Comments on: Letter to a Pentecostal Scholar IV: opportunities for biblical scholarship

By: Wolfgang Vondey

Wolfgang Vondey — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:47:02 +0000

Thanks for the tip, Jon. It reminds me of one of the influential texts in my career, “Deuteronomy and the Fire of God” by Rickie Moore (JPT 7, 1995, 11-33). It portrays what happens at Pentecost in the terms of the fiery revelation of God at Mt. Horeb. Here Pentecostal hermeneutical method and interpretation of content come together.

By: Jon Ruthven

Jon Ruthven — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 01:59:31 +0000

Pentecostal scholarship in fact *does* bring something to the table. For example, I was amazed to discover that traditional scholarship had never noted (as far as I was able to discover) the climactic quotation of arguably the most important speech in Christian history: Peter’s (Luke’s) Pentecost sermon. The content of Isa 59:21 cited in Acts 2:39, it seems, was simply too “Pentecostal” for traditional scholarship to acknowledge, particularly as it asserted that the essence of the New Covenant, was not a sacrifice for sins, but the gift of the prophetic Spirit. (“‘This Is My Covenant with Them’: Isa 59:21 as the Programmatic Prophecy of the New Covenant in Acts,” JPT 17 (2008), 2 parts. This was a revolutionary insight for me–to the extent that it reframed my understanding of the Christian message. It’s summarized in *What’s Wrong with Protestant Theology* (Tulsa: Word & Spirit).

By: Wolfgang Vondey

Wolfgang Vondey — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 17:50:56 +0000

Well said, Ewen. The challenge is not just a Pentecostal one, at least as far as engaging common interpretive methods. However, the issue I see as critical is much less the question if the historical-critical method (or any other method for that matter) is appropriate for Pentecostals. More significant for me is the individualization of biblical interpretation Pentecostals have adopted from an Evangelical mindset. I see in the work of Rickie Moore, Kenneth Archer, and others (and to the same extent also in theological hermeneutics in the writings of Amos Yong) a communal emphasis on biblical studies that I believe is missing in practice on the ground.

By: Ewen Butler

Ewen Butler — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 17:21:30 +0000

Thanks for some more great reflections, Dr. Vondey! I have to admit I still wrestle somewhat with how a Pentecostal communal hermeneutic works out in practice. While Spirit and Scripture work in tandem, I find a sense of security in holding to the historical-critical method as perhaps a tool in the ‘hand’ of the Spirit to facilitate meaning. I may indeed have a fairly accurate self-understanding of what it meant for me or anyone else to have been a Pentecostal three decades ago. It was a time when few exegetes gave much attention to authorial intent. However, I have since become far more cautious! Navigating between what ‘seems like’ or ‘feels like’ how the Spirit is usng an ancient text versus its plain meaning arrived at through the use of historical-critical tools is still a challenge on the ground!!