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A Boundless God: The Spirit according to the Old Testament
Christianity Today 2021 Award of Merit (Biblical Studies)
The word rûaḥ (commonly translated as breath , wind , spirit , or Spirit ) occurs in the Old Testament 378 times--more frequently than torah , shalom , or Sabbath . In this volume, a popular Old Testament scholar, whose previous books have received wide acclaim, cracks open the challenging and provocative world of the Spirit in the Old Testament, offering readers cogent yet comprehensive insights.
Grounded in scholarship yet accessible and inviting, this book unlocks the world of the Spirit, plunging readers into an imaginative realm of fresh senses, sounds, and skills. The book gives readers the opportunity to recapture Israel's tenacious sense of the Spirit's energy as it was expressed by a series of vibrant blowing , breathing , coming , resting , passing , pouring , filling , cleansing , standing , and guiding . Readers will encounter in these pages all of the Old Testament expressions of the Spirit--passages that will challenge the conventional, confront the commonplace, and transport them to a world of wisdom, work, and wonder.
The word rûaḥ (commonly translated as breath , wind , spirit , or Spirit ) occurs in the Old Testament 378 times--more frequently than torah , shalom , or Sabbath . In this volume, a popular Old Testament scholar, whose previous books have received wide acclaim, cracks open the challenging and provocative world of the Spirit in the Old Testament, offering readers cogent yet comprehensive insights.
Grounded in scholarship yet accessible and inviting, this book unlocks the world of the Spirit, plunging readers into an imaginative realm of fresh senses, sounds, and skills. The book gives readers the opportunity to recapture Israel's tenacious sense of the Spirit's energy as it was expressed by a series of vibrant blowing , breathing , coming , resting , passing , pouring , filling , cleansing , standing , and guiding . Readers will encounter in these pages all of the Old Testament expressions of the Spirit--passages that will challenge the conventional, confront the commonplace, and transport them to a world of wisdom, work, and wonder.
208 pages, Paperback
Published February 18, 2020
942 people want to read
About the author
Jack Levison
19 books30 followersJack Levison has a passion for ideas and an obsession with writing. Eugene Peterson called his book, Fresh Air: the Holy Spirit for an Inspired Life, “a rare and remarkable achievement,” and Scot McKnight, author of The Jesus Creed, considers Filled with the Spirit as “the benchmark and starting point for all future studies of the Spirit.” His latest books launch into what is for many readers foreign territory: The Holy Spirit before Christianity (Baylor University Press, 2019) and A Boundless God: The Spirit according to the Old Testament (Baker Academic, 2020). To support his writing obsession, Jack has received grants from the National Humanities Center, the Lilly Fellows Program, the Louisville Institute, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Rotary Foundation, the International Catacomb Society, the Sam Taylor Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Jack holds the W. J. A. Power Chair of Old Testament Interpretation and Biblical Hebrew at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. He lives in Dallas with his wife of 37 years, Priscilla Pope-Levison, associate dean for external programs and professor of ministerial studies at Perkins. His two adult children, Chloe and Jeremy, live in Dallas, as well, and are the source of considerable levity.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 9, 2020
So I spent a fair amount of time writing a review, but accidentally erased it. Not wanting to rewrite, I’ll keep this one short.
Pros:
Levison broadens the definition of “ruah” - the Hebrew word often translated as “spirit” - to show that no English word (spirit, breath, and wind) fully encapsulates the concept. The Spirit is all that, and much more. Thus, he often uses the term Spirit-breath, which is nice term for it.
Levison makes the point that the Spirit is not tangential in the OT, but is actually a foundational theme of the narrative.
The Spirit is not only active throughout the OT, but is also a variable entity. It is difficult to define the exact workings of the Spirit, as it operates in a realm that stretches beyond our human limitations. For instance, the person of the Spirit is both masculine and feminine, involved in both creation and salvation, and operates both through supernatural means and within human limitations.
The Spirit often intensifies existing gifts rather than work in completely supernatural means (although this doesn’t exclude supernatural workings at times).
The Spirit is involved in the sustaining of life for the Israelites, and therefore the common Christian thought that the consistent involvement of the Spirit only applies to post-Pentecost Christians is flawed.
