Discovering the Spirit in the Old Testament "In this fluent and elegant book, Jack Levison makes two points of fundamental importance for Christian theology: (1) the Christian understanding of the spirit must be grounded in the multifaceted rûa (breath, wind, spirit) of the Hebrew Bible and (2) the saving spirit of God cannot be divorced from the spirit/breath that gives life. A remarkable and subtle contribution to biblical theology." -- John J. Collins , Yale Divinity School "It's well known that the Hebrew word for spirit is also the word for wind and for breath , but I don't think anyone has done as much with that fact as Levison in this book. A beautiful combination of the academic and the nurturing, it works by careful, thoughtful, life-giving study of whole passages where rûa appears, and it invites measured and reflective assimilation." -- John Goldingay , Fuller Theological Seminary "A careful study of rûa from the Jewish Scriptures that takes the reader on a journey into an expansive vision for what is meant by talk of the breath, wind, spirit, or Spirit of God. Readers will be challenged to lay down old paradigms and dichotomies and to embrace an understanding of the spirit that is far more nuanced than before." -- Lucy Peppiatt , Westminster Theological Centre, United Kingdom "By allowing the Hebrew Scriptures to speak with their own voice, Levison has demonstrated that spirit in the witness of ancient Israel overflows our neatly drawn theological boundaries.
The result is a fresh theological vision of the mystery of life that we share with all of creation. I found this book richly stimulating." -- Frank D. Macchia , Vanguard University of Southern California; Centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies, Bangor University, Wales, United Kingdom "From the spirit that broods over the face of the deep in Genesis to a remnant of the spirit found in Malachi, the Old Testament is saturated with the holy breath, wind, and spirit of God. A Boundless God is a remarkable achievement, alerting the reader to the ubiquitous and transforming presence of the holy spirit throughout the Old Testament." -- Brian Zahnd , pastor of Word of Life Church, St. Joseph, Missouri; author of Postcards from Babylon.