The Holy Spirit: Growth of a Biblical Tradition

This book is an extremely useful treatment of the appearance of the Spirit throughout biblical and Qumran literature. It is organized by books of the Bible (in order of their composition), but often draws conclusions after a number of related texts have been treated. These conclusions build, as the experience of the Spirit changes and becomes more complex over the centuries of Hebrew and Greek thought. The author is sensitive to the nuances of the Hebrew and Greek words translated by the English "spirit," and also to the literary, theological and historical contexts in which the sometimes sparse references to "spirit" are embedded. There is considerable interpretation within the short treatments of individual passages, but it seemed to me to be fairly transparent, so that someone with questions or objection to the angles Montague took would be able easily to identify where interpretations diverged. I also appreciated the clarity of the author's style, making what is to a certain extent an encyclopedia into a pleasant and illuminating reading experience. The Rev. Dr. Linda L. Clader, Professor of Homiletics, Church Divinity School of the Pacific

Pope John Paul II has encouraged Roman Catholics to make 1998 the year of the Holy Spirit in preparation for the millenium. is an ideal guidebook for this enterprise. Fr. Montague is an eminent scripture scholar, and has been an impressive theological apologist for the Catholic Charasmatic renewal movement. His exposition of the scriptural basis for the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers is both scholarly and leading to devotion. The material dealing with Old Testament references is somewhat dry and plodding. But, the New Testament commentary is fresh, accessible, and truly "inspiring." All intelligent Christians will gain knowledge from Fr. Montague's illumination of the 3rd Person of the Trinity--but, more than that they will become more aware of the power of the Spirit in their lives.