Re-reading the Old Testament Prophets - The Spirit of God In The Exilic Seers

The book investigates theology of the exilic prophets in their interpretation of the meaning and significance of the Spirit of God by using the form traditio- historical and classical exegetical methods. It explores how the exilic seers namely Ezekiel, Deutero-Isaiah, and Jeremiah exhibit contextual reading by interpreting the Spirit of God in the setting of Babylonian domination of the sixth century BCE. The book demonstrates that the understanding of the Spirit of God had undergone changes in different situations. It suggests a possibility of contextual reading of the Bible and demonstrates a hope to formulate contextual pneumatology.

B. Lalnunzira is an ordained minister of the Mizoram Presbyterian Church. He earned MTh degree from United Theological College, Bangalore, and PhD from Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California (USA). He teaches Biblical languages and Old Testament at the Aizawl Theological College, Aizawl, Mizoram.

This book is a study of the understanding of the Spirit of God in the writings of the Exilic Prophets. It seeks to explore how exilic prophets such as Ezekiel, Deutero-Isaiah, and Jeremiah construe the meaning, significance, and operation of the Spirit of God in the context of the Babylonian Exile of the sixth century BCE. As a backdrop, the book discusses how other books of the Old Testament portray the Spirit of God in different situations. The book brings out interpretation of the spirit (ruah) of God in different contexts and how the exilic prophets domesticate the role and function of the Spirit of God in a particular time and space, which is the Babylonian imperial domination. Hence, it is a rereading of the Old Testament Prophets in general and the Exilic Seers in particular. The book shows that the understanding of the Spirit of God developed over a period of time in the Old Testament period. It is evident that the Spirit of God operated contextually as portrayed by biblical authors, including the Exilic Prophets. The book intimates interpreters a possibility to bring out contextual pneumatology.

I thank Mr. Sudhanshu Kanda and the team of Christian World Imprints (CWT) for their efforts in publishing this book. 1 hope and pray that this humble work will contribute to understand how Biblical texts have meaning and significance in specific contexts.

1. The Research Question

The Old Testament contains a number of references to the "Spirit of God" in different forms. A cursory survey of the Old Testament shows that the understanding of the Spirit of God seems to be divergent in different books of the Old Testament. The most popular term used to refer spirit in the Old Testament is ruah. The term is used most frequently to mean power or spirit.' However, it has variety of meaning such as "wind," "breathe," "life" etc. Even when applied to God, it seems to signify various connotations.

Interestingly, prophetic literature of the exilic period represents quite a number of statements about the Spirit of God.' Traces of peculiar usage of the Spirit of God may be noticed in this prophetic literature as we compare with other Old Testament books. While the Spirit of God is no more associated with the succeeding kings after David, the exilic prophets associated the Spirit of God with kingship (Isa. 42:1). While pre-exilic reforming prophets normally never speak of the possession of the spirit in order to justify or authenticate their vision, the Spirit of God is portrayed as an inspiring force in the exilic prophets (Ezek. 11:4-6; Isa. 48:16). A distinctive understanding of the Spirit of God seems to be appeared in the prophetic literature as the term spirit seems to connote a person (Isa. 48:16). New concepts seem to have been developed in this time as the Spirit of God appears to be a permanent gift (Ezek. 36:27), having universal significance (Isa. 44:1-5); and it seems to be associated with eschatological element as it will be poured upon the house/seed of Israel (Isa. 43: 3; Ezek.39: 29). A new role is seemingly given to the Spirit of God, as endowment of the spirit signifies giving new life and restoration (Ezek. 37: 14). The significance of the Spirit of God in the exilic prophet is well attested as even some scholars find continuity of the exilic (and post-exilic) prophetic understanding of the Spirit of God in the New Testament."

2. Survey of Previous Research

A review of the previous research on the subject reveals that most of the studies done by scholars are general survey on the understanding of the Spirit of God and so far no specific study was done on the meaning and significance of the Spirit of God in the writings of the exilic prophets. However, there are some works generally related to the study in various forms. Walter Eichrodt in his Theology of the Old Testament Vol. II surveys the meaning and function of the Spirit (spirit) of God under the title "The Cosmic Power of God" in which four main features of the meaning and functions of the Spirit of God are narrated. William Dyrness in Themes in Old Testament Theology traces the theological development of the Spirit of God. However, a detailed study on the exilic prophets is not done." Important works on the subject are also seen in An Outlines of Old Testament Theology by Th. C. Vriezen; The Distinctive Ideas of the Old Testament by Norman H. Snaith. A study on the term "Spirit" and "the Spirit of God" are seen in Lexicons and Dictionaries. The role of the Spirit of God in exilic period is dealt with by Richard J. Sklba in his article entitled "Until the Spirit from on High is Poured Out on Us (Isa. 32:15): Reflections of the Role of the Spirit in the Exile." This article surveys the development of the concept in the time of the exilic and postexilic age, as reflected from the perspectives of royal theologies, prophetic theologies, and rural theologies. According to Sklba, the functions of the Spirit during the exilic period were determined by variety of thoughts derived from various sources. However, a special treatment on the prophets is lacking. M. R. Westhall who works on "The Scope of the Spirit of God in the Old Testament" suggests a debatable conclusion that the Spirit of God in the Old Testament is predominantly the transcendent power of God at work upon selected individuals and not necessarily a moral power.