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Giver of Life: The Holy Spirit in Orthodox Tradition
Presents the Orthodox perspective on who the Holy Spirit is, where the mystery of God comes alive.
Delving deep and subtly into Orthodox tradition and theology, Giver of Life articulates the identity of the Holy Spirit as the third Person of the Trinity as well as the role of the Holy Spirit in the salvation of the world. Written with a poetic sensibility, Fr. Oliver begins with Pentecost, an event uniquely celebrated in Orthodoxy as a time when greenery of all kinds is brought into churches. “The splash of green foliage calls to mind not just life, but a special kind of life. It is the life that transcends biological existence and flows from the very Godhead Itself; it is life that’s a state of being—immortal, everlasting, changeless. Ferns and flowers fade and die, but souls filled with this ‘life from above’ flourish forever.”
Reflecting on the relationship of the Holy Spirit to the Church, to the world, and to the human person, Giver of Life looks to the impressive biblical and liturgical tradition of Orthodox Christianity. This is a book weighty in content but accessible in tone, not an academic study of the mind, but a lived experience of the heart.
Delving deep and subtly into Orthodox tradition and theology, Giver of Life articulates the identity of the Holy Spirit as the third Person of the Trinity as well as the role of the Holy Spirit in the salvation of the world. Written with a poetic sensibility, Fr. Oliver begins with Pentecost, an event uniquely celebrated in Orthodoxy as a time when greenery of all kinds is brought into churches. “The splash of green foliage calls to mind not just life, but a special kind of life. It is the life that transcends biological existence and flows from the very Godhead Itself; it is life that’s a state of being—immortal, everlasting, changeless. Ferns and flowers fade and die, but souls filled with this ‘life from above’ flourish forever.”
Reflecting on the relationship of the Holy Spirit to the Church, to the world, and to the human person, Giver of Life looks to the impressive biblical and liturgical tradition of Orthodox Christianity. This is a book weighty in content but accessible in tone, not an academic study of the mind, but a lived experience of the heart.
129 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 31, 2023
The small book contains a great deal of insight regarding the Holy Spirit and Orthodox Spiritual Life.
Profound and highly recommended!
Profound and highly recommended!
October 8, 2018
It takes a gifted writer to create comfortable books that also masterfully convey the Good News and the mindset of the Orthodox Church. Fr. Alexander Schmemann was such a writer, as is Frs. Stanley Harakas. It’s not hard to imagine that, over time, Fr. John Oliver will be mentioned among such company.
In Giver of Life: The Holy Spirit in Orthodox Tradition, Fr. John walks the reader phrase by phrase through a profound reflection on one of the “Fountainhead” prayers of Orthodoxy:
“O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things; Treasury of good things and Giver of life; come abide in us, cleanse us of every impurity, and save our souls, O Gracious Lord.”
Father John tells us his aim is to show the ways in which the Holy Spirit has guided and continues to guide the Church and its Saints (both the canonized and everyday varieties), but he knows there is much more:
“So, while a book like this one on the Holy Spirit may transmit information, an interior awakening is the real goal. … As we pray, so we believe; as we believe, so we pray. Prayer opens the heart to the penetrating presence of God, whose touch upon every person in every place at every time is always Trinitarian – from the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.” (pg. 5-6)
The book’s style is at once conversational and poetic, combining Scripture, the Church Fathers, and the practice of the Orthodox Church into a fresh mediation on all of them. Fr. John uses the prayer as the framework to open for us the “Spirit of Truth” as expressed in the Nicene Creed, the “Giver of Life” as expressed in Baptism, and the “Gracious Lord” as one to be remembered in our “Grace” before meals as well as in reflecting on the Grace that descended on the Theotokos.
Above all, the Grace of the Holy Spirit heals:
“When the grace of the Good One descends, sorrows are quieted and minds are cleared, light dispels darkness and the faculties of humanity are rightly ordered. When Grace descends, the world is granted a glimpse of what is possible with God. (pg. 124)
While it would be wonderful to read Giver of Life between Pascha and Pentecost, adding this little book a few pages at a time to your prayer life at any point should bring you a “Treasury of good things.”
In Giver of Life: The Holy Spirit in Orthodox Tradition, Fr. John walks the reader phrase by phrase through a profound reflection on one of the “Fountainhead” prayers of Orthodoxy:
“O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things; Treasury of good things and Giver of life; come abide in us, cleanse us of every impurity, and save our souls, O Gracious Lord.”