Cons
Lack of structure - the reasoning of the book is unwieldy, mostly due to Levison’s organizational strategy rather than the quantity of information. He doesn’t consistently direct his interpretation back to his overall arguments. Therefore, the book primarily reads as a collection of scriptural commentaries that never coalesces into a larger argument. As a result, some of his conclusions in the last chapter are talked to death (the connection between ruah and wisdom) and some under-reasoned (the thought of the Holy Spirit being beyond gender).
Connected to the last - Levison never takes the next step in showing how this new understanding of the Spirit affects our praxis as believers. There are implications, of course, but nothing definitive. This would have helped bolster his argument that Christians have much to learn from the Spirit in the OT.
Pros:
Levison broadens the definition of “ruah” - the Hebrew word often translated as “spirit” - to show that no English word (spirit, breath, and wind) fully encapsulates the concept. The Spirit is all that, and much more. Thus, he often uses the term Spirit-breath, which is nice term for it.
Levison makes the point that the Spirit is not tangential in the OT, but is actually a foundational theme of the narrative.
The Spirit is not only active throughout the OT, but is also a variable entity. It is difficult to define the exact workings of the Spirit, as it operates in a realm that stretches beyond our human limitations. For instance, the person of the Spirit is both masculine and feminine, involved in both creation and salvation, and operates both through supernatural means and within human limitations.
The Spirit often intensifies existing gifts rather than work in completely supernatural means (although this doesn’t exclude supernatural workings at times).
The Spirit is involved in the sustaining of life for the Israelites, and therefore the common Christian thought that the consistent involvement of the Spirit only applies to post-Pentecost Christians is flawed.
Cons
Lack of structure - the reasoning of the book is unwieldy, mostly due to Levison’s organizational strategy rather than the quantity of information. He doesn’t consistently direct his interpretation back to his overall arguments. Therefore, the book primarily reads as a collection of scriptural commentaries that never coalesces into a larger argument. As a result, some of his conclusions in the last chapter are talked to death (the connection between ruah and wisdom) and some under-reasoned (the thought of the Holy Spirit being beyond gender).
Connected to the last - Levison never takes the next step in showing how this new understanding of the Spirit affects our praxis as believers. There are implications, of course, but nothing definitive. This would have helped bolster his argument that Christians have much to learn from the Spirit in the OT.
April 29, 2020
A BOUNDLESS GOD might have a misleading title, but it is certainly a worthwhile read! "Finding Christ in the Old Testament" is a bit of a trend over the past several years in books, conferences and sermons. While this book focuses on the Old Testament, it focuses instead on the use of the word "Spirit" or "spirit" in the OT, and what it can teach us as Christians.
Some people --- Christians and nonbelievers alike --- have the mistaken idea that the God presented in the OT is different from the God we find in Jesus and the writings of the New Testament. And some might believe that the Holy Spirit is also much different in the Old in comparison to the New. While the fully-formed doctrine of the role of the Holy Spirit as the third Person of the Godhead is only fully fleshed out in the NT, the auhtor of this work does a thorough word study of every appearance of "spirit" or "the Spirit" which occurs in the OT. This serves as proof that the Holy Spirit has always been an active participant in the works of God, and reading this book will open many eyes, and serve to make subsequent readings of the OT more meaningful. This volume is unique to treating this study of "spirit" for the entire OT. I heartily commend this book to pastors and teachers, as well as to any believer who wants to learn more about the Holy Spirit and see Him in action in all parts of Scripture.
Some people --- Christians and nonbelievers alike --- have the mistaken idea that the God presented in the OT is different from the God we find in Jesus and the writings of the New Testament. And some might believe that the Holy Spirit is also much different in the Old in comparison to the New. While the fully-formed doctrine of the role of the Holy Spirit as the third Person of the Godhead is only fully fleshed out in the NT, the auhtor of this work does a thorough word study of every appearance of "spirit" or "the Spirit" which occurs in the OT. This serves as proof that the Holy Spirit has always been an active participant in the works of God, and reading this book will open many eyes, and serve to make subsequent readings of the OT more meaningful. This volume is unique to treating this study of "spirit" for the entire OT. I heartily commend this book to pastors and teachers, as well as to any believer who wants to learn more about the Holy Spirit and see Him in action in all parts of Scripture.
August 4, 2020
In many ways a remarkable book, full of searing insights.
