for Witness (Academic Paperback)

290 Pages·2005·14.03 MB·English

by  Robert P. Menzies

EMPOWERED FOR WITNESS
This page intentionally left blank
EMPOWERED
FOR WITNESS
The Spirit in Luke-Acts
ROBERT P. MENZIES
T&.T CLARK INTERNATIONAL
A Continuum imprint
LONDON • NEW YORK
To William and Doris Menzies,
Wayne and Doris Turnbull,
loving parents,
faithful witnesses
Published by T&T Clark International
A Continuum imprint
The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX
15 East 26th Street, Suite 1703, New York, NY 10010
www.tandtclark.com
First published as The Development of Early Christian Pneumatology with
Special Reference to Luke–Acts by Sheffield Academic Press 1991
This edition first published as JPTS 6, © Sheffield Academic Press 1994
This edition published 2004
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 0-567-04190-5 (paperback)
CONTENTS
Foreword 9
Preface 11
Preface to the First Edition 12
Acknowledgments 13
Abbreviations 14
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION 17
1. The Task 17
2. The Development of Early Christian Pneumatology:
A Survey of Modern Scholarship 18
3. The Thesis 44
Part I
PNEUMATOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES IN
INTERTESTAMENTAL JUDAISM
INTRODUCTION 48
Chapter 2
THE DIASPORA LITERATURE 49
l.TheSeptuagint 49
2. Diaspora Judaism: Various Texts 50
3. Josephus 54
4. Wisdom of Solomon 57
5. Philo 59
6. Summary 62
Chapter 3
THE PALESTINIAN LITERATURE 63
1. The Acquisition of Wisdom in Sirach 63
2. The Spirit in 1 Enoch and Jewish Apocalyptic 65
3. The Spirit and Prophetic Inspiration: Various Texts 67
4. Summary 69
6 Empowered for Witness
Chapter 4
THE QUMRAN LITERATURE 71
1. The Two Spirits in 1QS 3-4 72
2. The Spirit and Wisdom 77
3. The Spirit and Prophetic Inspiration 80
4. Summary 82
Chapter 5
THE RABBINIC LITERATURE 83
1. The Spirit and Prophetic Inspiration 83
2. The Spirit and the Age to Come 94
3. Summary 101
CONCLUSION 102
Part II
THE PROPHETIC PNEUMATOLOGY OF LUKE
INTRODUCTION 104
Chapter 6
PROPHECY RENEWED:
THE INFANCY NARRATIVES (LUKE 1.5-2.52) 106
1. Source Criticism 106
2. Various Texts 107
3. Birth by the Spirit (Luke 1.35) 111
4. The Pneumatology of the Pre-Lukan Tradition 116
5. The Theological Homogeneity of Luke-Acts 119
Chapter 7
THE BAPTIST'S PROPHECY (LUKE 3.16) 123
1. The Original Form of the Prophecy 123
2. The Original Meaning of the Prophecy 124
3. The Use and Interpretation of the Prophecy in the
Early Church 128
Chapter 8
JESUS AND THE SPIRIT:
THE PNEUMATIC ANOINTING (LUKE 3-4) 132
1. Jesus' Pneumatic Anointing (Luke 3.21-22) 132
2. The Redactional Bridge: Luke 4.1,14 139
3. The Sermon at Nazareth (Luke 4.16-30) 145
Contents 7
Chapter 9
JESUS AND THE SPIRIT: THE PNEUMATIC SAYINGS 157
1. The Spirit-Inspired Exultation (Luke 10.21) 157
2. Encouragement to Pray for the Spirit (Luke 11.13) 159
3. (Luke 11.20) 161
4. 'Blasphemy against the Spirit' and Fearless Witness
(Luke 12.10,12) 163
5. The Pre-Ascension Promise (Luke 24.49; Acts 1.4-5, 8) 168
Chapter 10
THE DISCIPLES AND THE SPIRIT:
THE PROPHETIC GIFT (ACTS 2) 173
1. Pentecost: The Event Described (Acts 2.1-13) 175
2. Pentecost: The Event Interpreted (Acts 2.14-21) 178
3. Pentecost: A New Sinai? 189
Chapter 11
THE DISCIPLES AND THE SPIRIT:
THE PROPHETIC COMMUNITY 202
1. Introduction 202
2. Christian Initiation and the Gift of the Spirit in Acts 203
CONCLUSION 226
Part III
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LUKE'S PNEUMATOLOG\
A PENTECOSTAL PERSPECTIVE
INTRODUCTION 230
Chapter 12
THE ISSUE OF SUBSEQUENCE 232
1. Fee's Critique of the Pentecostal Position 233
2. The New Context: Defining the Crucial Issue 237
3. Luke's Distinctive Pneumatology:
A Response to Evangelical Objections 240
4. Conclusion 243
8 Empowered for Witness
Chapter 13
EVIDENTIAL TONGUES 244
1. A Tale of Two Questions 244
2. The Limitations of Biblical Theology 245
3. The Contributions of Biblical Theology 248
4. The Contributions of Systematic Theology 250
5. The Limitations of Systematic Theology 251
6. Conclusion 254
Chapter 14
CONCLUSION 256
Appendix
THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN ACTS 258
Bibliography 260
Index of Biblical References 273
Index of Authors 287
FOREWORD
The pivotal role of Luke-Acts for Pentecostal theology is well known.
With the possible exception of 1 Corinthians, no other New Testament
works have been as crucial in the development of Pentecostal life,
thought and world-view. When Robert Menzies' book The Development
of Early Christian Pneumatology with Special Reference to Luke-Acts
(JSNTSup, 54; Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1991) first appeared, it created
quite a stir within the world of New Testament scholarship as well as
within Pentecostal circles and continues to call forth a number of
responses in both arenas. Given its obvious importance for Lukan studies
and Pentecostal theology specifically, the editors of the Journal of
Pentecostal Theology seek to make the substance of this work available
to a broader audience by adding it to the journal's supplement series of
monographs. In Empowered for Witness: The Spirit in Luke-Acts,
Menzies has revised his earlier work in two substantive ways. First, he
has provided a translation of most non-biblical foreign language citations
found in the first edition, and secondly, he has added two chapters
which make clear the implications of this study for Pentecostal theology.
The editors of JPT are pleased to add this work by Robert Menzies to
its series of supplement volumes.