scholarly journals The reversal of Babel: Questioning the early church’s understanding of the gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts as a reversal of the curse of Babel

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander D. Soal ◽  
Desmond Henry
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Local Churches ◽  
Intercultural Studies ◽  
Communication Breakdown ◽  
The Gift ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Acts 2

This article questions whether a further gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts is the reversal of the curse of Babel and thus the rationale for multicultural local churches in an intercultural and globalised world. Using a non-empirical research design, including a literary survey of the Old Testament and New Testament texts and commentaries, the authors examine the significance of the division of language by God at Babel in the Genesis record. The inherent creational imago Dei, genetic and Noahic unity of all humans makes reconciliation, relationship and intercultural communication possible. This is followed by an examination of the impact of Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit’s gift of tongues is found to symbolise the unifying of divided languages and cultures. This leads to the conclusion that the primary purpose of the gift of tongues was not centred on the controversial debate around glossolalia but rather on personal spiritual transformation and intercultural transformation. The Trinitarian nature of God enables all humans, made in his image, to once again be one in Christ. The centripetal gathering of all people at Babel, which led God to centrifugally scatter nations through language, was reversed in Acts 2 by God. This empowered the early church to go out centrifugally to all cultures. The conclusion is drawn that Acts 2 reverses the communication breakdown of Genesis 11 and, in this way, becomes the theological underpinning of multilingual and multicultural churches. Multicultural churches are thus not simply because of the prevailing winds of globalism in our day.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Acts 2 reversing Genesis 11 impacts the discipline of Ecclesiology from a missional perspective (multilingual and multicultural churches, heterogeneous local churches). The article deals broadly with Pneumatology and the Pneumatological rationale, as well as intercultural studies, intercultural communication, intercultural pastoral care, conflict resolution and globalism. Heterogeneous local churches call for a change in the discourse (which is both possible and necessary in a globalised world) of the traditional homogenous church growth principle. This article has broad overlap with some social science theory related to communication, culture and anthropology and offers interesting biblical-cultural insights probing the biblical text.

scholarly journals PERISTIWA PENTAKOSTA DIPANDANG DARI PERSPEKTIF TEOLOGI YANG TRANSFORMATIF

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-22
Author(s):  
Dio A. Pradipta
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Spiritual Gifts ◽  
Striking Difference ◽  
Positive Direction ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Broad Aspect ◽  
Acts 2

