Sermon Tone Analysis

Background: Promised Holy Spirit

33.288 ἐπάγγελμα, τος n; ἐπαγγελίαa, ας f: (derivatives of ἐπαγγέλλομαιa ‘to promise,’ 33.286) the content of what is promised—‘promise.’52

ἐπάγγελμα: δἰ ὧν τὰ τίμια καὶ μέγιστα ἡμῖν ἐπαγγέλματα δεδώρηται ‘thus he has given us precious and very great promises’ 2 Pe 1:4.

ἐπαγγελίαa: ὁ οὖν νόμος κατὰ τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν τοῦ θεοῦ; ‘does this mean that the Law is against God’s promises?’

Ga 3:21.

periménō.

This word has the sense of expecting, awaiting, or waiting.

The only NT instance is in Acts 1:4, where Jesus tells the disciples to wait for the promise of the Father.

monḗ.

monḗ means a. “staying,” “tarrying,” “abiding,” and b. “place to stay,” e.g., inn or watchhouse.

In the NT the word occurs only twice in John.

In 14:2 it denotes the abiding dwelling (in contrast to our transitory earthly state) that Christ prepares for his people in his Father’s house.

In 14:23, however, the abode is on earth, for Christ and the Father will come to believers and make their home with them.

God’s dwelling with his people finds cultic expression in the OT (Ex.

25:8).

It is promised for the last time (Ezek.

37:26–27).

It has now come to spiritual fulfilment in Christ.

In both 14:2 and 14:23 the reference is individual rather than universal or eschatological.

Salvation consists of union with God and Christ through their dwelling in believers and their taking believers to dwell with them.

The monḗ brings out the indestructibility of the union.

The idea of a heavenly dwelling for the righteous is found in Iran and then in Talmudic and Mandaean writings.

Plato, too, speaks of heavenly dwellings to which the soul returns.

The NT reflects the concept in Lk. 16:22; 23:43.

As regards indwelling, Philo speaks of the noús, the lógos, or, indeed, God himself dwelling in us.

.

J.D.G.

Dunn6

James Dunn’s initial work, Baptism in the Holy Spirit (1970), which was accepted as ‘classic’ along with its sequel Jesus and the Spirit (1975), attempts to criticize both Pentecostal and sacramental interpretations of the gift of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament (1970a: 1–7).7 His main argument here is that for all New Testament writers ‘the baptism in or gift of the Spirit was part of the event (or process) of becoming a Christian’ (1970a: 4; 1975: 6).

More explicitly, he insists, ‘The high point in conversion-initiation is the gift of the Spirit, and the beginning of the Christian life is to be reckoned from the experience of Spirit-baptism’ (1970a: 4).

In other words, baptism in the Spirit or the gift of the Spirit, according to Dunn, is neither a second blessing given to people who are ‘already’ Christians and distinct from their conversion-initiation, nor is it equated with water-baptism.

In regard to Lukan writings, Dunn focuses on both the events of Jesus’ baptism at Jordan and the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost in the light of the scheme of salvation-history, that is, the period of Israel before Jesus’ baptism, the period of Jesus from his Jordan baptism and the period of the Church from Pentecost to Jesus’ parousia (1970a: 24, 40–43).8

He argues here that Jesus’ experience of the Spirit at Jordan marks his sense of sonship (1970a: 29; 1975: 62–67)9 and thus signals his initiation into ‘the beginning of a new epoch in salvation-history—the beginning … of the End-time, the messianic age, the new covenant’ (1970a: 24).10

Likewise, in Acts, Pentecost is presented as the beginning of the new covenant for the disciples in fulfilling the Abrahamic covenant-promise in Gen. 17:7–10 and fulfilling the promises in Ezek.

36:27 and Jer.

31:33 (1970a: 47–49).

In this sense, Jesus’ experience of the Spirit at Jordan is construed as archetypal for both his disciples’ and every Christian’s conversion-initiation (1970a: 32, 37, 40).11

In the remaining chapters of part two of his work, Dunn continues to demonstrate how receiving the Spirit is inseparable from the genuine faith of the recipient, i.e.

Samaritans, Paul, Cornelius and the disciples at Ephesus, in the four incidents of Acts 8, 9, 15 and 19 (1970a: 55–89).

Thus, Dunn concludes that the gift of the Spirit is the essence and embodiment of the new covenant in Luke–Acts, as in other New Testament writings, especially Paul’s and John’s as ‘the most important element in Christian conversion-initiation’ (1970a: 92, 96, 229).

apokathístēmi.

“To restore,” then 1. “to return” (e.g., something borrowed), 2. “to restore” a. buildings etc., b. middle “to heal,” e.g., lepers in Ex. 4:7, c. “to renew the world,” d. “to reconstitute,” e.g., a kingdom.

The biblical and messianic usage derives from 2 d. (and c.).

The term is used for God’s restoring of Israel to its land (Jer.

16:15; Hos.

11:11).

This comes to be understood messianically and eschatologically, but inner restitution is also required (Am.

5:15), effected by the returning Elijah (Mal.

4:5).

From the Aramaic for effecting a turn, or returning, the Samaritan Messiah derives the name Taheb.

The originally political sense of the term may be seen in the disciples’ question in Acts 1:6.

The answer accepts the expectation but denies its political significance.

Elsewhere in the NT the verb relates to the forerunner (the Baptist) rather than the Messiah (cf.

