Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament

Powers #1

by Walter Wink

"Students of the New Testament have long been intrigued by references to the entities know as "principalities and power'; angels, demons, gods, the devil, thrones, dominions, authorities, elements of the world, and so forth. Wink here contends that this rather esoteric theme is now ripe for recovery and reinterpretation, and that it provides a basis not only for a contemporary social-ecological ethic but also for a renewed Christian spirituality." (From the book's cover).

Genres: Theology, Religion, Christianity, Biblical Studies, Spirituality, Christian, Nonfiction

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 5, 1983

About the author

Dr. Walter Wink was Professor Emeritus of Biblical Interpretation at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City. Previously, he was a parish minister and taught at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. In 1989-1990 he was a Peace Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace.

His newer works include:

The Human Being: Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of the Man
(Fortress Press, 2001.)

Peace Is The Way: Writings on Nonviolence from the Fellowship of Reconciliation. (Edited by Walter Wink. Orbis Books, 2000.)

The Powers That Be:Theology for a New Millennium
(New York: Doubleday, 1999)

Homosexuality and Christian Faith: Questions of Conscience for the Churches (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1999)

He is author of a trilogy, The Powers:

Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984)

Unmasking the Powers: The Invisible Forces That Determine Human Existence (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986)

Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of
Domination (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992)

His other works include:

When the Powers Fall: Reconciliation in the Healing of Nations
(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998). Swedish edition: Healing a Nation's Wounds: Reconciliation on the Road to Democracy (Uppsala, Sweden: Life and Peace Institute, 1997)

Cracking the Gnostic Code: The Powers in Gnosticism (Society of Biblical Literature Monograph Series; Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1993)

Violence and Nonviolence in South Africa (Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1987). (Out of print)

Transforming Bible Study, second edition (Nashville: Abingdon, 1990) (Out of print)

The Bible in Human Transformation (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1973). (Out of print)

John the Baptist in the Gospel Tradition (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1968). (Out of print)

Proclamation 5: Holy Week, Year B (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993). (Out of print)

Reviews

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I admit up front elsewhere I have been negligent in reading Walter Wink’s “powers trilogy.” These books started to come out when I was in college and I heard whispers about the professor who really believed in things such as angels and demons. Now that I’ve sat down and read the first book in the trilogy I have mixed thoughts. One is that, although technical, you have to accept a certain worldview for Wink’s train of thought to work. The Bible, for one thing, has to be inspired (but not necessarily in an Evangelical way). It is used as a prooftext for his ideas. The first two parts are technical and academically written. You just have to plow through, unless you want to exegete alongside the author.

Part 3 is quite interesting. Wink doesn’t accept the paradigm of materialism. I admire his boldness here. Of course, he was a churchman, so that isn’t unusual. Still, he calls it as he sees it and many clergy do implicitly accept materialism. The case he’s making became clear when he made the point, as I discussed elsewhere (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World), that institutions generate power. This power cannot be reduced to an individual level and it is just as real as the room in which you sit, or the air that you breathe. Think of governments. They probably don’t know me or you, but they control us daily. That’s power.

Wink will go on, I’ve been primed to believe, in his other volumes to discuss spiritual powers. Much of volume 1 concerns human agents. It defines and catalogues the Greek terms used for the powers while noting their supernatural applications as well. The powers may be good, evil, or neutral. The adamant conclusion Wink reaches is that they are unavoidably real. Maybe not physically so, but at least on a mythological level that influences physical reality. This is a challenging book. You do need to accept some of the author’s premises to make his conclusions forceful, but it does raise some issues that continue to be important (vitally so) these many decades later.

[Steve Irby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished "Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament: The Powers, Volume 1," by Walter Wink.


Trying to do the trilogy back to back (to back). Trying to truncate the reports more than normal. And here I go.


Scripture often uses Power language word groups. Some of it we think we may have a good idea as to who is in reference: principalities and powers; thrones, dominions, principalities and authorities; angels, authorities and powers. Other uses we separate and likewise assume we know who is in reference: chief priest, captain, elders; chief priest, rulers, people; rulers, elders, scribe. Could both of these words groups be speaking to the same powers? What are the differences? Angels, demons and Satan: are they part of this? This is part of Winks quest.