Abstract The Pentecostal events that took place in the Acts 2, are believed to be the fulfillment of the prophecy of the prophet Joel (Joel 2: 28-32); at least, that is the Pentecostals’ perspective today. The problem that arises is that often the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not seen as a precursor of change or transformation whether it is individual or ecclesiological (liturgical worship). People tend to ignore the contribution of Holy Spirit in the life of believers. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is indeed a very important event, but Pentecost is what drives the apostles to be witnesses of Christ. In this paper, we try to describe the impact of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2: 1-4 in two aspects namely the narrow (personal) aspect, and broad (ecclesiological) aspect. In a narrow aspect, Pentecost changes the lives of believers as empowerment for mission and the starting point for changing the character of believers in a positive direction. In a broad aspect, it turns out that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit also brought changes to the liturgy of the great worship that is seen today at Pentecostal vs. worship. non-Pentakota. Researchers argue, the striking difference is because the Pentecostals' response to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit itself is very accommodating and responsive. Pentecost worship is a worship that is sensitive to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit manifested in spiritual gifts. These spiritual gifts have a significant impact on communal growth.   Keywords: pentecost; transformation; ecclesiology; pneumatology; holy spirit   Abstrak Peristiwa Pentakosta yang terjadi di Kisah Para Rasul pasal yang ke-2, diyakini sebagai penggenapan nubuatan nabi Yoel (Yl. 2:28-32); setidaknya, itulah perspektif kaum Pentakosta sekarang ini. Permasalahan yang timbul adalah seringkali pencurahan Roh Kudus tidak dipandang sebagai sebuah prekursor atas perubahan atau transformasi baik itu bersifat individu maupun secara eklesiologi (liturgi ibadah). Pemahaman yang terlalu kritosentris cenderung mengabaikan sumbangsih pneumatologis di dalam kehidupan orang percaya. Kebangkitan Yesus Kristus memang peristiwa yang sangat penting, tetapi Pentakosta yang mendorong para rasul menjadi saksi Kristus. Di tulisan ini, peneliti berusaha menggambarkan dampak pencurahan Roh Kudus di dalam Kisah Para Rasul 2:1-4 di dalam dua aspek yaitu aspek yang sempit (pribadi), dan aspek yang luas (eklesiologi). Dalam aspek sempit, Pentakosta mengubahkan kehidupan orang percaya sebagai pemberdayaan untuk misi serta titik tolak perubahan karakter orang percaya ke arah yang positif. Dalam aspek luas, ternyata pencurahan Roh Kudus juga membawa perubahan pada liturgi ibadah raya yang sebagaimana dilihat sekarang ini di ibadah Pentakosta vs. non-Pentaksota. Peneliti berargumen, perbedaan mencolok adalah karena respons umat Pentakosta terhadap peristiwa pencurahan Roh Kudus sendiri yang sangat akomodatif dan responsif. Ibadah Pentakosta merupakan sebuah ibadah yang peka terhadap pemberdayaan Roh Kudus yang termanifestasi dalam karunia-karunia roh. Karunia roh tersebut memiliki dampak yang signifikan terhadap pertumbuhan komunal.   Kata Kunci: pentakosta; transformasi; eklesiologi; pneumatologi; roh kudus

scholarly journals Chrzest w "Traktach wielkanocnych" św. Gaudentego z Bresci

Vox Patrum ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 103-113
Author(s):  
Bazyli Degórski
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Christian Initiation ◽  
New Era ◽  
New Creation ◽  
Paschal Mystery ◽  
The Gift ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
The Times ◽  
The Given

In the fullness of times, Christ is present at the Wedding Feast in Cana, a town called possessio gentium territory of the Gentiles. Besides the Bridegroom are Moses, pre-figured by the man in charge of the feast; Mary, who symbolizes in herself the Patriarchs, the Prophets and all the just ones of the Old Testament; the Apostles – to whom it will be commanded to preach the word and to minister Baptism. In such a context Christ renders the Church, gathered from the multi­tude, His Spouse, and He grants her, through the intercession of Mary, the gift of the new wine: the Holy Spirit. In Christ the Bridegroom are fulfilled all the expec­tations of the old just ones, pre-figured in Mary, and Mary intercedes so that the Bridegroom grants thirsty people [symbolized by Cana, town of the Gentiles], the gift of the bridal union: the Holy Spirit. The command given to the servants to fill the jars with water symbolizes the Apostolic vocation of Baptism and teaching. When stripping the thought of Saint Gaudentius of forced exegesis, there remains his interpretation of the Bridegroom as the fulfillment of the Old Covenant and the beginning of a new era of bridal union: the work of the Holy Spirit, the dies lucis. The Christian life, renewed by the Baptismal waters, implies the maintenance of the purity of the bridal wine, the given innocence, by keeping afar from idolatry and not to be dispersed by God. In a word, it all has to do – in the thought of Saint Gaudentius – with life in faith, hope and charity and faithfulness to the charis­mas received. His rich and consistent teaching renders him an integral part of the Patristic exegetical tradition, from which he himself draws important interpreta­tive elements, but to which he contributes as well with original hints enriching the hermeneutics of the narrative of Cana while revealing at the same time its pneumatological, sacramental and ecclesiological – as well as mariological and moral cohesion. In Baptism, the Christian is immerged in the paschal mystery of Christ to res­urrect with Him becoming a new creation, through the passing from death to life. In fact, the Christian initiation, in the times of the Bishop of Brescia, took place at Easter, thus explaining all chronological circumstances. Furthermore, Baptism, furthermore, was founding the description of the passage of the Hebrews through the Red Sea (see Ex 12, 7-13), thus finding its typology in such a narrative.