Father John tells us his aim is to show the ways in which the Holy Spirit has guided and continues to guide the Church and its Saints (both the canonized and everyday varieties), but he knows there is much more:
“So, while a book like this one on the Holy Spirit may transmit information, an interior awakening is the real goal. … As we pray, so we believe; as we believe, so we pray. Prayer opens the heart to the penetrating presence of God, whose touch upon every person in every place at every time is always Trinitarian – from the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.” (pg. 5-6)
The book’s style is at once conversational and poetic, combining Scripture, the Church Fathers, and the practice of the Orthodox Church into a fresh mediation on all of them. Fr. John uses the prayer as the framework to open for us the “Spirit of Truth” as expressed in the Nicene Creed, the “Giver of Life” as expressed in Baptism, and the “Gracious Lord” as one to be remembered in our “Grace” before meals as well as in reflecting on the Grace that descended on the Theotokos.
Above all, the Grace of the Holy Spirit heals:
“When the grace of the Good One descends, sorrows are quieted and minds are cleared, light dispels darkness and the faculties of humanity are rightly ordered. When Grace descends, the world is granted a glimpse of what is possible with God. (pg. 124)
While it would be wonderful to read Giver of Life between Pascha and Pentecost, adding this little book a few pages at a time to your prayer life at any point should bring you a “Treasury of good things.”
January 7, 2012
This is the third book in Paraclete Press‘s Holy Spirit series which I have reviewed. I now feel like I can say a little bit about the series and what I have appreciated about it (you can read previous reviews here or here). If you are really only interested in the orthodox tradition, skip the next few paragraphs and my review there.
First of all, each of the authors in the series embody their particular tradition. Rachel Timoner wrote Breath of Life to present a Jewish understanding of the spirit of God and she continually references the rabbinic tradition and Jewish history to explicate her points. In presenting Protestant views of the Holy Spirit, Edmund Rubarczyk describes individual thinkers, how they challenged prevailing views (protested) and their impact on our understanding of the Spirit. I didn’t see how each of their approaches embodied the traditions they were describing and representing until I read Fr. John Oliver’s description of the Holy Spirit in the Orthodox tradition. A prayer from the orthodox liturgy frames the entire structure of the book and Father Oliver’s reflections. Not only do each of these authors describe the Spirit through the lens of their tradition, but the unique spirituality of each tradition informs their approach.
Secondly, I applaud the ecumenism of each author. They write from their own spiritual tradition, and do not sacrifice their own identity. It is in offering the insights of their own traditions that each author has contributed to a deeper understanding of the Spirit for us all. Too often ecumenical dialogues and discussion of God devolve into what we can all minimally affirm and doesn’t value the unique contributions. It is so refreshing to read a series on the Holy Spirit where each author is true to their theological convictions but presents them in a winsome and engaging way, offering them to the wider church (or in the case of Timoner, beyond her own religious faith). When unique visions are offered, they are given here without polemics.
Third, all of these books are thoughtfully engaging but accessible to the general reader. This is sometimes a hard balance, but each of the author manages to convey something of substance without getting mired in academic discussions and over complicating the matter. Nor do they retreat to shallow waters. I commend the whole series to you, on to the review:
The Giver of Life: The Holy Spirit in the Orthodox Tradition
Father John Oliver is priest of St. Elizabeth Orthodox Christian Church in Murfreesboro, TN and is a graduate and (former?) faculty at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary as instructor of Old and New Testament and American Religious History. My first exposure to him was through the Hearts and Minds podcast. Here he explores what the Orthodox church’s understanding of Spirit, exemplified by quotations and stories from the Christian East. But more than that, this book is an exercise in prayer. Maximus the Confessor (580-662 C.E.) somewhere said, “Theology is prayer and prayer is theology-Theology without prayer is demonic.” Thus it is fitting that reflection on the Spirit in the Orthodox tradition is given within the context of prayer. Each chapter begins with this epigram:
O heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things; Treasury of good things and Giver of life; come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity,and save our souls, O Gracious Lord.
This ancient prayer to the Holy Spirit, often uttered for Morning and Evening prayer, frames the reflections in this book with each chapter reflecting on a phrase from the prayer. Here is the table of contents which shows how Oliver breaks the prayer up:
1. O Heavenly King
2. The Comforter
3. The Spirit of Truth
4. Who Art Everywhere Present and Fillest All Things
5. Treasury of Good Things
6. Giver of Life
7. Come Abide in Us
8. Cleanse Us From Every Impurity and Save Our Souls
9 O Gracious Lord
By probing this prayer, Oliver is able to both probe Orthodox reflection on the Spirit and the grandeur of all the Spirit is and does. In these pages the Spirit emerges as creator and king, God’s comforting presence, the Spirit of Truth who exists in unity with the Father and Son, as both transcendent and immanent, as giver of gifts and God’s abiding gift, the one who brings life, as the one who cleanses our sins and brings us to perfection in God, the gracious God who leads us from our depths to new heights. Along the way, Oliver quotes some of the great saints of the eastern church, quotations and stories and shares how the sacraments nourish life in the Spirit for the faithful.