He opens volume one with a word search. While textual studies are often quite boring Wink is good at keeping it moving. His word search in his book on Homosexuality was where I first found that he has an ability to keep people engaged through what is comparable to the root canal of Biblical scholarship.


As specific areas of the NT are examined in light of the previous word study we discover that this isnt an either/or, physical or metaphysical, natural or supernatural option when speaking of powers or principalities, who, for instance, crucified the Lord of Glory. This is viewing powers and principalities through modern lenses. The writers often intended both. There are places where this is the exception. RM 13:1 doesn't intend supernatural "rulers/authorities." That said Paul's Greco-Roman world view would have affirmed spiritual powers underlying human; the above scripture was not diving that deep.


Here's Winks definitions:


Thrones: the physical location of power representative of the one on the throne, like saying word came from the oval office.


Dominions: those over which the throne rules.


Ruler: the person on the throne while ruling on the throne or in the office; not a former or future ruler.


Authority: legitimations and sanctions by which authority is maintained such as as, rules, taboos, mores, codes and constitutions.


Wink really digs into what the powers are while speaking to the "elements" found in Col 2:9-10: philosophy, traditional, rules, rituals, food laws and ascetic practices, basic elements of religion and good Angels. None of these powers are evil in and of themselves but could go either way depending on how they are used.


Wink says that we are ignoring a huge part of scripture is we reduce the powers to only the personification of human institutions and cultural arrangements because this reductionism eliminates the spiritual dimension. Though it needs to be understood that he wants to honor the tone of scripture while admitting the modern worldview that we have. So the spiritual may be "embodied" in a mob Spirit. It is something that isn't physical or confined to an individual but appears separate from the group yet drives the group as though it is standing apart from the group. (I still think Wink's proposal has less to do with metaphysical "substance" than psychology: external of those Greek metaphysical categories we were raised thinking in light of, he may be on to something.) 


This is good: Wink compares powers to the self. The self can not exist without a body, likewise the powers can not exist without a structure institution, or office.


Volume one was good. Have to see how the next two go.


#ThePowers #NamingThePowers #WalterWink #Satan #Demons #Angel's #Principalities #Demonology 

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This might not be a classic, but Wink's book (and the two sequels) are frequently cited. After years of noticing such citations in other books I was reading, I figured I'd go back to the source. Wink's book does a fantastic job in making what the Bible says about spirits/demons/angels and such palpable for modern people. On one extreme are materialists who discount all the Bible, or other literature, says about such things since, well, we modern people know such things do not exist. Wink's book seems to be mostly for such people. I think he succeeds, showing there is a "spirit" that exists behind large companies and corporations, for example. The other side would be those who take the Bible literally. Such readers probably see Wink as a sell-out liberal, which would be a shame. Because I think you can hold a literal view and still gain a lot from Wink's work. Overall, a very helpful book.

[Michael Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first of 3 volumes on the New Testament subject of "the Powers." The author was professor of Biblical Interpretation at Auburn Theological Seminary, New York. Dr. Wink's views are decidedly branded with his Marxist liberation theology viewpoint. Despite this enormous flaw, at least this first work is thought-provoking, the project enormous in scope. In essence he is trying to define the locus of power in the world, whether originating in the classical definitions of Ephesians ("demons, principalities, powers") or in human social constructs (businesses, for example) that are capable of embodying systemic evil apart from the humans who run them.

[Travis Wise · Rating 3 out of 5]

The curse of many influential books is that once their ideas permeate the broader thought world, the original loses its freshness. Wink argues for the overlapping, interlocking nature of earthly and spiritual powers, so that when the Bible speaks of rulers, authorities, and powers (Eph 6:12), it’s speaking of both, not dualistically, but melded together. Forty years back, it would’ve been fresher than it is now. Half the book is spent in word studies (even he admits it’s skippable), and the next half draws conclusions, with slight overreaches. Maybe the neatest thing? His anecdotes. Among other things, he marched at Selma.

[Adam Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wink's classic study of "the principalities and powers" should be required reading for every Christian. The first half of the book is exegetical in nature, exploring the Greek terms for power in the New Testament carefully and in detail. From this Wink concludes that each of the words for power cover an overlapping range of semantic meaning, that is they are more or less interchangeable. He also concludes that the words for power in the New Testament can be used to speak interchangeably of individuals, societies, rulers, structures, systems, organizations, nations, and trans-human powers, either demonic or angelic. In fact, his study shows that the most common reference to the "principalities and powers" in the New Testament simply assumes that all of these are implied in the reference, which refers to the entire hierarchy of human and trans-human powers.

