Den Helige Ande i den johanneiska litteraturen Särskiljer sig den johanneiska litteraturens presentation av Den Helige Ande i jämförelse med resterande nytestamentliga texter och i så fall hur?

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to analyze how the Holy Spirit is presented in the Johannine writings, with the aim of getting a better picture of the Holy Spirit and to see whether the Holy Spirit is described with personal characteristics or not. I have used comparative analysis as my method, since I have compared the Johannine writings with the other texts in the New Testament. The results from my analysis are that the most common context in which the Holy Spirit is mentioned is the Old Testament. The roles attributed to the Holy Spirit turned out to be many, for example that the Spirit gives life, witnesses and teaches believers. The characteristics were also many, among others: the Spirit can take the shape of a dove and living water but also the Spirit is a witness and a helper. The different dependents of the word πνεῦμα that are attributed in a positive sense, for example the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Truth, and the Helper, can all be identified as the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is closely related to the Father and the Son, all of them divine but still their own persons. My conclusion is that the Holy Spirit is presented as a person in the Johannine writings, but also as a part of God which has been active throughout the Old Testament and is attributed to different dependents to highlight either the Spirit’s roles or characteristics. Compared to the other texts in the New Testament the Spirits role as the Helper, its personal character and its qualification as the Spirit of truth distinguishes the Johannine writings.