scholarly journals The use of the term ‘DNA’ as a missiological metaphor in contemporary Church narratives

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Missio Dei ◽  
Local Churches ◽  
The Gift ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
God's Mission ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Large Churches ◽  
The Church

Missiologists propose that the Church and mission are inseparable as the Church has its very being because there is mission, and it is the Missio Dei which constitutes the Church. In recent history the Anglican Church has interpreted this as the essential ‘DNA’ of the local church which is to be a missional community. The church’s mission therefore is presented as the gift of participating through the Holy Spirit in the Son’s mission from the Father to the world. In other words, it is proposed that the Church is both the fruit of God’s mission and the agent of His mission. But, in order to communicate this relationship between Church and mission in a postmodern context, the use of new metaphors and new terminologies, which are derived from our contemporary context, is shaping new ways of thinking. An exploration of the development of missional churches considers the significance of developing and embedding what has become referred to as missional DNA or mDNA at every level of the organisation of the Church. This mDNA is the outward model of missional behaviour that compels the whole church to reach a lost world. It can be seen from evidence-based, case study research amongst large churches in the UK that there is consistency in the adoption and use of the term DNA by its leadership in reference to the local church’s values and its attitude towards mission. This article explores the hypothesis that the term DNA is commonly accepted amongst local churches as a contributor to a contemporary language that forms the narrative of the Church and explores its feasibility and shortcomings as an adopted missiological metaphor.

The Spirit in Numbers 11

Pneuma ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 340-343
Author(s):  
Roger D. Cotton
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Pentecostal Theology ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Acts 2

Abstract Numbers 11 is a foundational passage for OT pneumatology and supports pentecostal theology and practice. There, God, through Moses, expressed his plan that all believers should be empowered for prophetic ministry by the Holy Spirit. That experience of the seventy elders involved a kind of prophesying that was probably praise and prayer in tongues, as in Acts 2.

Function and Nature of the Heavenly Sanctuary/Temple and its Earthly Counterparts in the New Testament Gospels, Acts, and the Epistles: A Motif Study of Major Passages

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Leonardo Nunes
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Book Of Revelation ◽  
New Covenant ◽  
Final Destination ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Canonical Order

The present dissertation examines the function and nature of the heavenly sanctuary/temple and its relationship to the earthly counterparts in the major passages of the New Testament (NT) Gospels, Acts, Pauline and General Epistles where the sanctuary/temple motif is found (a total of twenty-two passages). After the introductory chapter, chapters 2, 3, and 4 are devoted to the exegetical analysis of these major passages following canonical order and divisions of the NT. This exegetical analysis has detected the relevance of the heavenly sanctuary/temple motif for NT studies, i.e., how its function, nature, and relationship to the earthly counterparts influence the understanding of important themes of the NT such as salvation, intercession, spiritual gifts, love, holiness, eradication of evil, among others. This investigation has identified that the heavenly sanctuary/temple in the NT function as God’s dwelling place. It is a place for reunion, reconciliation, and sending of the Holy Spirit, from where every spiritual blessing is bestowed upon the believers. In the heavenly sanctuary/temple Jesus is enthroned to exercise authority, power, sovereignty, and rulership; it is where judgment and vindication are made, the new covenant is ratified. It is a place to present praise and worship to God, celebrating Christ's victory over evil. The heavenly sanctuary/temple is where Christ presents His once-for-all sacrifice, "obtains eternal redemption," and intercedes in our behalf, giving assurance that God's salvific purpose and the heirs' hope will be fulfilled. The heavenly sanctuary/temple also functions as the motivation and ground for holy living, the driving force for sacrificial service and endurance of suffering for Christ. The heavenly sanctuary/temple is also the final destination of the Christian journey where all believers will gather together with the godhead and the angels in a festal assembly. Regarding the nature of the heavenly sanctuary/temple in the NT, the passages surveyed show that architecture is not the main concern of the NT writers. However, in tune with the Old Testament (OT), they describe the heavenly sanctuary/temple in terms of a spatiotemporal reality where the corporeal resurrected Jesus is at work and the bodily resurrected believers will live. This NT ontological perspective safeguards the actuality of the heavenly sanctuary/temple many functions. The spatiotemporal nature of the heavenly sanctuary/temple is strengthened when one looks at its relationship to the earthly counterparts. The NT passages examined demonstrate that there is structural and functional correspondence between OT and NT heavenly and earthly counterparts within a typological framework, as well as dynamic interaction among them. Chapter 5 offers a theological synthesis of the heavenly sanctuary/temple motif presented in the previous chapters. A summary of the findings is first provided followed by inferences of theological implications in the three main areas of this dissertation (function, nature, and relationship). After these concluding remarks, an appendix is provided with a brief treatment of twenty-five NT passages not dealt with in the main text (including thirteen passages in the book of Revelation) in order to give the reader a more comprehensive perspective of the pervasiveness of the heavenly sanctuary/temple motif in the NT. In conclusion, the study of the heavenly sanctuary/temple motif in the NT seems to be needed in order to have a sound and balanced understanding of NT theology.