He then begins to interpret what these references to the powers mean for us today in the second half of the book. Here he concludes that every system or structure of power and authority, whether it is a school, a culture, a society, a nation, or an ideology, has an invisible spirit or essence that is greater than the sum of the parts of the institution, which then seeks to impose its will on human beings contained in the structure or system. The structure, created by human beings, begins to exert an invisible and subtle power over people, and the institution is transformed from a place of service to humans, and becomes a means by which humans serve the spirit of the institution or structure. By this process human beings are actually enslaved, controlled, and "possessed" by transhuman powers which are incarnated in earthly institutions and systems. The Kingdom is the construction of a space that is not influenced by the powers which enables believers to wage war against them, who are called to expose the invisible "gods of the system," throw them down, and construct new systems which reflect the values of the Kingdom.

The book is far more profound than this small summary can do justice, so do read it. It is vital reading in our time, when the "gods of the system" have taken a profoundly abusive and violent path, and in the spread of globalism seek to spread their shroud over the whole of the earth.

[E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few years ago I read Wink's The Powers that Be, the one volume summary of his comprehensive trilogy that begins with this book, Naming the Powers. The summary electrified me and altered my thinking on a handful of theological issues.

Wink is largely responsible for recovering the language of powers from the scripture. He contends that there is a spiritual reality to systems and institutions and that when we struggle for social justice, we don't just struggle against physical manifestations of power, but also the spiritual systems. He does not believe that these spiritual realities are supernatural, but contends that transcendence is interior; he is influenced by Jung (and Whitehead as well).

Wink's work has been very influential in the recovery of a theology that opposes empire and the powers approach has become more prominent in a range of studies -- I think if Beverly Roberts Gaventa's book OUr Mother Saint Paul, for instance.

Naming the Powers opens with a somewhat dry discussion of various biblical terms. This is the sort of foundational work that is as interesting now as it is less controversial thirty years on than it originally was.

The book comes to life, however, in the final section where he begins to interpret the powers and engage in the actual work of theology. Reading yesterday, it sent me into such a brainstorm that I stopped and spent 20 minutes gushing with ideas that I think will take shape as a list of long term strategic goals in my ministry here at First Central.

There are also important reminders for the church's unique role in justice struggles -- see this earlier blogpost of mine: http://escottjones.typepad.com/myques.... Earlier this week I had been reading about Leymah Gbowee and how her women's prayer groups had helped to end the war in Liberia (I want to see the documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell). That resonates with Wink's theology.

[Aeisele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the first two sections of this book very very much. Wink does a great job exploring the textual evidence of the language of "Powers", and is convincing in his interpretation of the inter-related reality of the "heavenly" and "earthly" powers (or the "spiritual and material" powers). This does significant justice to the text and the early Christian's sense of what the powers were in the ancient world.
He is not convincing in the 3rd section, however. He asserts, without much argument, that we should replace the "above and below" of heaven and earth with "inner/outer" of modern physics (although he does not at all explain the physics concept, and I'm assuming he's talking about the paradox between particles and waves, i.e. what modern quantum physics has unearthed). But why? Because it's more convincing to us? If that's the reason, its rather thin, since not all that many people even understand physics. Furthermore, by the end, he starts talking of the Judeo-Christian myth, and basically elides into a Jungian type psychological conception of the Powers. All of this is merely asserted, rather than argued for.
The one thing I liked about this section is the impulse to translate these ancient concepts into something we can hear. This is a continual problem for the church these days, which assumes it can just read ancient texts and know what they're talking about. Wink at least recognizes that. Perhaps something else can be done for an interpretation.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of at least a three part exploration into "the powers".

The author spends his time in this first edition setting forth the situation, exploring lexical data and usage, discussing disputed passages, and providing provisional conclusions based on the data. Appendices go into greater detail about the usage of certain words and concepts.

The author sets forth the fundamental challenge: what does it mean to say that a given person or entity has "power"? How is power exercised? Who is behind power? In this book the author's purpose is to attempt to answer the question in terms of how those who wrote and read the New Testament in its original context would answer the question, to come to an ancient understanding of the powers to the best of our ability.

