Spirit Christology in the christian tradition : from the patristic period to the rise of Pentecostalism in the twentieth-century

Electronic versions

Dogfennau

  • Hershel Bryant

Abstract

Since the emergence of Spirit Christology in the latter part of the twentieth-century, its proponents have reached back to the ancient church to identify Christologies which bear similarities with their christological proposals. Normally, these scholars do not extend the recognition of Christologies bearing these characteristics past the Council of Chalcedon, leaving a considerable historical gap until the rise of the modern discussion of Spirit Christology. Whereas Spirit Christology is a modern theological concept which places its terms and symbols onto ancient Christologies demonstrating specific pneumatic characteristics, it is reasonable to assume that other christological forms may exist, in various epochs, which exhibit these distinctives. This thesis, therefore, seeks to fill this lacuna in the fields of historical theology and Spirit Christology by discovering proponents and their writings demonstrating these Spirit christological traits. Moreover, Pentecostals have actively participated in the contemporary discussion of Spirit Christology; thus, this study examines Pentecostalism’s early periodical literature to identify the presence of Spirit Christology in these writings and determine how well Spirit Christology correlates with early Pentecostal theology. Furthermore, the thesis’ conclusions are assessed for their possible implications for Pentecostal theology. Consisting of two sections, this inquiry endeavors to delineate Spirit Christology in the Christian tradition by tracing the presence of Spirit Christology, or lack thereof, from the earliest patristic sources via selected writers to the rise of Pentecostalism in the twentieth-century. Methodologically, these sections focus on identifying selected theologians or groups whose writings bear Spirit christological characteristics, citing their primary texts, offering an interpretation, and classifying them paradigmatically according to their distinct pneumatic traits.

Details

Iaith wreiddiolSaesneg
Sefydliad dyfarnu
Goruchwylydd / Goruchwylwyr / Cynghorydd
Dyddiad dyfarnu21 Hyd 2013