The Holy Spirit and Ethics in Paul

Volker Rabens answers the question of how, according to Paul, the Holy Spirit enables religious-ethical life. In the first part of the book, he discusses the view that the Spirit is a material substance which transforms people ontologically by virtue of its physical nature. In the second part, he offers a fresh approach to the ethical work of the Spirit based on a relational concept of Paul's theology. It is primarily through a deeper knowledge of, and an intimate relationship with God, Jesus Christ and the community of faith that people are transformed and empowered by the Spirit for a religious and ethical life. The author establishes this thesis on the basis of an exegetical study of a variety of passages from the Pauline corpus. In addition, he demonstrates that Paul lived in a context in which this dynamic of ethical empowering was part of the religious framework of various Jewish groups."This is a beautifully written book, detailed, stimulating and fresh. Its central thesis is strongly argued and makes an important contribution to understanding Paul's ethics, theology and pneumatology."Jane Heath in The Expository Times 123 (2010), p. 138"[The] book is an engaging read, and Rabens makes his case persuasively. [...] Rabens has provided us with a fascinating and convincing account of how the process of `walking in the Spirit' takes place." Gary W. Burnett in Journal for the Study of the New Testament 33.5 (2011), p. 84 "Rabens's book is a model of thorough research, lucid argument, and careful exegesis."Peter Orr in Themelios 35 (2010), p. 455