I have two slight criticisms. First, the first chapter is, in my opinion, poorly written. This is odd, considering that it was not so with the rest of the book, which I thought was written very well. In chapter one, especially when Levison was attempting to describe "breath," his language was esoteric and redundant, as though his explanations were inches from the ground but not able to touch down and explain breath in any sort of concrete way; ironically, his explanations were as inaccessible as catching a breath in one's grasp. I was initially frustrated, but starting in chapter two the explanations became crystal clear to me. After I finished the book, I even went back and tried to reread portions of chapter one, and I still didn't understand what Levison was trying to describe. I've written chapter one off as a loss. Second, organizing a book like this is difficult, I know, but I would have been interested to see not only how to discuss ruach through associated terms, but also how individual books of the Hebrew Bible described/understood ruach, with the ability to compare differences and similarities from one book to another.
Aside from these two mild concerns, I thought most of the book was fascinating and extremely helpful. A few important take aways:
1. It is not easy, or recommended, to too cleanly parse ruach between the common english glosses of breath, wind, spirit, and Spirit. In many instances some confluence of more than one are meant simultaneously, and the ancients were likely less concerned with such precision as are we.
2. When referring to the spirit "of God," the spirit often defies dichotomies. The spirit is not male or female, not either person or power, not either temporary or permanent, not only salvific or anthropological, but sometimes one or another of these, and sometimes more than these all at once. This is confusing and requires piercing insight when exegeting passages which refer to the spirit, but again, the ancients were not concerned with precise delineations like interpreters in our current day.
3. Interpreters often make a distinction between the work of the spirit before and after pentecost, but this is unwise. Most of what we think was introduced at pentecost can be found in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).
4. Maybe most important for me, the evidence does not suggest that the filling of the spirit "introduces" supernatural gifts and abilities, but only that the spirit guides, uses, and intensifies gifts and abilities already possessed and cultivated by the person in question. For example, in the Exodus, the spirit did not fill and then "create" artisans, but rather, the spirit came upon those who were already skilled artisans and filled them to guide them and inspire them in their tasks for God's purposes. In other words, the spirit does not work despite or outside of our extreme efforts to gain wisdom and cultivate our gifts, the spirit works "with" our efforts.
Much more could be said but these are some key points that stood out to me. It's an excellent book and one that I will definitely use in my own work as a reference.
I have two slight criticisms. First, the first chapter is, in my opinion, poorly written. This is odd, considering that it was not so with the rest of the book, which I thought was written very well. In chapter one, especially when Levison was attempting to describe "breath," his language was esoteric and redundant, as though his explanations were inches from the ground but not able to touch down and explain breath in any sort of concrete way; ironically, his explanations were as inaccessible as catching a breath in one's grasp. I was initially frustrated, but starting in chapter two the explanations became crystal clear to me. After I finished the book, I even went back and tried to reread portions of chapter one, and I still didn't understand what Levison was trying to describe. I've written chapter one off as a loss. Second, organizing a book like this is difficult, I know, but I would have been interested to see not only how to discuss ruach through associated terms, but also how individual books of the Hebrew Bible described/understood ruach, with the ability to compare differences and similarities from one book to another.
Aside from these two mild concerns, I thought most of the book was fascinating and extremely helpful. A few important take aways:
1. It is not easy, or recommended, to too cleanly parse ruach between the common english glosses of breath, wind, spirit, and Spirit. In many instances some confluence of more than one are meant simultaneously, and the ancients were likely less concerned with such precision as are we.
2. When referring to the spirit "of God," the spirit often defies dichotomies. The spirit is not male or female, not either person or power, not either temporary or permanent, not only salvific or anthropological, but sometimes one or another of these, and sometimes more than these all at once. This is confusing and requires piercing insight when exegeting passages which refer to the spirit, but again, the ancients were not concerned with precise delineations like interpreters in our current day.
3. Interpreters often make a distinction between the work of the spirit before and after pentecost, but this is unwise. Most of what we think was introduced at pentecost can be found in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).