To that end he explores the "power" words used in the New Testament and related apocryphal/pseudepigraphal/patristic literature: arche, archon, exousia, dynamis, thronos, kyriotes, and onoma. He also addresses angels, evil spirits, demons, and the "angels of the nations." In those lexical discussions he provides passages with meanings that are fairly clear and uncontroversial. In so doing he demonstrates that human powers and authorities are most often the ones described but that many of the same terms are used to describe that which certain heavenly or spiritual beings control or possess as well -- the Powers.

He then discusses the various passages regarding which there is understandable dispute whether the authorities involved are human or spiritual: Romans 8:38-39, 13:1-3, 1 Corinthians 2:6-8, 15:24-27a, Ephesians 1:20-23, Colossians 1:16, 2:13-15 (although not in that order). While human or spiritual are sometimes more in view than the other in these passages, he most often encourages the reader to consider that the author has both in mind. He also addresses the use of stoicheia in Ephesians 2:1-2, 3:10, 6:12 and Colossians 2:9-10 (again, not in that order), and does well to show how the term can be used to describe the basic 4 elements of the earth but also the current conception of the order of things, the "philosophical consensus" about reality, so to speak, as well (but not astral forces, a far later concept too often retrojected upon the NT).

He then makes his conclusions based on the evidence, speaking of the portrayal in a "mythic" sense, not as an attempt to suggest it may not speak to reality, but in terms of genre of conception. He then addresses many of the issues raised in detail: material reality as pervaded by the spiritual, and thus the spiritual reality as the inner aspect of the material reality, the suggestion the spiritual powers do not have the understanding we often would imagine they do, considering heaven as the transcendental "reality" or "substantiation" of present reality, parallelism of what exists spiritually and materially, and all to suggest that in the ancient conception of things, the Powers are the spiritual forces behind both manifest physical human powers and the systemic forces behind any exercise of power, made by God as good to govern His creation but many of whom have sinned just as humans have in their exercise of free will, and able to be directed to the good or to the evil, and to which we ought to give some heed.

This is one of those issues where the post-Enlightenment mentality makes it incredibly hard to conceive of "pre-rational" conceptions of reality, too often dismissed over the past 250 years as "mere superstition." But Wink desires to take what the Scriptures are saying about the Powers deadly seriously. Even if one would ultimately conclude that the conclusions drawn are not entirely consistent with reality, if we would profess to seek to understand the nature of reality according to what God has revealed in Scripture, the endeavor itself is at least worthwhile as a process.

So far I may find reason to question some of the details; one might wonder how much weight should be given to apocryphal and especially pseudeipigrahal conceptions of things (yes, sure, they reflect someone's ideas at the time about things, and others found it at least interesting enough to read and preserve, but does that mean that what these people are thinking is right and consistent with what is revealed in the OT and NT?). And yet substantially it is hard, at least at this point, to entirely reject the endeavor and not be given reason to think deeply about these things. Perhaps indeed YHWH is YHWH of Powers, and we ought to give more consideration to the Powers than would be deemed acceptable according to the post-Enlightenment synthesis.

[Greg Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first volume of Walter Wink's 3 volume series that explores the "power" language used by the New Testament. In Paul's letters in particular, there are references to "principalities and powers" over whom Christ rules. While this language in Paul often seems to imply spiritual powers, this same language is used throughout the New Testament for human rulers and authority as well. This first volume focuses on the language used when referring to "The Powers That Be".

The first section of this volume focuses on the Greek words used by the NT when referring to powers and authorities. This is followed by a section that focuses on a set of passages from Paul's letters that use these words. The final section of the book is where the author provides an overview of his interpretation of the NT "power" language, which I expect will be elaborated on in his other 2 volumes.

