The author attempts a new approach to Biblical study, using the phenomenological
approach. The book starts with two chapters giving the background
and methodology to his study and then is completed with three chapters
looking at examples of Experience in the New Testament.
Chapter 1. The New Testament is a book of experiences. These are
the experiences of the "Transcendental Power" seen in Jesus
Christ. The language of the New Testament is the language of experience
and not primarily of theology, politics, history etc. However it is
not simply descriptive of events and experiences but includes the
interpretation of the events so the language is expressive, argumentative
and persuasive.(p23) The New Testament does not deal explicitly with
social, political and economic issues and engagements, but with the
power of experiences, which includes signs, wonders, healings, exorcisms,
gifts etc.(p4)
However scholarship has approached the material from a critical,
historical method. This is partly due to the historical circumstances
of the Reformation when the Protestant church was looking for early
and authentic structures of church. When the study of the religious
texts and religion itself is approached in this way, it becomes a
"purely human endeavour" (p29) and reduces religion from
experience based to a political position taking (p41). At the same
time however, it has been recognised that the text is expressions
of experience (Bousset and Gunkel), and recognised Paul as a person
of the "spirit" rather than the theologian.(p13-15)
Chapter 2 explores the idea and meaning of Christian experience,
and the difficulties in working from a phenomenological approach.
It is first recognised that while experience can be communal, in the
way that it is "abstracted" it is primarily an individual
phenomenon, which includes all aspects of the person both "somatic"
and "psychosomatic" (p47). Experience includes the interpretation
of experience, because the two cannot be separated. The language of
experience is in itself interpretation, and the language used will
influence the experience (p49-50). The author defines religious experience
as "Religious experience is a response to that which is perceived
as ultimate, including the whole person, characterised by a peculiar
intensity and issuing in action" (p60-63). This assumes that
the experiencer is active in the experience and not a passive receiver,
and that the experiencer understands it to be of the "ultimate".
By calling it a "peculiar" experience he excludes all normal
day experiences from this and so is implying that religious experience
is limited to mystical and similar experiences. Finally he recognises
that RE are difficult to work with because there is no "hard
evidence" to work with, it is very individual, can be fraudulent,
and that it is impossible to separate them form other experiences.
(p53-57)
Chapter three deals with the New Testament Phenomenon of Baptism
and how Paul addresses the concerns of the Church in Galatia about
this issue. Baptism is understood in a number of different ways, such
as purification (p 74), initiation (P75), regeneration (p75), death
and resurrection (p 76), as a new relationship with Christ (p76) and
God (p77). In Galatia it seems that the church was
concerned about religious experience related to baptism. It is possible
that they saw Christianity as a mystery religion where there is a series
of experiences to go through to achieve "perfection". Thus
they will be looking for different baptisms, (e.g. of John, of Jesus),
circumcism, reception of Holy Spirit etc. as a ladder of experiences.
Paul's comments about beginning with the spirit and ending with the
flesh may be a comment on this concept. Paul's purpose in the letter
is to convince the Christians that the Baptism and Holy Spirit are the
fullness of Christianity and not the beginning. Perfection is achieved
for all Christians. The author finishes with a note that while Paul
must have convinced the Church of his understanding, ultimately something
of the ladder of perfection was kept in the church with the threefold
pattern of Baptism, confirmation, and priesthood.
Chapter 4 looks at the experience of Glossolalia and Paul's response
to this. Glossalalia is clearly an experience and is probably understood
as an ecstatic experience. It is particularly impressive and powerful
because it is an experience that bypasses the cognitive. It is case
where the person is controlled by the experience, in this case the
Holy Spirit. As such Paul finds a problem with the experience because
it can be used as anti-authority and if it is not controlled can lead
to misunderstandings. If the definition of a true spiritual experience
is one that leads to action, then glossolalia, to fulfil this has
to have a practical purpose.
Chapter 5 is an interesting and perhaps the best part of the book,
and certainly the most pertinent example of experience. It looks at
the pace of meals in the church. It is recognised that meals play
an important place in worship and faith, and the author considers
that they should be understood as "experiences of the transcendent"
(p164). The meal has three significant aspects : 1. it is koinonia
with the living and the dead; 2. It relates specifically to God and
Christ; 3. It is a shared symbolism of the death and resurrection
of Jesus. Consequently it is a shared experience.
The author presents the book as an introduction to the subject realising
that there is much work still to be done. This is very true, as there
is much more he could have done. One wonders why he limits his discussions
to glossolalia, the fellowship meals and Baptism. Clearly the last
two are central to the Christian faith and worship and so these need
to be dealt with. However he does not do them justice and could have
analyses and commented on these much more. Likewise he does not deal
with the issue of the resurrection appearances, (except implicitly
(p184)) which are clearly spiritual experiences and would be central
to the discussion - particularly in the Pauline churches where Paul
puts such emphasis on his own experience and on that of others. Neither
does he deal with Paul's ecstatic and mystical experiences. Finally
he does not approach the Gospels, except to include them in the general
description of the NT as experiential. There is much material in the
gospels, as they relate the experiences of the human Christ.
However the author concludes with two important statements:
Serious engagement with earliest Christianity demands recognition
that its adherents ... considered themselves caught up by, defined
by, a power not in their control but rather controlling them, a power
that derived from the crucified and risen Messiah Jesus (p184).
Christianity came to birth because certain people were convinced
that they had experienced God's transforming power through the resurrection
of Jesus (p185).
