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Ecstasy and Intimacy: When the Holy Spirit Meets the Human Spirit
Countering the generic "spirituality" so popular today, Edith Humphrey presents an authentic Christian spirituality that draws on Scripture and the profound riches of the Christian tradition -- Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant. Humphrey shows how Christian spirituality is rooted in the Trinity, in the ecstasy ("going out" of oneself) and intimacy (profound closeness with another) marking the relations between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Countering the generic "spirituality" so popular today, Edith Humphrey presents an authentic Christian spirituality that draws on Scripture and the profound riches of the Christian tradition -- Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant. Humphrey shows how Christian spirituality is rooted in the Trinity, in the ecstasy ("going out" of oneself) and intimacy (profound closeness with another) marking the relations between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- GenresTheology
295 pages, Paperback
First published December 13, 2005
8 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Edith M. Humphrey
17 books18 followersEdith M. Humphrey (PhD, McGill University) is the William F. Orr Professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is the author of several books, including Grand Entrance: Worship on Earth as in Heaven and Ecstasy and Intimacy: When the Holy Spirit Meets the Human Spirit. She has also authored numerous articles on the literary and rhetorical study of the Bible.
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April 18, 2014
Edith M. Humphrey appears to have some association with Eugene Peterson, perhaps as a fan of his work. Ecstasy and Intimacy reminds me of much of his work, in language, passion and theme. It is not surprising to find Peterson offering the foreword. Peterson shares a passion for the early Church fathers and Church history. One thing that marks Humphrey's particular approach is an even higher attention given to the early Church fathers, writers and Church history. He is interested in a discussion of the Holy Spirit both in a historical and present modern context, moving between the apparent tension between doctrine and experience. He presents a sort of casual linear approach that is separated in to three sections (Love, Light and Life). These three sections represent broad categories of function regarding the place of the spirit in the world and in the believer. The casual dialogue is anchored in a recognizable theological movement from creation to fall to recreation. What is interesting about this approach is that it allows Humphrey to ponder the modern Christian experience, and the more pertinent issues surrounding expression of the spirit as "esctasy", while always remaining in the direct light of history, theological development and the foundation of the Church. It also allows him to push our limits, whether we find ourselves gravitating towards doctrine or experience, by challenging the status quo on both sides. This is refreshing as often writers will fall back on the safety of the middle road.
Perhaps more telling is Humphrey's approach. He maintains a tight conviction regarding the Christian story, carefully defining it in terms of the creation, the fall and the recreation. No matter our doctrine or experience he firmly believes that the spirit lives, breathes and moves within this framework. He is a traditionalist, but he expresses this tradition as a means of pushing us towards a more risky approach of complete abandonment to the experience of the spirit. He is neither dogmatic nor outright charismatic, all of which allows his insights to bear the weight of intellect while also challenging the status quo by pushing us towards what we can not ultimately understand (the mysteries of God and how God works). It is difficult to pigeon hold Humphrey in to any particular stereotype which also means it is difficult to simply write off his theories and speculations.
The first chapters deal well with the concept of Word, Wisdom, Knowledge and Faith, which works to anchor our experience and understanding of the spirit in the activity of God. It is a movement from God to us which allows us to function in relationship as an individual. It is the spirit which represents the active word of God in our lives, through which we are given wisdom which translates to knowledge from which we can then respond in faith. While this does reflect in part an intellectual exercise, the spirits movement points us to something much greater. Through this Humprey's casual conversation invites us to consider the problem of a low/high view of humanity. He contemplates the history of the wisdom metaphor, including the feminine language that this brings to our definition of God. He also spends some time pondering the historical issues and pretext for the a dialogue of Jesus as divine God or human person (or both). All of these things play in to and affect our understanding of how the Spirit moves (and thus how the Son moves in and from the Father). What makes his dialogue even more interesting is the attention he gives to the East/West divide and their theological development. The spirit becomes a much more difficult subject when examined through the light of the ongoing debate in the use of trinitarian language, something that remains pertinent in east/west approaches. Where this gets even more complicated is when we try to bridge the large theological trajectory in the emergence of the early Church and its writers, with the ongoing movement of the more contemplative mystic which seems to bind the Church with the prophets of old and the continuing call that affects the Christian body from the fringe and the trenches. It would seem that one can never truly escape the other, and thus they have forever moved hand in hand.