There is a lot to chew on. I personally love patristics and was pleased to read many quotations from the early church (Cappadocians and desert Christians are well represented). I am not Orthodox, at least with a capital ‘O,’ but loved the prayerful framework and the Spirt in which Oliver offered this to the wider church. There is little I would disagree with in the book, even if my own emphasis would be somewhat different. Oliver stays clear of theologically contentious matters (i.e. he discusses the Nicene Creed but doesn’t pick a fight with the West for changing it) but gives us something that is both true to his theological tradition and instructive for us all. Thus far, this is my favorite book in the series!
Next week I will review the final book (to date) in Paraclete’s Holy Spirit series: Amos Yong’s Who is the Holy Spirit? I am very excited about this because Amos Yong is one of the most well respected Pentecostal scholars and I am sure that his exploration of the Spirit will widen our vision for who the Spirit is and all he does for us!
[Thank you to Paraclete press for providing me with a review copy of Giver of Life and the other books in this series in exchange for my review. I was not instructed to write a positive review but an honest one, which I have done here.]
First of all, each of the authors in the series embody their particular tradition. Rachel Timoner wrote Breath of Life to present a Jewish understanding of the spirit of God and she continually references the rabbinic tradition and Jewish history to explicate her points. In presenting Protestant views of the Holy Spirit, Edmund Rubarczyk describes individual thinkers, how they challenged prevailing views (protested) and their impact on our understanding of the Spirit. I didn’t see how each of their approaches embodied the traditions they were describing and representing until I read Fr. John Oliver’s description of the Holy Spirit in the Orthodox tradition. A prayer from the orthodox liturgy frames the entire structure of the book and Father Oliver’s reflections. Not only do each of these authors describe the Spirit through the lens of their tradition, but the unique spirituality of each tradition informs their approach.
Secondly, I applaud the ecumenism of each author. They write from their own spiritual tradition, and do not sacrifice their own identity. It is in offering the insights of their own traditions that each author has contributed to a deeper understanding of the Spirit for us all. Too often ecumenical dialogues and discussion of God devolve into what we can all minimally affirm and doesn’t value the unique contributions. It is so refreshing to read a series on the Holy Spirit where each author is true to their theological convictions but presents them in a winsome and engaging way, offering them to the wider church (or in the case of Timoner, beyond her own religious faith). When unique visions are offered, they are given here without polemics.
Third, all of these books are thoughtfully engaging but accessible to the general reader. This is sometimes a hard balance, but each of the author manages to convey something of substance without getting mired in academic discussions and over complicating the matter. Nor do they retreat to shallow waters. I commend the whole series to you, on to the review:
The Giver of Life: The Holy Spirit in the Orthodox Tradition
Father John Oliver is priest of St. Elizabeth Orthodox Christian Church in Murfreesboro, TN and is a graduate and (former?) faculty at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary as instructor of Old and New Testament and American Religious History. My first exposure to him was through the Hearts and Minds podcast. Here he explores what the Orthodox church’s understanding of Spirit, exemplified by quotations and stories from the Christian East. But more than that, this book is an exercise in prayer. Maximus the Confessor (580-662 C.E.) somewhere said, “Theology is prayer and prayer is theology-Theology without prayer is demonic.” Thus it is fitting that reflection on the Spirit in the Orthodox tradition is given within the context of prayer. Each chapter begins with this epigram:
O heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things; Treasury of good things and Giver of life; come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity,and save our souls, O Gracious Lord.
This ancient prayer to the Holy Spirit, often uttered for Morning and Evening prayer, frames the reflections in this book with each chapter reflecting on a phrase from the prayer. Here is the table of contents which shows how Oliver breaks the prayer up:
1. O Heavenly King
2. The Comforter
3. The Spirit of Truth
4. Who Art Everywhere Present and Fillest All Things
5. Treasury of Good Things
6. Giver of Life
7. Come Abide in Us
8. Cleanse Us From Every Impurity and Save Our Souls
9 O Gracious Lord
By probing this prayer, Oliver is able to both probe Orthodox reflection on the Spirit and the grandeur of all the Spirit is and does. In these pages the Spirit emerges as creator and king, God’s comforting presence, the Spirit of Truth who exists in unity with the Father and Son, as both transcendent and immanent, as giver of gifts and God’s abiding gift, the one who brings life, as the one who cleanses our sins and brings us to perfection in God, the gracious God who leads us from our depths to new heights. Along the way, Oliver quotes some of the great saints of the eastern church, quotations and stories and shares how the sacraments nourish life in the Spirit for the faithful.
There is a lot to chew on. I personally love patristics and was pleased to read many quotations from the early church (Cappadocians and desert Christians are well represented). I am not Orthodox, at least with a capital ‘O,’ but loved the prayerful framework and the Spirt in which Oliver offered this to the wider church. There is little I would disagree with in the book, even if my own emphasis would be somewhat different. Oliver stays clear of theologically contentious matters (i.e. he discusses the Nicene Creed but doesn’t pick a fight with the West for changing it) but gives us something that is both true to his theological tradition and instructive for us all. Thus far, this is my favorite book in the series!
