Holy Spirit and Religious Experience in Christian Literature ca. AD 90-200

Holy Spirit and Religious Experience seeks to find out how far the centrality of the Holy Spirit in Christian experience during the earliest period of the church was maintained or diminished in the third to the fifth generations (ca. AD 90-200). Three themes are explored. First, the sense of encounter with the divine presence, the numinous, a sense of being caught up into the divine being or being overwhelmed by the One who is beyond us. Secondly, a sense of being illuminated in respect to the truth, given deeper understanding of God's purpose, whether for the individual or the congregation, or guided in decision-making. Thirdly, a sense of ethical empowerment, an awareness of being helped by divine power, assisted in a course of action or development of character, in grappling with temptation, or in the ultimate test of loyalty, martyrdom. This book is arranged geographically, from Syria and Asia Minor in the East to Rome and Gaul in the West, including North Africa and Egypt. Christian authors within these areas are examined chronologically, from the later New Testament writers through the second century to Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian of Carthage, for the evidence they supply. The variegated picture which emerges, it is contended, reflects second-century Christianity. ""Scholars have come to very different conclusions about the experience of the Spirit of Christianity in the early post-apostolic generations. Morgan-Wynne discusses all the evidence thoroughly, recognizes the diversity of the period, and reaches some well based conclusions. This will be a standard resource for its topic."" --Richard Bauckham, Professor of New Testament Studies and Bishop Wardlaw Professor, St. Mary's College, University of St. Andrews, Fife, UK ""With his fine knowledge of ancient Greek and his well-honed skills in exegeting the nuances of New Testament Greek, Dr. Morgan-Wynne is ideally placed to fill this gap in scholarship on the Holy Spirit in the early patristic church."" --James D.G. Dunn, Emeritus Lightfoot Professor of Divinity, University of Durham, UK ""Morgan-Wynne's excellent book demonstrated the consistency, contrasts and developments in the early Christians' understanding of the experience of the Holy Spirit from around AD 90 to 200. Since there has been no book like this since 1899, this indispensable guide to a vital topic is even more to be welcomed."" --Paul Trebilco, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Otago, New Zealand John Eifion Morgan-Wynne was born in Old Colwyn, North Wales, He gained degrees in history and theology at Oxford, and was ordained to the Baptist Ministry in 1962. He was awarded an Oxford BD (thesis on the atonement in John's Gospel and his First Epistle) in 1966. He was tutor at Regent's Park College, Oxford, 1965 to 1987, Principal of Bristol Baptist College, 1987 to 1993, and minister at Ilkley Baptist Church, 1994 to 2002.