Overview

Irenaeus' theology of the Holy Spirit is often highly regarded amongst theologians today, but that regard is not universal, nor has an adequate volume of literature supported it. This study provides a detailed examination of certain principal, often distinctive, aspects of Irenaeus' pneumatology. In contrast to those who have suggested Irenaeus held a weak conception of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, Anthony Briggman demonstrates that Irenaeus combined Second Temple Jewish traditions of the spirit with New Testament theology to produce the most complex Jewish-Christian pneumatology of the early church. In so doing, Irenaeus moved beyond his contemporaries by being the first author, following the New Testament writings, to construct a theological account in which binitarian logic did not diminish either the identity or activity of the Holy Spirit. That is to say, he was the first to support his Trinitarian convictions by means of Trinitarian logic. Briggman advances the narrative that locates early Christian pneumatologies in the context of Jewish traditions regarding the spirit. In particular, he argues that the appropriation and repudiation of Second Temple Jewish forms of thought explain three moments in the development of Christian theology. First, the existence of a rudimentary pneumatology correlating to the earliest stage of Trinitarian theology in which a Trinitarian confession is accompanied by binitarian orientation/logic, such as in the thought of Justin Martyr. Second, the development of a sophisticated pneumatology correlating to a mature second century Trinitarian theology in which a Trinitarian confession is accompanied by Trinitarian logic. This second moment is visible in Irenaeus' thought, which eschewed Jewish traditions that often hindered theological accounts of his near contemporaries, such as Justin, while adopting and adapting Jewish traditions that enabled him to strengthen and clarify his own understanding of the Holy Spirit. Third, the return to a rudimentary account of the Spirit at the turn of the third century when theologians such as Tertullian, Origen, and Novatian repudiated Jewish traditions integral to Irenaeus' account of the Holy Spirit.

Full Product Details

Author:   Anthony Briggman (Assistant Professor of the History of Early Christianity, Emory University)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 16.20cm , Height: 2.10cm , Length: 24.10cm
Weight:   0.562kg
ISBN:  

9780199641536

ISBN 10:   0199641536
Pages:   264
Publication Date:   12 January 2012
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Preface ; Introduction ; 1. Justin Martyr and the Pneumatology of the mid-Second Century ; 2. The Beginning of a Pneumatology ; 3. Pneumatological Expansion ; 4. The Emergence and Development of Foundational Themes ; 5. His Hand and Wisdom ; 6. The Salvific Spirit ; 7. Trinitarian Convictions, Trinitarian Logic ; Conclusion and Epilogue ; Appendix: Language of Revelation in Justin s First and Second Apologies, and Dialogue with Trypho ; Bibliography

Reviews

The arguments contained in this study are painstakingly constructed, developed through close and careful analysis of the Irenaean texts and in conversation with a wealth of Irenaean scholarship. ... an important contribution to our understanding of Irenaeus' theology, as well as our understanding of early Christian pneumatology. Greg Hillis, Journal of Ecclesiastical History

The arguments contained in this study are painstakingly constructed, developed through close and careful analysis of the Irenaean texts and in conversation with a wealth of Irenaean scholarship. ... an important contribution to our understanding of Irenaeus' theology, as well as our understanding of early Christian pneumatology. * Greg Hillis, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions