The Pastor as Literary Worker • Web Theology
Go East, Young Man • Delaying Baptism • Full Communion, No Consensus
LOGIA
A JOURNAL OF LUTHERAN THEOLOGY
EASTERTIDE 1998 VOLUME VII. NUMBER2
CONTENTS
ARTICLES
"What Does This Mean?" Luther's Exposition ofthe Decalogue in Relation to Law and Gospel,
with Special Reference to Johann Michael Reu
By Lowell C. Green ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3
A Call for Manuscripts .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
That the Unlearned Be Taught
By Alex Ring ......................................................................................................................................................'J'U·............·......·........·..··· ..·....·11
A Mirror ofLife in the Face ofDeath: A Study in the Pastoral Care ofPhilip Nicolai N 1 0 1998
By Gerald S. Krispin .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 15
Luther's Liturgical Reform
By Norman Nagel ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 23
And with Your Spirit: Why the Ancient Response Should Be Restored in the Pastoral Greeting
By Timothy C. J. Quill .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 27
Inklings by Jim Wilson .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 35
The Office ofthe Holy Ministry according to the New Testament Mandate ofChrist
By Thomas M. Winger ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 37
Hermann Sasse and the Liturgical Movement
By John Pless ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 47
HYMN
Our Savior Came into this World
By Edward G. Kettner .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 22
COLLOQUIUM FRATRUM ........................................................................................................................................................ 52
REVIEWS ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 55
REVIEW ESSAY: Biblical Interpretation in the Era of the Reformation: Essays Presented to David C. Steinmetz in Honor ,of
His Sixtieth Birthday. Edited by Richard A. Muller and John L. Thompson. .
Melanchthon Eine Biographie. By Heinz Scheible.
The Crisis in the Churches: Spiritual Malaise, Fiscal Woe. By Robert Wuthnow.
Preface to the Study of Paul. By Stephen Westerholm.
Revelation. The People's Bible Series. By Wayne Mueller.
Written on the Heart: The Case for Natural Law. By J. Budziszewski.
The Assurance ofFaith: Conscience in the Theology ofMartin Luther and John Calvin. By Randall C. Zachman.
Systematic Theology: Biblical, Historical, and Evangelical. By James Leo Garrett Jr. Volume 2.
LOGIA FORUM ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 65
Liturgy and Leadership • Assisting Ministers • Instituting Easter • The Name "Lutheran"
Not Lutheran But Christian • Pretzels for Lent • Breath and Bones • Variety and Repetition
• The Snake-on-a-Pole Issue • Manufacturer's Notice
And with Your Spirit
Why the Ancient Response Should Be
Restored in the Pastoral Greeting
TIMOTHY C. J. QUILL
--------------------------t
1)URING THE SECOND HALF OF the twentieth century, most churches discarded the traditional response to the pas
toral greeting when they embarked upon the revision of
English liturgical texts. Historically the pastor said, "The Lord be
with you." The congregation responded, "And with thy spirit."
The new response became, "And also with you." 'Nhat are the
implications of this seemingly minor alteration in the ancient
text? As one examines the origin and development ofthe greeting
and the response in view of its theological freight, and especially
as it pertains to the office of the holy ministry, it becomes evident
that a return to the ancient response should be seriously consid
ered during the next round of hymnal revisions. The theological
implications are of such significance that they outweigh the prac
tical inconvenience associated with its reintroduction.
EARLY CHURCH LITURGICAL DOCUMENTS
The greeting "The Lord be with you" is found in Scripture: Judges
6:12 "The Lord is with you"'7Jt;l.P ;'1;;'1", LXX: KUPLOS f.1ETG GOu);
Ruth 2:4 "The Lord be with you"-(Cl~~ ;'1'),i', LXX: KUPLOS f.1Ee'
Uf.1WIJ);" Luke 1:28 "The Lord is with you" (6 KUPLOS f.1ETG GOul.
Unlike the response, ''And with your spirit;' which remained con
stant,! the greeting is found in a variety of forms, which were
redacted from both the Gospels and Pauline Epistles On 19:20; Lk
24:36; 1 Cor 16:23; 2 Tim 4:22; GaI6:t8; Phil 4:23).