By far the most outstanding section is his work on the Life of the spirit, namely through the flames and icons of love which are demonstrated in relationship, friendship and intimacy. The way he moves through a traditionalist approach to marriage, friendship, singleness and family was fascinating to me, as his conservative convictions come across as fresh rather than static. It is hard to escape the idea that what he says really does matter. And what is especially fascinating is how he weaves the insights in to a sort of modern commentary on the current challenges of spirituality and faith, both regarding what he perceives as a misguided trajectory towards an unnecessary tension between world and spirit, faith and intellect, expression and doctrine. The problem is both a Christian and secular one. He spins a cautionary tale (all the while keeping a firm grip on the testimony of history and God's ongoing revelation) and points us towards what we might not expect, which is a certain charismatic push of the spirit which can draw us in to a greater understanding of the Christian story as one in which we retain a sense of God's activity of grace as that which gives breathe to our creativity. We cannot allow ourselves to fall back on excuses which either foster a low view of humanity and disconnects us with the world and our creative vices, or a high view of humanity which moves us away from God as the one from which the spirit move, lives and breathes and ultimately engages with our created (and creative) human spirit. There is something about the nature of relationships, whether in friendship, sexual, marriage, parental, brotherly that exposes the spirit as that which we least expect it to be, which charismatically declares the worth and creative essence of our human person from within a relationship with the Father/Son of the trinity. Here is reminds me very much of Anderson's "Becoming Human", and much of what Humphrey is doing becomes clear in these closing pages, which is that his exposition on the spirit is also a sort of modern day apologetic. So much of what it means to be human is to be caught up in the expressionist drama of recreation, which is the practical movement of the Spirit in our lives which are being lived out in a fallen world. Here Humphrey manages to channel some of N.T. Wrights most pertinent convictions as a prominent Eastern Orthodox thinker and theologian.
But he is clear to distance himself from what apologetics has become in more recent history. His is a more spiritual take to understanding what it means to be human and for God to be God (which is also to say that God is truth, Spirit, Son and Father). He challenges the reader in the end (and an absolutely fantastic conclusion) to consider the nature of the modern apologetic as definitively imbalanced and ineffective, and his words seem especially relevant at a time when "God's Not Dead" is being popularized through film, creedal focus and curriculum throughout Christian circles. What Humphrey wants to suggest is that a discussion of the Spirit can open us up to a necessary knowledge and wisdom regarding some of the big question of life, such as how and why relationships are so important, how God relates to suffering (and he devotes a decent section to this very question), and exactly what it means to be distinctly human and thus morally responsible. Along with this he looks at some of the big theological questions as well, such as what it means to be a free individual and a slave to Christ, what it means to be inclusive or exclusive, and how to navigate and communal and private expression of faith. His conclusion is that for as much as we can speak to our understanding of creator and creation, we will forever be creating an "object" of study rather than the experience of actively living our understanding out in ways that change us and demonstrate the spirit in every area of our lives.
This book was a welcome read at a time when I have really been wrestling (and continue to) with traditional Reformed theology. By not allowing me to categorize his writing and thoughts in to some broad caricatures or stereotypes he really forced me to wrestle with his words. In a sense he allowed me to find myself again with the Christian story in a way I haven't felt or been able to express in a long while. I have remained fearful of moving forward out of a sort of distrust for some of the more damaging theological reflections that I have come face to face with over the last few years, which has the unfortunate consequence of moving one to more private and personal spiritual expressions rather than communal. I left this book with a sense that in the Spirit we find a God in relationship, a relationship through which our own unique experiences as a human person can rediscover the nature and person of God (Father, Christ and Spirit) through our experiences as a family, as a sibling, as a son/daughter, as a husband/wife, as a friend and neighbor. All of these connections offer us a glimpse of what it means for God's spirit to meet our Spirit, and so much of this is rooted in the opportunity to be able to give and to receive, something that the creative act of God gives opportunity for through human creativity (defined as faith and response). This activity flows from God to us but in Spirit and through Spirit also point out to God in which we are able to see our true selves. I have struggled to gain a true sense of how the Christian faith can likewise center our perspective on God without loosing all sense of our own personhood. I am grateful that Humphrey has given me an inroad to seeing that it is a part of the Spirits role to give worth and awareness to both.
