Charismatic Gifts in the Early Christian Church

by Ronald A. N. Kydd

Publisher:

Hendrickson

, 2014

Overview

The emergence and widespread acceptance of the validity of the charismatic experience has generated many questions. One of the foremost is, “What happened to the gifts of the Spirit after the New Testament period?” Dr. Ronald Kydd’s careful probe seeks to answer that question.

After a thorough and careful study of the writings of the early church fathers, Dr. Kydd provides an objective, informative analysis, and reaches thought-provoking conclusions. “What emerges from a study of the sources is the picture of a Church which is strongly charismatic up until around A.D. 200.”

Quality scholarship communicated in a striking personal style makes this book enjoyable and challenging reading for the layperson, minister, student, and scholar.

Key Features

• Addresses the interval between the late first century and about AD 320
• Examines writings of the early church fathers
• Analyzes the development of the early church

Contents

• From the Emerging Church
• From the Shadows
• From Spirit and Mind
• From the Church Fringe
• From Bishops
• From Heresy and Superstition
• From Rome
• From Carthage
• From the Greek East

Top Highlights

“Primarily, they relate to situations existing at the moment when they appear, expressing God’s will or showing His power in them.” (Page 2)

“the lists of spiritual gifts we are given in 1 Cor 12:8–10 and Rom 12:6–8 probably should not be regarded as definitive” (Page 3)

“The author obviously thought that whatever prophetic messages were delivered would be beneficial to the Christians who would hear them. In view of this, prophets were not to have restrictions placed upon their giving thanks.” (Page 7)

“If we cannot hold onto that idea, the only activity which we can be sure the prophets engaged in was the delivery of free, inspired messages and instruction in doctrine.” (Page 9)

“They wanted prophetic messages in their churches, because they thought these were beneficial to them.” (Page 8)

Product Details

• Title: Charismatic Gifts in the Early Church: The Gifts of the Spirit in the First 300 Years
• Author: Ronald Kydd
• Publisher: Hendrickson
• Publication Date: 2014
• Pages: 112
• Christian Group: Pentecostal & Charismatic
• Resource Type: History
• Topic: Early Church

About Ronald A. N. Kydd

Ronald Kydd is Emeritus Professor of Christian History at Tyndale Seminary. He has also taught at a number of other institutions over the years, including the School of Religious Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, Eastern Pentecostal Bible College (now Master’s College & Seminary), St. Paul’s University and McMaster Divinity College. Previously he served as faculty member, academic dean and acting president at Central Pentecostal College. His published books include Charismatic Gifts in the Early Church, Healing through the Centuries: Models for Understanding, and Finding Pieces of the Puzzle: A Fresh Look at the Christian Story.