'Nhat has yet to be explained is how these diverse greetings
came to be included in the liturgy. The earliest surviving text of
the eucharistic prayer with a full tripartite dialogue is found in
the Apostolic Tradition attributed to Hippolytus. Extant in Latin,
Coptic, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, this liturgy dates from
around 215 A.D. and possibly as early as 165 A.D.l The original
Greek is largely lost, but the Latin reads:
Dominus vobiscum The Lord be with you.
Et cum spiritu tuo. Arid with your spirit.
Sursum corda. Up with your hearts.
Habemus ad dominum. We have (them) to the Lord.
Gratias agamus domino. Let us give thanks to the Lord.
Dignum et justum est. It is fitting and right.
With minor variations, the second two parts of the three-part
dialogue (Sursum corda to the end) are the same in all liturgical
TIMOTHY C. J. QUILL, a LOGIA contributing editor, is director ofthe Russ
ian Project at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
traditions-East and West. The opening greeting and response,
however, is divided into "two broad traditions:"
1. the single-member Roman-Egyptian greeting;
2. the trinitarian greeting based on 2 Cor 13:13.3
The simpler form ("The Lord be with you" I ''And with your
spirit") is found in the Roman texts, and its derivative ("The Lord
be with you all") is found in the Alexandrian Greek Liturgy of
St. Mark and the Coptic Cyril. The preanaphoral dialogue in the
Byzantine and other non-Alexandrian eastern eucharists falls into
the second tradition.
[T]he Churches to the North and East within the Antioch
ene sphere of liturgical influence seem never to have known
"The Lord (be) with you" as a greeting in the preanaphoral
dialogue or, for that matter, elsewhere. "Peace to all" is the
normal short greeting throughout the East, and one or
another form ofgreeting based on 2 Corinthians 13:13 can be
found in the preanaphoral dialogue from the second half of
the fourth century, first in Aritioch. This is the earliest evi
dence extant for the liturgies of the East beyond Egypt. 4
The oldest known church manual is The Teaching of the Twelve
Apostles, or the Didache for short. Some elements of this manual
may date from the first century, possibly as early as 60 A.D.5 The
Didache contains eucharistic instructions (chapter 9) and a
eucharistic prayer (chapter 10). The earliest section, often labeled
"The Two Ways" (chapters 1-5), reveals that the so~called primi
tive church possessed a very profound understanding of the pres~
ence and power of Christ in the holy ministry of the word and
sacraments. Chapter 4 begins:
My child, you shall remember night and day him who
speaks to you the word ofGod, and honor him as the Lord;
for where that which pertains to the Lord is spoken, there
the Lord is.6
The eucharistic prayer contains no dialogue (nor Verba), but
it does conclude with thoughts similar to the later tripartite
dialogue.
Let grace come and let this world pass away. Hosanna to the
son of David. If any is holy, let him come; if any be not, let
him repent. Maranatha. Amen.7
f
!
I
28
One would not expect to find the greeting "The Lord be with
you" in the SyrianS Didache, since this greeting is not common
to the East, as Robert Taft has pointed out (see above). The East
preferred either the brief "Peace to all;' which may appear in
numerous places in the liturgy, or a longer greeting based on
2 Cor 13:14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of
God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all." The
biblical and theological meaning of the greeting "The Lord be
with you" is located in the expression Maranatha. Jasper and
Cuming point out,
The Aramaic words Marana tha were interpreted by the
early Fathers as meaning "The Lord has come;' but they
should probably be translated "Come, Lord:' as in the paral
lel passages at the end of 1 Corinthians 16:22 and Revelation
22:20. In all three passages prayer is made for the grace of
Christ, and it is possible that a liturgical closing formula is
behind all three.9
The understanding of the Lord's presence in the eucharist is rein
forced by the inclusion of the acclamation "Hosanna to the son of
David." The words Lord, peace, and grace say the same thing yet in
different ways. Each adds a different element to the full gift,
which is always more than words can express. The intimate con-
The biblical and theological meaning of
the greeting "The Lord be with you" is
located in the expression Maranatha.
nection ofthe pastor with the giving out of the grace and peace of
the Lord, and of the Lord himself, has already been seen in chap
ter 4; and now again in the text immediately following the
eucharist prayer. Chapter 11 begins:
Therefore, whoever comes and teaches you all these things
of which were previously spoken, receive him; but if the
teacher himself turn aside and teach another teaching, so as
to overthrow this, do not listen to him; but if he teaches so
as to promote righteousness and knowledge of the Lord,
receive him as the Lord [emphasis added ].10
The Didache places great emphasis on the presence of the
Spirit in the prophets who teach the things of the Lord. One way
to check whether or not the prophet has the Spirit is to look at his
life. Ifhe behaves in a way morally incompatible with the ethics of
the Two Ways, he reveals himself to be a false prophet and thus
void ofthe Spirit. Chapter 11 continues:
Now concerning the apostles and prophets, [deal with
them] according to the ordinances of the Gospel. Every
apostle who comes to you, let him be received as the
LOGIA
Lord.... And every prophet who speaks in the Spirit you
shall try or judge; for every sin shall be forgiven, but this sin
shall not be forgiven. But not everyone that speaks in the
Spirit is a prophet, but only if he have the ways of the Lord.ll
The earliest surviving full text of the dialogue representing the
Roman-Egyptian form with a eucharistic prayer is found in the
Apostolic Tradition (ca. 215). The Apostolic Tradition actually
describes two eucharistic prayers, the first in connection with the
ordination of a bishop and the second after a baptism.
As it was in the Didache, so also the Apostolic Tradition. The
early church believed it to be of great importance that her pastors
and teachers were faithfully passing on the doctrines of the apos
tles and thus passing on Christ. Even the choice of titles given to
these church orders emphasized this: The Teaching of the Twelve
Apostles, Apostolic Tradition, Apostolic Constitution, Apostolic
Church Order, and Didascalia Apostolorum. The opening para
graph of the Apostolic Tradition establishes the importance of the
Holy Spirit in the office and work of the bishop. Since the Holy
Spirit bestows perfect grace on those who believe rightly, it was
very important that "those who preside over the Church should
hand down and guard all things."
Chapter 2 of the Apostolic Tradition describes the selection of
the bishop ("chosen by all the people") and the laying on of
hands by the Presbytery and then the prayer:
And all shall keep silence, praying in their hearts for the
descent ofthe Spirit [emphasis added], after which one of the
bishops ... shall lay his hand on him who is being ordained
bishop, and pray thusP
The prayer that follows asks that the "God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ" would bestow upon the bishop being ordained the
same "princely Spirit" given to the Old Testament priests and the
New Testament apostles.
[Yjou foreordained from the beginning a race of righteous
men from Abraham; you appointed princes and priests,
and did not leave your sanctuary without a ministry ....
now pour forth that power which is from you, of the
princely Spirit 13 which you granted through your beloved
Son Jesus Christ to your holy apostles who established the
Church in every place as your sanctuary, to the unceasing
glory of your name.
You who know the hearts of all, bestow upon this your
servant, whom you have chosen for the episcopate, to feed
our holy flock and to exercise the high-priesthood .... and
by the spirit of high-priesthood to have the power to forgive
sins according to your command.14
At the conclusion of the prayer, "all shall offer him the kiss of
peace, greeting him;' after which he begins the celebration of the
eucharist with the greeting, "The Lord be with you." The people
respond, "And with your spirit."15 Should spiritu ITTVE1)l1aToS' be
rendered "Spirit" or "spirit"? Is it in reference to the Holy Spirit,
the "princely Spirit:' bestowed on the man ordained into the holy
mirIistry, or is it simply referring to his spirit or soul? The former
priest, and with that priestly spirit of thine." They call power which you gave to the apostles." 22
AND WITH YOUR SPIRIT
is certainly consistent with the thrust ofthe prayer and flows nat
urally from it. It allows the people repeatedly to acknowledge and
confess the doctrine of the holy ministry through a concrete and
personal liturgical exchange with their pastor and bishop. It
allows the people to receive and acknowledge the holy ministry as
a gift from the Holy Spirit.
CHRYSOSTOM, THEODORE, AND NARSAI
The use of "spirit" in the dialogue is both ancient and universal.
That the fathers understood rrvEl!lWTOS in its fuller Spirit-filled
sense is demonstrated by explanations offered by Chrysostom,
Theodore of Mopsuestia, and Narsai of Nisibis. Chrysostom (ca.
345-407) comments on "The Lord be with your spirit" in his
homily on 2 Timothy 4:22:
The Lord Jesus with your spirit. Nothing is better than this
prayer.... And he does not say, "The Lord with you;' but
"with your spirit." So the help is twofold, the grace of the
Spirit as well as God helping it.16
In De sancta Pentecoste hom. I, 4, preached in the presence of
Bishop FIavian of Antioch, Chrysostom explained "that if there
were no Holy Spirit there would be no pastors or teachers, who
became so only through the Spirit." Then he continues:
29
"spirit:' not that soul which is in the priest, but the Spirit
which the priest has received by the laying on of hands. By
the laying on of hands the priest receives the power of the
Spirit, that thereby he may be able to perform the divine
Mysteries. That grace the people call the "Spirit" of the
priest, and they pray that he may attain peace with it, and it
with him. This makes known that even the priest stands in
need of prayer, and it is necessary that the whole church
should intercede for him. Therefore she [the Church] cries
out that he may gain peace with his Spirit, that through his
peace the peace of all her children may be increased; for by
his virtue he greatly benefits the whole Church, and by his
depravity he greatly harms the whole community.20
CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS
Should spiritulmJEulWTOS be translated "Spirit" or "spirit"?
Unlike the ancient texts or even the German texts, the English
requires a choice between an upper or lower case s. English transla
tions of spiritu have consistently chosen the lower case for spirit.21
Is spiritulmJEu[1uTos a reference to the Holy Spirit promised to
the ordained minister, or is it simply referring to his spirit or soul?
Is it both? The early church fathers emphasized the former. In
many contemporary English revisions, spiritu IrrvEUJ.1UTOS drops
out all together. The result is twofold: (1) The episcopal greeting is
I
III:
II
I
If the Holy Spirit were not in this common father or teacher
[Bishop Flavianl when he gave the peace to all shordy
before ascending to his holy sanctuary, you would not have
replied to him all together, "And to your spirit." This is why
you reply with this expression not only when he ascends to
the sanctuary, nor when he preaches to you, nor when he
prays for you, but when he stands at this holy altar, when he
is about to offer this awesome sacrifice. You don't first par
take of the offerings until he has prayed for you the grace
from the Lord, and you have answered him, "And with your
spirit," reminding yourselves by this reply that he who is
here does nothing of his own power, nor are the offered
gifts the work of human nature, but it is the grace of the
Spirit present and hovering over all things which prepared
that mystic sacrificeP
The statement "when he gave the peace" refers to the opening
greeting in the East, "Peace be with you." It is noteworthy that the
peace is not "wished upon" or "acknowledged:' but "given."18
Taft quotes Theodore of Mopsuestia (ca. 350-428), Hom. 15,37.
But it is not the soul they are referring to by this "And with
your spirit;' but it is the grace of the Holy Spirit by which
those confided to his [the bishop's] care believe he had
access to the priesthood.19
Narsai of Nisibis (d. ca. 502) indicates that "spirit" was under
stood as pertaining to the Spirit received by those in the Holy
Ministry. He wrote,
The people answer the priest lovingly and say: "With thee, 0
emptied of any freight pointing to the uniqueness of the office of
the holy ministry in the word and sacrament and the liturgical
life of the church. (2) Spirit is replaced by the pronoun you. Thus
the parallelism of the greeting and response is replaced with a
uniformity of greeting and response that blurs the distinction
It allows the people repeatedly to acknowl
edge and confess the doctrine ofthe holy
ministry through a concrete and
personal liturgical exchange with
their pastor and bishop.