Der Geist und das Reich im Lukanischen Werk: Konkurrenz oder Konvergenz zwischen Pneumatologie und Eschatologie?

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-345
Author(s):  
Klaus B. Haacker
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Kingdom Of God ◽  
The Gift ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Church

Since 1950, studies of Luke–Acts have been influenced by a downgrading of eschatology (at least of the expectation that the goal of history would be near). Conzelmann's slogan ‘Die Mitte der Zeit’ (the earthly mission of Jesus as the ‘centre of history’) suggested a long ‘time of the Church’ with the gift(s) of the Holy Spirit as a substitute (and not a foretaste) of the kingdom of God. The present study challenges this influential view of Luke's theology and its impact on definitions of the genre of Acts.

John Zizioulas

2018 ◽  
pp. 466-486
Author(s):  
Paul McPartlan
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
The Gift ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
In Christ ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Further Development ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Trinity

The chapter explores three deeply interlinked aspects of John Zizioulas’s highly influential ecclesiology: the relationship between the church and the Trinity; the relationship between the church and the Eucharist; and finally the consequences of those relationships for the structure of the church. The church is a communion through its participation in the life of the Trinity. In Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, it receives and re-receives the gift of communion in every Eucharist, and communion has a shape that reflects the life of God. The Trinity is centred on the Father, and so in the church at various levels the communion of the many is centred on one who is the head. This is the purely theological reason why the synodality of the church requires primacy at the local, regional, and universal levels. The chapter concludes that, while prompting many questions and needing further development, Zizioulas’s proposal has great ecumenical value.

Prinsip Pertumbuhan Gereja Mula-Mula Ditinjau Dari Kisah Para Rasul 2:1-47 Dan Aplikasinya Bagi Gereja Masa Kini

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-111
Author(s):  
Ferderika Pertiwi Ndiy ◽  
S Susanto
Keyword(s):  
Church Growth ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Acts Of The Apostles ◽  
Church History ◽  
Word Of God ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
The Church ◽  
Acts 2

Church growth is an important study in church history. The Bible has important principles in church growth, therefore these principles need to be analyzed so that they can contribute to the study of church growth. The Acts of the Apostles is a book that has a history and principles of church growth, therefore the author conducted research on church growth based on Acts 2: 1-47. The author uses a qualitative approach to literature study to find the principles of church growth based on Acts 2: 1-47. The results showed that there were three principles for the growth of the early church. The first principle based on the fourth verse is to depend on the Holy Spirit, the second principle based on verses 14-36, 42 is to preach the Word of God, the third principle based on verses 42-46 is to live in fellowship. For the growth of the church today the church must depend on the power of the Holy Spirit, teaching based on the word of God, and the church lives in fellowship.

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