In the past, when the "power" language in a NT passage seems to be about spiritual powers, the interpretations have tended to go in one of two directions:
* "demythologizing" the language -- these spiritual powers are just a personification of material powers and/or institutions
* interpreting the language dualistically -- these spiritual powers refer to separate heavenly or ethereal entities

In this book, Wink proposes a different direction. These spiritual powers do not have a separate spiritual existence but are the "inner aspect of material or tangible manifestations of power". Just as a human being is both body and spirit together, so also "The Powers That Be" are both material and spiritual together. The spiritual powers referred to in the New Testament (e.g. angels, demons, principalities, powers, elements of the universe, etc.) are all embodied in some material counterpart. Wink writes: "As the inner aspect of material reality, the spiritual Powers are everywhere around us. Their presence is real and it is inescapable. The issue is not whether we 'believe' in them but whether we can learn to identify our actual, everyday encounters with them -- what Paul called 'discerning the spirits.'"

Wink goes on to write that these Powers were created by God as good but, like us, they are all fallen and have a tendency toward evil. As such, without revelation, the Powers are ignorant of God's plan. This is why Paul writes in Ephesians 3:10 that God's intent "was that, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." In other words, the Powers in the heavenly realms don't understand what God is doing through Jesus Christ and so one of the roles of the church is to be a demonstration (or revelation) of God's wisdom.

I have to say that this book blew my mind at several points and I don't pretend to have a full understanding of where Wink is going with this. It is definitely a different way to think about spiritual powers/beings but I think Wink makes a strong case that this is a more accurate way to interpret biblical "power" language than our unconsciously dualistic way of approaching it. This book made me hungry for more, so I just bought the second volume (Unmasking the Powers).

I can't speak for the other 2 volumes but this one is scholarly writing that can get a little technical at times. So I wouldn't recommend this volume to anyone who would be intimidated by that. It uses the word "myth" in the technical sense where "myth" does not mean "false" or "imaginary" but rather refers to a foundational story used to explain or reveal reality. So I could also see where some believers might get upset when biblical text is described as "mythic". However, if you can get beyond that and enjoy reading something that will stretch your understanding of the Bible, I highly recommend this one.

[Luke Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walter Wink's "Naming the Powers" is an important work. This is the first volume in Wink's three-volume series on "the Powers" and much of the book focuses on the language of Power(s) in the New Testament. Wink also surveys the Old Testament evidence and understanding of the Powers--especially the later Books of the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Daniel)--and other writings immediately preceding, contemporaneous with, or immediately following the New Testament (e.g. 1 Enoch; Jubilees; Philo; Josephus; the Patristics; Gnostic writings). Examples of words and phrases surveyed by Wink are "ruler" (Gk: archōn/archē); "authority" (Gk: exousia); "power" (Gk: dynamis); and "throne" (Gk: thronos). Wink also briefly looks at the many references to angels/messengers, evil spirits/demons, and Satan/the devil.

Wink's comprehensive survey of the New Testament's language for the Powers is helpful, as he not only focuses on the Pauline "principalities and powers" and "rulers and authorities," but broadens the conversation to include the entire New Testament. From his survey, Wink makes a number of helpful observations about the Powers, of which the most important are his final two observations: "These Powers are both heavenly and earthly, divine and human, spiritual and political, invisible and structural" and "These Powers are both good and evil" (11-12). To recognize that any work of evangelism or of social action must take into account the existence of spiritual forces as well as man-made structures is critical for any ecclesial work that will have lasting impact. Yet, the Powers cannot be fully demonized; Paul recognizes that all the Powers, whether earthly or heavenly, will be reconciled to Christ (Col 1:16-20) and will recognize his authority and lordship (Phil 2:9-11).

Wink closes this volume with an attempt to interpret the ancient language and understanding of the Powers for the modern reader. Wink clarifies that he does not intend to "demythologize" the Powers and yet, seems to do exactly that at times. Yet, even though I might not agree with some of Wink's conclusions, this work is worthwhile for anyone interested in the study of the Powers. It is crucial that the Church recognize the important work that she has in ministering to the Powers (Eph 3:10) and reminding that Christ is their head--for whom they were made (Col 1:16). Christ has freed the people of God to live under his dominion, and no longer under the reign of the Powers.

[Reinhardt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tastes different than what I am used to. I’m not sure I like it, but there are some intriguing flavors here than entice me to take another bite.

He basic argument is that angelic and demonic powers and all invisible powers are real, but not what you think. The powers are the invisible part of human power structures. The powers are fallen, but neither wholly evil nor whole good. In fact, similar to the idea of the flawed Greek gods who influence various people or nature. Sometimes his idea seem strained, as when he talks about the spirit of a mob being a real ‘spirit’ the drive the mob, but then dissipates with the mob. It seems like he’s extending the Platonic reality of ideals to the limit.

