Filled with the Spirit

by John Levison

Containing meticulous, up-to-date scholarship yet written in a flowing, enjoyable style, this comprehensive book takes readers on a journey through a breathtaking array of literary texts, encompassing the literature of Israel, early Judaism, the Greco-Roman world, and the New Testament. John R. Levison's skill with ancient texts -- already demonstrated in his acclaimed The Spirit in First-Century Judaism -- is here extended to a myriad of other expressions of the Spirit in antiquity. <!--Jack Levison-->

Genres: Theology

500 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Tyler Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The two, the so-called life principle and the spirit of God, I am convinced, were understood to be one and the same. The initial endowment of God's spirit at birth must not, therefore, be understood as an inferior presence, a merely physical reality, in comparison with charismatic endowments, but rather in its own right as a vital and powerful presence with its own supernatural effects." (12)

This book is a massively sweeping survey of what is meant by a "filling with the spirit" from the Hebrew Bible to the New Testament. Levison has two major aims. First, he wants to dismantle the dichotomy between spirit as an initial endowment which sustains human life and spirit as a subsequent endowment which leads to more miraculous and mysterious effects. Second, he wants to describe 'spirit' in these texts without the anachronism of using the ideas and categories of the Christian theological tradition.

I would have given the book 3.5 stars if the option was available. It is a crucial and unavoidable work in the history of research on spirit (or the Spirit) within the matrix of texts connected to the Bible and there is a lot of really good material. But I'm giving it a lower rating because I felt like it became less compelling as it went along, especially in specific readings of New Testament texts and in working to sustain an overall narrative of how concepts of spirit developed.

Levison offers in depth analysis of texts in three traditions: Israelite, Jewish, and Early Christian. He comes to these texts to see specifically what they have to say about being filled with (the) spirit. If you have read his earlier book, "The Spirit in First Century Judaism," there will a fair amount of familiar material, especially in the middle section.

Filled with the Spirit covers a lot of material. Levison has put in a lot of work with these texts and it is very plainly to the reader's advantage. He also writes very well and presents his analysis in a way that does not too heavily tax the reader. The real strength of the book is the way Levison draws us into these texts. Many of his readings and conclusions are bold (if not provocative) and will not gain immediate agreement, but the beauty is that we will have to face these texts just as Levison has in order to get on with what we really think ourselves.

One of my favourite things about the book is the way he incorporates and pays homage to Hermann Gunkel. Gunkel has been important for my own work but Levison has taught me to appreciate him even more.

I will note just two places where I found myself with serious questions about his readings. First, in dealing with Exodus 28 and the filling of Bezalel and Oholiab, he argues that the Hebrew verb for 'filling' emphasizes "the lavishness of this filling much more than upon the initial gift of this spirit" (58). This makes sense with his main thrust which downplays subsequent 'fillings' other than that which is given at birth. But it seems to me that he too constrictively frames this verb. I'm not so sure that a temporal element where 'filling' occurs is left out as completely as Levison describes.

Second, in the section on the New Testament he on several occasions sees allusions in these texts to the LXX. Most of these seem significantly overplayed in my judgement. The most clear example of this seems to be in relation to Acts 13 where Paul defends himself from the accusation of madness (353). The phrases that Levison lists as being allusions to the LXX appear to be far too common to take seriously as pointing back to other texts (such as "now listen", which he acknowledges may be a stretch). There are other places where I think this critique sticks (see 257ff and 414) but I could also point out a few places where I think the argument relies on a questionable reading of the Greek text. For example, on 261 he makes much of the a preposition (επι) which is probably better explained in terms of post-Classical Greek usage than as a theological rhetorical device.

Besides these points on particular readings, I'm not sure that the overall narrative that Levison uses works. For the most part, he offers very level-headed and interesting readings of individual texts. But there are places where the lines he draws between them seem to grow thin. This is just to say that at times the narrative seems to submerge the texts themselves.

I have given more time to some of my questions about this work, but I would still highly recommend it. This is an example of how to do academic writing winsomely. If you need to engage with the academic study of spirit in relation to these texts you will almost surely have to read and deal with Levison. I'm happy to say that you can look forward to the encounter. I will undoubtedly come back to this book myself.

[Jeremy Garber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Levison provides a nuanced and readable summary of the various understandings of spirit and Holy Spirit in both the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. He chooses (unusually) to frame his exploration through a dialogue with late 19th century German scholar Hermann Gunkel, who argued that the Spirit was solely mysterious, supernatural and overwhelming. In contrast, Levison sees evidence that the Hebrews understood spirit as both that which God implants in human beings at their birth, and a spirit of inspiration at particular moments in history. In the post-exilic period, the Essenes understood spirit as a communal endowment, while Hellenized Jews incorporated the Socratic idea of daimon and the ecstatic features of Greek religion into their understanding of spirit. Finally, the New Testament writers shy away from spirit as something essential in humans, insisting on the completely new gift of the spirit of Jesus Christ and combined with the Essenes’ communal emphasis and a careful adaptation of the ecstatic properties of the Greek influence. Levison writes academically but with a vivid prose style that makes his arguments compelling and easy to follow. Recommended for biblical scholars, theologians, and laypersons interested in the complexities of what ruach and pneuma are all about.

[Brian LePort · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe the best book on early Jewish and Christian pneumatology available. It opened so many avenues of thought for me and continues to inspire and motivate my own thinking and research.