The Spirit of God in the New Testament: Diverse witnesses

Abstract

The article begins with a discussion of the development of the doctine with regard to the Holy Spirit. This development took place in three phases: from apocalypticism to the Nicene Creed to the Reformation. In the doctrine of the Triune God the Holy Spirit functions as the third persona. In the New Testament the Spiit of God should be seen against the background of intermediary and apocalyptic figures. A comparison of passages in Luke-Acts, the Gospel of John and Paul's letter to the Romans attests to a diversity of witnesses with regard to the Spirit of God. The aricle includes a discourse on the nature of the chaismatic gits of the Holy Spirit witnessed in 1 Cointhians 12. By way of conclusion, a list of recommended publications with regard to the Biblical witness of the Spirit of God is presented.