Charismatic Gifts in the Early Church

I enjoyed this book. I've often wondered why so many of the gifts disappeared from so much of the Church. I had read Jack Deere's _Surprised by the Power of the Spirit_ and remembered he mentioned a Scottish publisher's history book. In all my underlinings in Deere's book, I can't find that reference. But I did come here and find this book. It draws from the writings of early church fathers pertinent to the subject, and answers the question: The gifts continued another 250 years. They seemed to be withdrawn only when "the traditions of men" (Matthew 15) took over much of the church. Not all of the church. See _They Speak with Other Tongues_ by a reluctant author of the subject, John Sherrill of Guideposts. See _The Holy Spirit and You_ by Dennis Bennett. See Jack Deere's _Surprised by the Power of the Spirit_. See I Corinthians 1:4... I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5For in him you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge-- 6because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. 7Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. Evidently, we are not to lack any spiritual gift today. The questions the book raises in the reader's mind revolve around this one: how shall we fulfill that scripture in the "modern" church?

This review has been delayed for too long. However, as a gift, I have just been given the complete works of B. B. Warfield, Baker, 1932. And, as I am very interested in the activities of the Holy Spirit as attested to in the early Church, I thought of this book again instantly. It is a shame that almost only Pentecostal scholars have shown intense interest in the Holy Spirit as a major component in early Church history. But today, it appears there is a "Balkanized" Christianity that presents itself in both the Churches and to a large measure in the academy. However, there is a new generation of scholars just getting their start in early Church history and their interests are quite diverse. One would hope to see more on the topic of the Holy Spirit and the early Church. Which brings me back to this humble effort. This book is the author's PhD. dissertation updated and revised as needed. As I have not read the original, the last is a supposition. However, there appears to be no editorial hand at work. Therefore, this is not the literary output of a Mommsen or Tuchman. This is a very straightforward analysis of the available writings of the early Church Fathers on the topic of the Holy Spirit. Systematically, into the third century CE, the author finds universal support for the positive and active presence of the Holy Spirit in all writings of the Fathers that pertain. This was significant revisionism at the time of its publication in 1984. And I doubt, that anyone can with cause challenge the author's evidence and his conclusions excluding his discussion of the nature of Montanism and it's relationship to Roman orthodoxy. This is an important piece of scholarship that can not be disregarded by any academic writing on the Holy Spirit and the early Church. Also, it is easily read by a lay person regardless of the awkward prose. This book is most highly recommended by me. I found it concisely enlightening.

Trenchant analyses, singular perspective. A gift born of creative nature, and sedulous habit. Great work Dad!

If a scholarly but undersatandable review of the roots and early history of the charismatic gifts is what you seek, this is it! Dr. Kydd combines very high quality research with an equally impressive ability to make the results understandable and relevant. This revision of Kydd's doctoral thesis is perfect for the student of Pentecostalism or Church history, and also relevant to any interested soul who has encountered the charismtic manifestations.

It may surprise some Christians to learn that the gifts of the Holy Spirit did not die out at the end of the first century. Anyone doubting this should read Kydd's thorough investigation into the continuing presence of the gifts of the Spirit during the first three centuries of the Christian church. This scholarly--but by no means arid--study fills a deep need, for the church today often struggles to overcome its luke-warmness while failing to see the clear New Testament importance of the gifts of the Spirit for its daily life. The church began as a "little band of fisherman [and evolved] over the centuries until it [became] one of the dominant features of the Greek and Latin world. The Church grew astonishingly in size, power, and influence." (p. 86) Part of the explanantion for this evangelism explosion was not strategic planning or better schools of training, but, as Kydd says, the presence of Jesus himself and the sending of the Holy Spirit. Kydd offers irrefutable historical evidence that the gifts remained after the New Testament period as absolutely essential ingredients for the growth and life of the church. This work belongs in every thinking Christian's library