How the Spirit Became God

The Mosaic of Early Christian Pneumatology

Kyle R. Hughes

Foreword by

Matthew W. Bates

HOW THE SPIRIT BECAME GOD

The Mosaic of Early Christian Pneumatology

Copyright © 2020 Kyle R. Hughes. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

Cascade Books

An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

Eugene, OR 97401

www.wipfandstock.com

paperback isbn: 978-1-5326-9374-8

hardcover isbn: 978-1-5326-9375-5

ebook isbn: 978-1-5326-9376-2

Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

Names: Hughes, Kyle R., author. | Bates, Matthew W., foreword.

Title: How the Spirit became God : the mosaic of early Christian pneumatology / by Kyle R. Hughes ; foreword by Matthew W. Bates.

Description: Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2020 | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: isbn 978-1-5326-9374-8 (paperback) | isbn 978-1-5326-9375-5 (hardcover) | isbn 978-1-5326-9376-2 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Holy Spirit—History of doctrines—Early church, ca. 30-600 | Holy Spirit | God (Christianity) | Theology, Doctrinal

Classification: bt119 h84 2020 (print) | bt119 (ebook)

Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

For Karisa,

“my best beloved fellow-servant in the Lord”

Tertullian, Ad ux. 1.1

Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,

And lighten with celestial fire;

Thou the anointing Spirit art,

Who dost thy sevenfold gifts impart.

Teach us to know the Father, Son,

And thee, of both, to be but One;

That, through the ages all along,

This may be our endless song:

Praise to thy eternal merit,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Veni, Creator Spiritus

Book of Common Prayer (1662)

Contents

List of Illustrations

Foreword by Matthew W. Bates

Acknowledgments

Timeline of Key Events and Texts

1. The Problem of the Holy Spirit

2. The Spirit and Divine Testimony

3. The Spirit and Christian Identity

4. The Spirit and Person Language

5. The Spirit and the Divine Economy

6. The Spirit and Full Divinity

7. The Invitation of the Holy Spirit

Bibliography

Subject index

Ancient document index

List of Illustrations

1. Anonymous. “New Testament Trinity.” Russia, nineteenth century. Wood, tempera. State Historical Museum, Moscow.

2. Andrei Rublev. “Old Testament Trinity.” Russia, fifteenth century. Wood, tempera. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.

Foreword

It is not often that one gets to introduce an untold theological story. It is rarer when it is a story that is theologically essential. Yet when a scholarly tale is both novel and about the central Christian mystery—the Trinity—it’s akin to seeing an albino elk cross the street in downtown Los Angeles. We’ve moved from rare ...

Content not shown in limited preview…
HSBG:MECP

About How the Spirit Became God: The Mosaic of Early Christian Pneumatology

In How the Spirit Became God, Kyle Hughes tells the often-neglected story of how and why the early church came to recognize that the Holy Spirit was a distinct divine person. While the subject of Christ’s divinity is a popular topic in church and academy alike, the notion of the Spirit’s divinity remains a mysterious yet intriguing question for many Christians today. Focusing on major pneumatological innovations from Pentecost through the Council of Constantinople in 381, Hughes examines how biblical interpretation and the lived experience of the Spirit contributed to the development of this important, and yet often overlooked, aspect of trinitarian theology. This important contribution not only explains, from a historical yet accessible perspective, the development of early Christian pneumatology but also challenges readers to apply these insights from the church fathers to engaging with the person of the Holy Spirit today.

Support Info

hwsprtchpnmtlgy

Table of Contents