St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology (Feb 2024)
The Spirit in the Christian Bible
Abstract
With nearly 800 references to ruaḥ and pneuma in Christian scripture, it is a consequential task to distil the scriptural uses of these words into themes that can unite them in a coherent summary. After a discussion of terminology, with particular attention to ruaḥ and pneuma in cosmology and anthropology, this article explores three key themes. The first – the spirit and the sanctity of life – demonstrates that ruaḥ is never mere breath or wind but rather God’s spirit-wind in the world and spirit-breath within human beings. The second – the spirit, wisdom, and the interpretation of scripture – explains that biblical authors attributed wisdom and, eventually, an inspired interpretation of scripture to the spirit. The third theme – the spirit and the origin of pneumatology – explains how the earliest understanding of the spirit as an agent is found in Hag 2:4–5 and Isa 63:7–14, both of which portray the spirit as an agent of the exodus; therefore, the origin of pneumatology – understanding the spirit as an agent rather than an impersonal power – lies within the literature of Israel.
