Boundless God
The Spirit according to the Old Testament
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
The word rûaḥ (commonly translated as breath, wind, spirit, or Spirit) occurs in the Old Testament 378 times--more frequently than torah, shalom, or Sabbath. In this volume, a popular Old Testament scholar, whose previous books have received wide acclaim, cracks open the challenging and provocative world of the Spirit in the Old Testament, offering readers cogent yet comprehensive insights.
Grounded in scholarship yet accessible and inviting, this book unlocks the world of the Spirit, plunging readers into an imaginative realm of fresh senses, sounds, and skills. The book gives readers the opportunity to recapture Israel's tenacious sense of the Spirit's energy as it was expressed by a series of vibrant verbs: blowing, breathing, coming, resting, passing, pouring, filling, cleansing, standing, and guiding. Readers will encounter in these pages all of the Old Testament expressions of the Spirit--passages that will challenge the conventional, confront the commonplace, and transport them to a world of wisdom, work, and wonder.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Levison (Fresh Air), professor of Old Testament interpretation and biblical Hebrew at Southern Methodist University, expands upon his previous works in this helpful analysis. There's no real argument; instead, Levison explores the use of the concept of "spirit" across the Old Testament, focusing on the Hebrew word ruah which can appear in a variety of contexts and be used with verbs of different meaning. Ruah is, according to Levison's calculations, the most-used noun in the Old Testament occurring 378 times in the Hebrew text. He chooses thematic groupings to organize his exploration. For instance, Levison translates ruah as the spirit "blowing"; ruah as the spirit "resting upon," and also being "passed" on. Each possible translation is then developed in a thorough exploration of the thematic and theological context of particular books of the Old Testament. Chapters also open with a list of Bible sections that Levison suggests reading beforehand to better appreciate his discussion. Those looking for an academic Bible study guide or interested in the development of particular concepts within biblical interpretation will enjoy Levison's erudite take on the linguistic choices that form the foundation of the Old Testament.