Perhaps more telling is Humphrey's approach. He maintains a tight conviction regarding the Christian story, carefully defining it in terms of the creation, the fall and the recreation. No matter our doctrine or experience he firmly believes that the spirit lives, breathes and moves within this framework. He is a traditionalist, but he expresses this tradition as a means of pushing us towards a more risky approach of complete abandonment to the experience of the spirit. He is neither dogmatic nor outright charismatic, all of which allows his insights to bear the weight of intellect while also challenging the status quo by pushing us towards what we can not ultimately understand (the mysteries of God and how God works). It is difficult to pigeon hold Humphrey in to any particular stereotype which also means it is difficult to simply write off his theories and speculations.
The first chapters deal well with the concept of Word, Wisdom, Knowledge and Faith, which works to anchor our experience and understanding of the spirit in the activity of God. It is a movement from God to us which allows us to function in relationship as an individual. It is the spirit which represents the active word of God in our lives, through which we are given wisdom which translates to knowledge from which we can then respond in faith. While this does reflect in part an intellectual exercise, the spirits movement points us to something much greater. Through this Humprey's casual conversation invites us to consider the problem of a low/high view of humanity. He contemplates the history of the wisdom metaphor, including the feminine language that this brings to our definition of God. He also spends some time pondering the historical issues and pretext for the a dialogue of Jesus as divine God or human person (or both). All of these things play in to and affect our understanding of how the Spirit moves (and thus how the Son moves in and from the Father). What makes his dialogue even more interesting is the attention he gives to the East/West divide and their theological development. The spirit becomes a much more difficult subject when examined through the light of the ongoing debate in the use of trinitarian language, something that remains pertinent in east/west approaches. Where this gets even more complicated is when we try to bridge the large theological trajectory in the emergence of the early Church and its writers, with the ongoing movement of the more contemplative mystic which seems to bind the Church with the prophets of old and the continuing call that affects the Christian body from the fringe and the trenches. It would seem that one can never truly escape the other, and thus they have forever moved hand in hand.
By far the most outstanding section is his work on the Life of the spirit, namely through the flames and icons of love which are demonstrated in relationship, friendship and intimacy. The way he moves through a traditionalist approach to marriage, friendship, singleness and family was fascinating to me, as his conservative convictions come across as fresh rather than static. It is hard to escape the idea that what he says really does matter. And what is especially fascinating is how he weaves the insights in to a sort of modern commentary on the current challenges of spirituality and faith, both regarding what he perceives as a misguided trajectory towards an unnecessary tension between world and spirit, faith and intellect, expression and doctrine. The problem is both a Christian and secular one. He spins a cautionary tale (all the while keeping a firm grip on the testimony of history and God's ongoing revelation) and points us towards what we might not expect, which is a certain charismatic push of the spirit which can draw us in to a greater understanding of the Christian story as one in which we retain a sense of God's activity of grace as that which gives breathe to our creativity. We cannot allow ourselves to fall back on excuses which either foster a low view of humanity and disconnects us with the world and our creative vices, or a high view of humanity which moves us away from God as the one from which the spirit move, lives and breathes and ultimately engages with our created (and creative) human spirit. There is something about the nature of relationships, whether in friendship, sexual, marriage, parental, brotherly that exposes the spirit as that which we least expect it to be, which charismatically declares the worth and creative essence of our human person from within a relationship with the Father/Son of the trinity. Here is reminds me very much of Anderson's "Becoming Human", and much of what Humphrey is doing becomes clear in these closing pages, which is that his exposition on the spirit is also a sort of modern day apologetic. So much of what it means to be human is to be caught up in the expressionist drama of recreation, which is the practical movement of the Spirit in our lives which are being lived out in a fallen world. Here Humphrey manages to channel some of N.T. Wrights most pertinent convictions as a prominent Eastern Orthodox thinker and theologian.
