How the Pauline Spirit-metaphors Express the Intangible Spirit's Tangible Presence in the Life of the Christian

Download or read book How the Pauline Spirit-metaphors Express the Intangible Spirit's Tangible Presence in the Life of the Christian written by Erik M. Konsmo and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 654 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the Pauline literature of the New Testament, the characteristics of the Spirit and the Christian life are described through the use of metaphor. An interpreter of Paul must understand his metaphors in order to arrive at a complete understanding of the Pauline pneumatological perspective. The aim of this study is to examine how the Pauline Spirit-metaphors express the intangible Spirit's tangible presence in the life of the Christian. Rhetoricians prior to and contemporary with Paul discussed the appropriate usage of metaphor. Aristotle's thoughts provided the foundation from which these rhetoricians framed their arguments. After a survey of metaphor in the Greco-Roman world during the NT period, then modern approaches to metaphor are studied. The modern linguistic theories of substitution, comparison, and verbal-opposition are offered as representative examples. The conceptual theories of interaction, cognitive-linguistic, and the approach of Kövecses are surveyed. It is important to understand the systematic and coherent attributes of metaphors. These can be divided into structural, orientational, and ontological characteristics, which are rooted in the conceptual approach of metaphor asserted by Lakoff and Johnson (cognitive-linguistic). These characteristics are evaluated against each of the Pauline Spirit-metaphors. The Pauline Spirit-metaphors can be categorized as metaphors of re-creation, progression, and consummation, which mirror the three stages of the Christian life. The Pauline Spirit-metaphors of baptism (1 Cor. 12:13), drink (1 Cor. 12:13), circumcision (Rom. 2:29), and adoption (Rom. 8:15, 23) belong in the category of "re-creation." These metaphors describe the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian at the point of conversion. The metaphors of progression include walk (Gal. 5:16, 25), fruit (Gal. 5:22), temple (1 Cor. 3:16), filled (Eph. 5:18), quench (1 Thess. 5:19), sword (Eph. 6:17), and law (Rom. 8:2). These explicate the development of holiness that a Christian experiences during life on earth through the power and presence of the Spirit. The Pauline images of seal (2 Cor. 1:21-22; Eph. 1:13; 4:30), down-payment (2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; and Eph. 1:13-14) and first fruits (Rom. 8:23) are his Spirit-metaphors of consummation. These emphasize the future consummation that has yet to be experienced by those alive in Christ's Spirit on earth.