At some points, it seems to rely more on Homer than the Bible. Most of the argument could be cast into Hellenistic polytheism with its warring, conflicted gods. And in some sense, he believes there is ‘truth’ in ‘myth’ polytheism as he is essentially a Jungian with his reliance on archetypes.

He relies on some unorthodox sources for his argument, referring to the gospel of Thomas and even Gnostics to support his claims. He also rely heavily on Psuedopigrapha, which can be justified as revealing the context of the New Testament, but he seems to use them as proof texts to directly support his argument

His biggest flaw seems to be a massive semantic misunderstanding. He takes all the NT words for power and stirs them into one pot and uses the ambiguity to support his thesis on the nature of power. This approach seems flawed. Yes, the word for power can mean one thing here and another thing there, but that doesn’t mean that when used everywhere it means all things. Word meaning depend on context, an idea he pay lip service to but fundamentally ignores.

Overall, the book seems flawed and misguided but has some intriguing ideas that demand further attention.

[Laura S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d give it 4.5 stars. Wink opened up a fascinating study of the very real powers that are everywhere and in every institution (corporations, governments, churches, families, etc.). Because we have “thrown the baby out with the bathwater” as science, psychology, and technology have progressed, society has become suspicious, derisive, or completely hostile towards thinking about the spiritual power that shapes us every day. My mind was opened to think differently through this book. Three big takeaways I had:

1. The spirit of an organization is greater than the person who occupies the seat of leadership. It’s why different people with different styles and personalities may have that title, but nothing much changes. Any changes that need be made must be done so at the organization’s spiritual level. It has to be reminded of the good it was created for prior to it getting of track.

2. Someone can follow all of the rules of an organization without fault, yet if they violate the spirit of the organization, “the system will condemn him to death.” This is why Jesus HAD to die. He was innocent, but “he rejected [the Powers] spirituality.” He didn’t “get with the program,” “know his place,” or just decide to be a “good guy.” For those who find themselves in a similar predicament, what a painful and costly ordeal.

3. We all have an innate potential. That potential is to “always merely repeat the past, to go on being and doing what we have always been and done before.” The potential that God offers us through spiritual transformation is an overcoming of and becoming more than what we ever could be on our own.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've finally gotten around to starting this trilogy that has been on my to-read list for quite some time. Regarding this first volume, I would say it's very good as long as you can stomach some pretty technical material for the first 2/3 of the book.

In that section, Wink provides and interesting and comprehensive overview of the various Greek terms that are connected to the nebulous concept of "power" throughout the New Testament. Like I said, it's fairly dry and technical, as it's basically a series of word studies, but it does give the reader a glimpse of the diversity of terminology in the NT, as well as a strong insight into the complexities around understanding the worldview of the NT writers. The final section gets quite interesting, as Wink starts to put forward some interpretive ideas, although I suspect these get much more fleshed out in the following two volumes.

While I haven't read the whole trilogy yet, my suspicion is that reading this entry will serve the reader quite well for understanding Wink's overall project, even if it isn't the most gripping reading material on its own. If you don't want to do the full deep dive, then his one-volume "The Powers That Be" is quite good. For me, I'm excited to really get into the weeds, so this was a good step.

[John Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wink's treatment of the 'powers' is both academic and readable for a lay person. He does a great job explaining his explorations and conclusions. If you're at all interested in a biblical understanding of angels, demons, and spiritual beings, Wink is perhaps the best I've ever read. His final conclusions may be disappointing to some, as they disagree with culture's common assumptions, but because Wink is so thoroughly biblical and academic, he at least needs to be worked with. Personally, he has convinced me, a person who previously rejected any notion angels' reality, of a sensible approach to spiritual beings.

Highly recommend.

[Elliot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wink gives an in-depth background and analysis of the language of "powers" in the New Testament (authorities, principalities, etc.). I think this work pairs well with Barth's understanding of the Lordless Powers in his Christian Life Lecture Fragments. Winks added strength is in giving a constructive interpretation of the powers as spiritual and material. An interesting counterpoint to Bultmann's demythologizing....ultimately I think Wink is closer to the truth of the matter.