But he is clear to distance himself from what apologetics has become in more recent history. His is a more spiritual take to understanding what it means to be human and for God to be God (which is also to say that God is truth, Spirit, Son and Father). He challenges the reader in the end (and an absolutely fantastic conclusion) to consider the nature of the modern apologetic as definitively imbalanced and ineffective, and his words seem especially relevant at a time when "God's Not Dead" is being popularized through film, creedal focus and curriculum throughout Christian circles. What Humphrey wants to suggest is that a discussion of the Spirit can open us up to a necessary knowledge and wisdom regarding some of the big question of life, such as how and why relationships are so important, how God relates to suffering (and he devotes a decent section to this very question), and exactly what it means to be distinctly human and thus morally responsible. Along with this he looks at some of the big theological questions as well, such as what it means to be a free individual and a slave to Christ, what it means to be inclusive or exclusive, and how to navigate and communal and private expression of faith. His conclusion is that for as much as we can speak to our understanding of creator and creation, we will forever be creating an "object" of study rather than the experience of actively living our understanding out in ways that change us and demonstrate the spirit in every area of our lives.
This book was a welcome read at a time when I have really been wrestling (and continue to) with traditional Reformed theology. By not allowing me to categorize his writing and thoughts in to some broad caricatures or stereotypes he really forced me to wrestle with his words. In a sense he allowed me to find myself again with the Christian story in a way I haven't felt or been able to express in a long while. I have remained fearful of moving forward out of a sort of distrust for some of the more damaging theological reflections that I have come face to face with over the last few years, which has the unfortunate consequence of moving one to more private and personal spiritual expressions rather than communal. I left this book with a sense that in the Spirit we find a God in relationship, a relationship through which our own unique experiences as a human person can rediscover the nature and person of God (Father, Christ and Spirit) through our experiences as a family, as a sibling, as a son/daughter, as a husband/wife, as a friend and neighbor. All of these connections offer us a glimpse of what it means for God's spirit to meet our Spirit, and so much of this is rooted in the opportunity to be able to give and to receive, something that the creative act of God gives opportunity for through human creativity (defined as faith and response). This activity flows from God to us but in Spirit and through Spirit also point out to God in which we are able to see our true selves. I have struggled to gain a true sense of how the Christian faith can likewise center our perspective on God without loosing all sense of our own personhood. I am grateful that Humphrey has given me an inroad to seeing that it is a part of the Spirits role to give worth and awareness to both.
October 31, 2020
This book might seem like it is for scholars or deep thinkers. Maybe that is right. But for a non-scholar like myself I found the focus of this book to be incredibly contemporary given that it was written in 2006. For me, 2006 feels like a billion years ago!
Humphrey does some great work describing the Holy Spirit and also a trinitarian view of reality early on in the book but later digs deep into the contemporary questions and challenges to what I will call orthodoxy. She challenges what she sees as the steps that some Christians are taking away from traditional readings and understandings of Christianity. So she is a conservative when it comes to the Christian faith but she is an erudite conservative and not just a right wing shill. This is refreshing! (I mean seriously, thank God for this thoughtful and engaged approach) She has read deeply from the left side of Christianity and listened carefully to the arguments.
Although I found some of her critiques to come from examples of the leftist views that were more radical and therefore, focus on the more extreme deviations from orthodoxy. At one point she does critique Marcus Borg, who is very popular and also more moderate and measured. While I laud her informed approach and I also definitely hear her concern of losing the healthy elements of orthodoxy, I wonder if she is ALSO concerned about the disturbing abuses from the right wing side of things. Lots of terrible behavior and uncritical partnership with capitalism, war and politics are certainly problematic parts of the conservative approach to faith.