4. Maybe most important for me, the evidence does not suggest that the filling of the spirit "introduces" supernatural gifts and abilities, but only that the spirit guides, uses, and intensifies gifts and abilities already possessed and cultivated by the person in question. For example, in the Exodus, the spirit did not fill and then "create" artisans, but rather, the spirit came upon those who were already skilled artisans and filled them to guide them and inspire them in their tasks for God's purposes. In other words, the spirit does not work despite or outside of our extreme efforts to gain wisdom and cultivate our gifts, the spirit works "with" our efforts.
Much more could be said but these are some key points that stood out to me. It's an excellent book and one that I will definitely use in my own work as a reference.
August 13, 2021
Levison's underlying argument in this book is a valuable one: that there is a richness and a mystery when it comes to the Hebrew scriptures' conception of divine spirit/breath/wind which is often lost or disregarded when it comes to Christianity's understanding of the Holy Spirit. The book itself is primarily a study of stories and passages from the Hebrew scriptures grouped around specific verbs describing the action and presence of the spirit, an organizational technique that is effective in providing direction without needing to encompass the text with comprehensive definitions. The verbs are Blowing/Breathing, Coming Upon, Resting Upon, Passed On, Poured Out, Filling, and Cleansing.
Levison's writing is particularly attuned to the poetic dimensions of the Hebrew language, and in the book writes with a firm grasp of the history of Israel and the development of biblical texts in a way that allows for helpful simplification and clear exposition. I did, however, find some aspects of the book repetitive, and some of the arguments or points made which were targeted toward a particular audience or against a certain historical interpretation did not feel relevant, or were perhaps a little more detailed than necessary. All in all, though, it was an enjoyable and informative read.
Levison's writing is particularly attuned to the poetic dimensions of the Hebrew language, and in the book writes with a firm grasp of the history of Israel and the development of biblical texts in a way that allows for helpful simplification and clear exposition. I did, however, find some aspects of the book repetitive, and some of the arguments or points made which were targeted toward a particular audience or against a certain historical interpretation did not feel relevant, or were perhaps a little more detailed than necessary. All in all, though, it was an enjoyable and informative read.
October 14, 2024
Jack Levison brings in great points relating to the Spirit's movement in the Old Testament. Levison takes the opportunity to tell fellow believers in Christ, as well as Jewish believers, that it is crucial to know the Spirit to be able to fully comprehend the Hebrew Bible. He points out how the Spirit of God was constantly more than just the wind or breath; it was a personal person of the Godhead that interacts with the creation of God.
He does take some leaps in his study where he claims that the Angel of the Lord mentioned in the Hebrew bible is possibly closer to the person of the Spirit than the personhood of the Son, which theological claims have been made before. He also mentions that with Samson, he had the Spirit stirring within him in a "Graveyard" at Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol, which is mentioned in Judges 13. I haven't heard that before or, when researched, found anything that supports that (as always I could be wrong), but besides those nitpicks, this is a great study book for those who haven't fully embraced the movement in the Spirit in the OT as they have seen it in the NT.
He does take some leaps in his study where he claims that the Angel of the Lord mentioned in the Hebrew bible is possibly closer to the person of the Spirit than the personhood of the Son, which theological claims have been made before. He also mentions that with Samson, he had the Spirit stirring within him in a "Graveyard" at Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol, which is mentioned in Judges 13. I haven't heard that before or, when researched, found anything that supports that (as always I could be wrong), but besides those nitpicks, this is a great study book for those who haven't fully embraced the movement in the Spirit in the OT as they have seen it in the NT.
September 17, 2021
Jack is one of my favorite teachers in person and in writing. I've learned more about the Holy Spirit from him than anyone else. His knowledge and study of scripture are inspiring. This book in particular will expand your understanding of the Spirit who always was, but doesn't always look like you expect.
December 27, 2020
This is an outstanding book about the way the Holy Spirit works throughout the Old Testament. It definitely opened my mind and deepened my understanding of the Spirt in my life, the Church and the world.
January 25, 2021
I can see why people love this book, but everything that people sold me on this book....didn't land for me. Oh well. Loved the way that he grouped the passages on the Spirit and it helped to see every use of ruach - not just the explicitly "Spirit" uses - together like this.
March 11, 2024
It took me a bit to get into this book, but I found it incredibly helpful when looking at different aspects of the Holy Spirit, and spirit, and breath, and wind. While it wasn’t a book I could pick up and read for hours, its nuggets of information kept me coming back to learn more.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews