The Spirit in John’s Apocalypse

Despite the lack of unambiguous references to the Spirit, scholars have argued vigorously both for and against identifying some (though not all) of the occurrences of πνεῦμα as references to the Holy Spirit. In the last couple of decades, a renewed interest in the Apocalypse—especially by pentecostal biblical scholars—has led to a fresh discovery of its pneumatology, among other insights. This essay surveys the pneumatological components found in Revelation. Specifically, it investigates references to πνεῦμα, which naturally fall into four groupings: (1) the seven spirits, (2) John’s claim to be “in the Spirit,” (3) references to the Spirit speaking, and (4) the concept of “the Spirit of prophecy.”

Art · Literature · Pneumatology · Revelation · Theology · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Christian Theology and Mission · History · Pentecostalism and Christianity Studies · Philosophy