Is James a Spiritless Text?: On the Possibility of a Pentecostal Reading
Open accessAbstract
The letter of James’s structure, sources, thought, and frequent ambiguities present difficulties for interpreters. James 4.5 is difficult, first with respect to the referent of the citation and second with respect to the actual meaning of the statement. In an argument contrasting relationship with God and relationship with ‘the world’, James includes a saying he attributes to ‘Scripture’ about the envy or jealousy either or God or of ‘the S/spirit’ (πνεῦμα) which God ‘has made to dwell in us’. This saying supports James’s exhortations to humility and unity. Beyond its linguistic ambiguities, there is no consensus as to whose ‘S/spirit’ is in view, and if it is not the Holy Spirit, James joins only three other NT texts without reference to the Spirit. The first part of this article will explore the meaning of Jas 4.5 and its role in the broader argument of James 3.13–4.10. This exploration leads to the conclusion that it is unlikely that James refers to the Holy Spirit. The second part of this article will explore the possibility of a Pentecostal reading of James even without a direct mention of the Holy Spirit, thereby further developing contemporary Pentecostal hermeneutics.
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- Authors
- Bowes, W. B.
- Affiliations
- Northpoint Bible College (US)
- Corresponding author
- Bowes, William B.
- ORCID
- Bowes, William B.
- Venue
- Journal of Pentecostal Theology
- Publisher
- Walter de Gruyter GmbH
- Published
- 2025-09-01
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 219-237
- ISSN
- 0966-7369 (ISSN-L)
- 1745-5251
- OpenAlex
- W4415116302
- Cited by
- 0
- References
- 0
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Pentecostal Theology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Biblical Studies and Interpretation
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Pentecostalism and Christianity Studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Karl Barth and Christian Theology
- Keywords
- Epistle of James, Holy Spirit, envy and jealousy, humility, unity, Pentecostal hermeneutics, biblical exegesis, New Testament
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