Next week I will review the final book (to date) in Paraclete’s Holy Spirit series: Amos Yong’s Who is the Holy Spirit? I am very excited about this because Amos Yong is one of the most well respected Pentecostal scholars and I am sure that his exploration of the Spirit will widen our vision for who the Spirit is and all he does for us!
[Thank you to Paraclete press for providing me with a review copy of Giver of Life and the other books in this series in exchange for my review. I was not instructed to write a positive review but an honest one, which I have done here.]
December 31, 2019
A great little book. Short but powerful. The book contains higher theological thoughts, but they are not so far from simple understanding. I would like to read this book again, and I recommend it.
November 3, 2024
Accessible and thorough account of the person of the Holy Spirit, using the prayer O Heavenly King as its spine.
Read
May 20, 2021It takes a gifted writer to create comfortable books that also masterfully convey the Good News and the mindset of the Orthodox Church. Fr. Alexander Schmemann was such a writer, as is Fr. Stanley Harakas. It’s not hard to imagine that, over time, Fr. John Oliver will be mentioned among such company.
In Giver of Life: The Holy Spirit in Orthodox Tradition, Fr. John walks the reader phrase by phrase through a profound reflection on one of the “Fountainhead” prayers of Orthodoxy:
"O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things; Treasury of good things and Giver of life; come abide in us, cleanse us of every impurity, and save our souls, O Gracious Lord. "
Father John tells us his aim is to show the ways in which the Holy Spirit has guided and continues to guide the Church and her Saints (both the canonized and everyday varieties), but he knows there is much more:
"So, while a book like this one on the Holy Spirit may transmit information, an interior awakening is the real goal….As we pray, so we believe; as we believe, so we pray. Prayer opens the heart to the penetrating presence of God, whose touch upon every person in every place at every time is always Trinitarian—from the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. (pp. 5-6)
The book’s style is at once conversational and poetic, combining Scripture, the Church Fathers, and the practice of the Orthodox Church into a fresh mediation on them all. Fr. John uses the prayer as the framework to open for us the “Spirit of Truth” as expressed in the Nicene Creed, the “Giver of Life” as expressed in Baptism, and the Gracious Lord” as one to be remembered in our “Grace” before meals as well as when reflecting on the grace that descended on the Theotokos.
Above all, the grace of the Holy Spirit heals:
"When the grace of the Good One descends, sorrows are quieted and minds are cleared, light dispels darkness and the faculties of humanity are rightly ordered. When Grace descends, the world is granted a glimpse of what is possible with God. (p. 124)
While it would be wonderful to read Giver of Life between Pascha and Pentecost, adding this little book a few pages at a time to your prayer life at any point should bring you a “treasury of good things."
In Giver of Life: The Holy Spirit in Orthodox Tradition, Fr. John walks the reader phrase by phrase through a profound reflection on one of the “Fountainhead” prayers of Orthodoxy:
"O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things; Treasury of good things and Giver of life; come abide in us, cleanse us of every impurity, and save our souls, O Gracious Lord. "
Father John tells us his aim is to show the ways in which the Holy Spirit has guided and continues to guide the Church and her Saints (both the canonized and everyday varieties), but he knows there is much more:
"So, while a book like this one on the Holy Spirit may transmit information, an interior awakening is the real goal….As we pray, so we believe; as we believe, so we pray. Prayer opens the heart to the penetrating presence of God, whose touch upon every person in every place at every time is always Trinitarian—from the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. (pp. 5-6)
The book’s style is at once conversational and poetic, combining Scripture, the Church Fathers, and the practice of the Orthodox Church into a fresh mediation on them all. Fr. John uses the prayer as the framework to open for us the “Spirit of Truth” as expressed in the Nicene Creed, the “Giver of Life” as expressed in Baptism, and the Gracious Lord” as one to be remembered in our “Grace” before meals as well as when reflecting on the grace that descended on the Theotokos.
Above all, the grace of the Holy Spirit heals:
"When the grace of the Good One descends, sorrows are quieted and minds are cleared, light dispels darkness and the faculties of humanity are rightly ordered. When Grace descends, the world is granted a glimpse of what is possible with God. (p. 124)
While it would be wonderful to read Giver of Life between Pascha and Pentecost, adding this little book a few pages at a time to your prayer life at any point should bring you a “treasury of good things."
October 22, 2013
Reading small works of faith and spiritualism is a recent encounter. One I am enjoying more and more. They bring you into a new world, one where the weight of the world seems briefly listed and the possibility of connecting with the transcendent becomes a possibility. Such was this book.
June 4, 2022
Leído por segunda vez. Para volver sobre él.
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