What about a more centrist approach? Why cant one incorporate some elements of the so-called left side of Christianity, for example the profound concern about justice issues and additional concern about abusive and manipulative spirituality? Of course, no side of these discussions is perfect but I think there is definitely some tensions that are not helpfully resolved or addressed by holding the line on orthodoxy, even though she does it in a winsome and helpful way. Perhaps she has addressed some of the current challenges in more recent publications? I cant help but think that some dialogical thinking would strengthen her arguments.
But despite this small quibble, i loved the book and i like her approach. I think if more people could read widely and thoughtfully on all sorts of issues the world would be a more sane place. I found this one on a friends bookshelf...friend lend friends great books! :)
Quote:
“Some of this may not “wash well” with those of us this side of the Reformation, who rightly emphasize the grace of Christ, his gift of redemption to us. Yet we must remember that Christianity is not Gnosticism: we are not a movement that believes in salvation through knowledge. No, our salvation is a result of the faithfulness of God himself, and it is a salvation that calls us to participate fully in Christ.”
72
"No, the Christian principle, derived form our personal God, and the salvation story, is 'we are loved, therefore we are.' We begin, so far as we are able, with the living God who shows himself to us in various ways, but most perfectly in and through his Son. It is not, then, that our 'religion' is superior. Instead, we abide within the Christian story and so must affirm two 'scandals.'"
213
Humphrey does some great work describing the Holy Spirit and also a trinitarian view of reality early on in the book but later digs deep into the contemporary questions and challenges to what I will call orthodoxy. She challenges what she sees as the steps that some Christians are taking away from traditional readings and understandings of Christianity. So she is a conservative when it comes to the Christian faith but she is an erudite conservative and not just a right wing shill. This is refreshing! (I mean seriously, thank God for this thoughtful and engaged approach) She has read deeply from the left side of Christianity and listened carefully to the arguments.
Although I found some of her critiques to come from examples of the leftist views that were more radical and therefore, focus on the more extreme deviations from orthodoxy. At one point she does critique Marcus Borg, who is very popular and also more moderate and measured. While I laud her informed approach and I also definitely hear her concern of losing the healthy elements of orthodoxy, I wonder if she is ALSO concerned about the disturbing abuses from the right wing side of things. Lots of terrible behavior and uncritical partnership with capitalism, war and politics are certainly problematic parts of the conservative approach to faith.
What about a more centrist approach? Why cant one incorporate some elements of the so-called left side of Christianity, for example the profound concern about justice issues and additional concern about abusive and manipulative spirituality? Of course, no side of these discussions is perfect but I think there is definitely some tensions that are not helpfully resolved or addressed by holding the line on orthodoxy, even though she does it in a winsome and helpful way. Perhaps she has addressed some of the current challenges in more recent publications? I cant help but think that some dialogical thinking would strengthen her arguments.
But despite this small quibble, i loved the book and i like her approach. I think if more people could read widely and thoughtfully on all sorts of issues the world would be a more sane place. I found this one on a friends bookshelf...friend lend friends great books! :)
Quote:
“Some of this may not “wash well” with those of us this side of the Reformation, who rightly emphasize the grace of Christ, his gift of redemption to us. Yet we must remember that Christianity is not Gnosticism: we are not a movement that believes in salvation through knowledge. No, our salvation is a result of the faithfulness of God himself, and it is a salvation that calls us to participate fully in Christ.”
72
"No, the Christian principle, derived form our personal God, and the salvation story, is 'we are loved, therefore we are.' We begin, so far as we are able, with the living God who shows himself to us in various ways, but most perfectly in and through his Son. It is not, then, that our 'religion' is superior. Instead, we abide within the Christian story and so must affirm two 'scandals.'"
213
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December 5, 2008I just read an article about her teaching at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and her long ago being a little girl who wrote to C.S.Lewis. He was the inspiration that lead her to where she is now.
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July 16, 2017From William.
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