Mk. 9:12; 8:28; Mt. 11:10; Jn. 1:21).

The “all things” of Mk. 9:12 is to be interpreted in terms of the Baptist’s mission.

Hom.+; loanw. in rabb.)

gener.

‘capability’, with emphasis on function.

① potential for functioning in some way, power, might, strength, force, capability

ⓐ general, λαμβάνειν δ. receive power Ac 1:8 (cp.

Epict. 1, 6, 28; 4, 1, 109; Tat.

16, 1 δραστικωτέρας δ.); ἰδίᾳ δ. by one’s own capability 3:12.

Of kings τὴν δύναμιν καὶ ἐξουσίαν αὐτῶν τῷ θηρίῳ διδόασιν Rv 17:13 (cp.

Just., A I, 17, 3 βασιλικῆς δ.).—Of

God’s power (Nicol.

Dam.: 90 Fgm.

66, 33 Jac.

θεῶν δ., Diod S 1, 20, 6 τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν of Osiris’ function as benefactor to humanity; 5, 71, 6; 27, 12, 1; 34 + 35 Fgm. 28, 3; Dio Chrys.

11 [12], 70, 75; 84; 23 [40], 36; Herm.

Wr. 14, 9 ὁ θεὸς … , ἡ [ᾧ v.l.] πᾶσα δύναμις τοῦ ποιεῖν πάντα; PGM 4, 641; 7, 582; 12, 250; LXX; Aristobulus in Eus., PE 13, 12, 4; 7 [Fgm.

4, ln.

22 p. 164; ln.

84 p. 172]; EpArist; Jos., Ant. 8, 109; 9, 15; SibOr 3, 72; Just., A I, 32, 11 al.) Mt 22:29; Mk 12:24; Lk 22:69; Ro 1:16, 20 (Jos., C. Ap. 2, 167 God is known through his δ.); 9:17 (Ex 9:16); 1 Cor 1:18, 24; 2:5; 6:14; 2 Cor 4:7; 6:7; 13:4; Eph 3:7; 2 Ti 1:8; 1 Pt 1:5; Rv 1:16; 11:17; 12:10; 15:8; cp. 2 Cor 12:9a; Rv 5:12; 1 Cl 11:2; 33:3; Dg 7:9; 9:1f; δ. ὑψίστου Lk 1:35.

In doxology (1 Ch 29:11f; on the doxol.

in the Lord’s Prayer HSchumaker, Cath.

World 160, ’45, 342–49) Mt 6:13 v.l.; D 8:2; 9:4; 10:5.

Cp.

Rv 4:11; 7:12; 19:1.—IMg

3:1; ISm 1:1; Hv 3, 3, 5; m 5, 2, 1; PtK 2. Hence God is actually called δ. (Philo, Mos. 1, 111, Mut.

Nom.

29; Ath.

16, 2) Mt 26:64; Mk 14:62 (cp.

Wsd 1:3; 5:23 and Dalman, Worte 164f).

Christ possesses a θεία δ. (this expr. in Aristot., Pol. 4 [7], 4, 1326a 32; PGM 12, 302 al.; s.

Orig., C. Cels.

3, 40, 20 al.; Did., Gen. 60, 8; s. θεῖος 1a) 2 Pt 1:3; cp.

1:16 and 1 Cor 5:4; of Christ’s potential to achieve someth.

through Paul 2 Cor 12:9b (cp.

SEG XXXIV, 1308, 5f [50 B.C.–50 A.D.]).

In Hs 9, 26, 8, the potential associated with the women in black leads to destruction.

δ. leaves Christ at his death GPt 5:19 (s.

LVaganay, L’Évangile de Pierre 1930, 108; 254ff).

ἐν τῇ τοῦ κυρίου δ.

AcPlCor 2:39.—Power of the Holy Spirit (Jos., Ant. 8, 408; Just., D. 87, 4f al.) Lk 4:14; Ac 1:8; Ro 15:13, 19 (ἐν δ. πν.

[θεοῦ]); Hm 11:2, 5. ἐν ἀποδείξει πνεύματος καὶ δυνάμεως 1 Cor 2:4; cp.

ἐγείρεται ἐν δ. 15:43, foll.

by σῶμα πνευμάτικον.

δυνάμει κραταιωθῆναι be strengthened in power (i.e. with ability to function) by the Spirit Eph 3:16.

Hence the Spirit given the Christian can be called πνεῦμα δυνάμεως, i.e. in contrast to an unenterprising spirit, πνεῦμα δειλίας, God offers one that functions aggressively, 2 Ti 1:7; cp. 1 Pt 4:14 v.l.; AcPl Ha 8, 25//BMM 32f//Ox 1602, 39.

The believers are ἐν πάσῃ δ. δυναμούμενοι equipped w. all power Col 1:11; cp.

Eph 1:19; 3:20 (for Eph 1:19 cp.

1QH 14:23; 11:29 al.; for Eph 3:16, 6:10 cp.

1QH 7:17, 19; 12:35; 1QM 10:5; see KKuhn, NTS 7, ’61, 336); esp. the apostles and other people of God Lk 24:49; Ac 4:33; 6:8; cp.

AcPl Ha 6, 21. ἐν πνεύματι καὶ δ.

Ἠλίου Lk 1:17.—Of the devil’s destructive capability Lk 10:19; cp.

Rv 13:2.