[Jonathan King · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I don't ultimately land in the same interpretative space as Wink, this book is a tremendous, foundational resource to furnish the Christian imagination with the Biblical - and extra-biblical - language of powers and principalities.

[Craig Dove · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not expecting this book to feel relevant to the BLM protests that have been happening since the time I started it, and I certainly don't think that Walter Wink was thinking specifically of structural racism... but I found it very relevant to the current moment.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Naming the Powers is the first book in Wink's trilogy about spiritual powers and principalities. This book can be skipped if you already have a theological foundation for spiritual power dynamics.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I do not agree with Wink on many points, but I love his analysis, this thoughtful reflection on scripture and the insight he brings. Looking forward to reading volume 2 and 3.

[5greenway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, close analysis - second part more discursive / interpretative, setting up future volumes nicely

[Garland Vance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this 3.5 stars if I could. I had to read this book for a class that I am taking, so the timing of reading the book was not the best. In other words, I think that this book could have been excellent if the timing of reading the book were a bit different--for example, if I were preparing to fight against some institutional evil and wanted to better understand the social and spiritual forces and how they collude with each other.

The book is divided into three parts:
Part 1 portrays an overview of word studies for the various words in the New Testament that deal with spiritual entities or powers, e.g. angels, thrones, rulers, etc.
Part 2 covers the most difficult passages in the New Testament that use one or more of the above-studied words and gives an interpretation of them based on the word studies of part 1.
Part 3 (which is by far the most interesting part of the book) gives 5 conclusions that deal with the spiritual and material powers and their degree of overlap and cooperation. In other words, the author makes the case that no human institution or role of power can be separated in the New Testament worldview from spiritual institutions or roles.

Although I only gave this book 3.5 stars, I do think that it will provide an indispensable reference for dealing with disputed passages in the New Testament that speak of power: 1 Cor. 2.6-8; Rom. 13.1-3; Rom. 8.38-39; 1 Cor. 15.24-27; Col. 2.13-15; Eph 1.20-23; Col. 1.16; Col. 2.9-10; Eph. 2.1-2; Eph 6.12; Eph 3.10. For this reason, I would certainly recommend this book to those who are responsible for regular exegesis or who are studying some of these difficult passages. Wink's contribution to the study of power will prove most helpful for you.

[J.D.]

This book was excellent in starting the Powers Trilogy by beginning to set the stage for a biblical understanding of the powers and their implications then and now(whether earthly or spiritual; good or bad, etc.). Unbeknownst to me I actually read The Powers that Be first several years ago and only discovered after the fact that it was a summary of the trilogy. While at first I felt silly for it, I'm glad that I had that and so the language was familiar as I approached this book. I don't believe I'm at the place to fully comprehend all the different implications Wink presents(mostly because some of the conversation is unfamiliar to me), I greatly appreciate what he brings to the conversation by means of trying to understand the powers. I'm looking forward to the two following books as well as getting my hands on anything I can by Wink.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book I wish I had read decades ago. Wink tackles theological issues that most shy away from. His is both a scholarly and compassionate look at how we think about the forces of evil and of good. He addresses the scandal of our calling ourselves monotheistic while naming a plethora of spiritual beings alongside of God. He closes with significant work around the power and usefulness of the stories and myths that we use to think about the powers.

This should be mandatory reading for every young seminarian. I'm looking forward to the other two books in the trilogy.

[Gene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sub title: "The Language of Power in the NT". Excellent treatment of the use of the language of "powers" in the NT which often have been not understood or badly interpreted. With this first of three volumes Wink not only gives a clear and forceful interpretation but shows how the often esoteric language of many of texts written as codes in times of persecution can provide for our age the same hopeful and challenging guidance as they did for our ancestors.

[Bill]

A theological treatise on the concept of "the powers" that situates them neither as simply metaphors of institutions nor literal supernatural entities, but rather as the inner metaphorical subjective "within-ness" of the concretion of power and institutions. Heady stuff but I learned a lot. 3.4 Martinie glasses

[Kitap]

In an odd synchronicity, it turns out that SF author Neal Stephenson has also been turned on to Wink's work.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

a solid introduction to Winks project. the first 2/3s is fairly dry word study work but the last third picks up substantially.

[Tony]

Economic and power elites are demonic forces that oppress the people.