Description
Jesus before Pentecost studies the history of Jesus’ ministry from William P. Atkinson’s Pentecostal perspective. This perspective affects both his method and the book’s content. In terms of method, Atkinson puts forward a strong argument for looking carefully at John’s Gospel, as well as the synoptic gospels, as a reliable historical source for Jesus’ life. In terms of content, his main areas of study follow key Pentecostal interests, summed up in the “foursquare” Pentecostal rubric of Jesus as Saviour, Healer, Baptiser in the Spirit, and Soon-Coming King. The picture that emerges offers fresh insights into Jesus’ life: notably, the symbolic meaning Jesus invested in the feeding of the five thousand; the effect that Jesus’ approach to healing the sick had on Him; the involvement of God’s Spirit in His life and in the lives of those around Him; and, lastly, His enigmatic predictions of his future coming. Overall, the study is both academically rigorous and warmly engaging. It will appeal to anyone who is interested in Jesus, regardless of whether or not they are associated with the Pentecostal tradition.
About the Author
William P. Atkinson is Senior Lecturer in Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies at the London School of Theology. He is the author of The “Spiritual Death” of Jesus (2009), Baptism in the Spirit (Lutterworth Press, 2012), and Trinity after Pentecost (Lutterworth Press, 2014).
Contents
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
1. Jesus through Different Eyes
2. Savior
3. Healer
4. Baptizer in the Spirit
5. Soon-Coming King
Bibliography
Subject Index
Author Index
Ancient Document Index
Endorsements and Reviews
Written with clarity and verve by a Pentecostal for Pentecostals, Atkinson offers a highly readable and creative contribution to Jesus research. Appealing to Pentecostal religious experiences as analogues, Atkinson builds a hermeneutical bridge for the imagination to the Jesus tradition. Fully aware that there is no such thing as value-free historical enquiry, his Pentecostal grid is not imposed but generates questions around the Pentecostal foursquare gospel – Saviour, Healer, Spirit baptiser, and Soon-Coming King. The result is studded with gems.
Graham H. Twelftree, Charles L. Holman Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, School of Divinity, Regent University
In this ambitious undertaking, William Atkinson seeks to identify the shape and contours of a Pentecostal study of the life of Jesus. Drawing heavily on his own Pentecostal context by means of the reception history of Jesus within early Finished Work Pentecostal literature, he sets forth an understanding of the person and work of Jesus from a Full Gospel perspective that focuses on Jesus as Saviour, Holy Spirit Baptiser, Healer, and Soon-Coming King, areas of enquiry that have often been underrepresented in the academy. Atkinson’s pioneering work bears much fruit and will no doubt generate others of its kind.
John Christopher Thomas, Clarence J. Abbott Professor of Biblical Studies, Pentecostal Theological Seminary
Readers interested in Pentecostals and their exegesis should find A. refreshing. He defends more than a christology but bears witness to ongoing encounter with the living Jesus.
Martin W. Mittelstadt, in The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol 80, No 4