between the role of the pastor, who speaks in the stead and by the
command of the incarnate, crucified, risen, and present Lord
Jesus Christ, and that of the people, who listen and in faith receive
the divine gifts. The pastor cannot do this without the gift of the
Holy Spirit. This is acknowledged in the Prayer for the Ordina
tion of a Bishop found in the Apostolic Tradition. The prayer asks
God to pour forth the same power "of the princely Spirit!' that he
granted to his holy apostles "to establish the church in every place
as your sanctuary." The prayer for the "spirit of high-priesthood"
is prayed in order that the bishop may be able "to have the power
to forgive sins according to your command, to confer orders
according to your bidding, to loose every bond according to the
30
There is little doubt that "your command" 23 is in reference to
John 20. The Lord's words of institution of the office of the holy
ministry in John 20:19-23, though brief, contain the chief and
necessary elements: the risen Lord, the giving of peace with God,
the risen Lord truly present in his flesh,24 the sending by the
Lord, the receiving of the Holy Spirit from Jesus, and the power
to forgive and retain sins. On these elements the church was and
continues to be built.25
"And with your spirit" may come in as
an everyday greeting, but it is trans
formed by its use in a meal that is
unlike any other meal.
The decision to "translate" (or paraphrase) et cum spiritu tuo
as "And also with you" is often justified on the basis that the origi
nal expression was a Semitism.26 Even if it is true that the original
Hebrew expression simply carried the meaning of the person,
"you;' the fact remains that it took on new theological and litur
gical meaning for early Christians when they gathered for the
eucharist around their bishop in Jesus' name. Jesus began with
just another celebration of the Passover meal, but the Lord of the
Sabbath made of it a new meal, a new testament. Similarly, noth
ing remains the same when incorporated into the Lord's meal.
"And with your spirit" may come in as an everyday greeting, but
it is transformed by its use in a meal that is unlike any other meal.
In The Liturgy ofthe Mass, Pius Parsch gives a passing nod to the
popular opinion among scholars that "The expression (And with
thy spirit) is a Hebraism, meaning, simply, 'with you, too."'27 He
goes on, however, to articulate the special pneumatic and minister
ial meaning that the liturgy has given to the word spiritusliTvEl)Ila.
However, from another aspect, it is not altogether correct to
translate the phrase Et cum spiritu tuo simply, "and with you
too;' for the liturgy imparts a special significance to the words
"thy spirit." It envisages here the power of orders conferred
upon the celebrant and would say in effect: '~d with the
Spirit (iTVE41a) that is in you by reason ofyour ordination."28
Parsch offers numerous examples from the liturgy to docu
ment the special significance of spiritu: (1) The response is not
given to anyone below the order ofdeacon.29 (2) The rite of ordi
nation of priests and deacons (but not subdeacons) contains
numerous prayers invoking the Holy Spirit upon the ordained.
From this Parsch concludes: "Thus the Dominus vobiscum is the
solemn greeting of the priest and the deacon to the people, and
its response is the respectful acknowledgement by the people of
the power of orders that resides in their minister."30 (3) The
greeting Pax vobis is sometimes used by the bishop and the con
secrated abbot. This was the common greeting of the risen
Christ to his disciples. Particularly instructive for the meaning of
this greeting is John 20:19 and following. Parsch writes: "The
LOGIA
words 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost' are equivalent to 'Receive the
power of orders which comes to you by the Holy Spirit,' and this
is the sense which the liturgy gives to the word 'Spirit' in the
response Et cum spiritu tuo."31 (4) The ceremonies (kissing the
altar and greeting with outstretched hands) which precede and
accompany the Dominus vobiscum reflect the deep significance
of the greeting and response.32 (5) The place of the Dominus
vobiscum in the structure of the liturgy is significant. It occurs
eight times in the mass and is "always linked in some way with
the ceremony which immediately follows it. ... It is therefore
true to say that it is the priest's invitation to the people to take an
active part in the ceremony."33
Still, the question remains: Is Et cum spiritu tuo simply a Semi
tism? Robert Taft takes deadly aim at this popular opinion.
Today it is taken to be no more than a Semitism for '~d
also with you." But there is no philological basis for this
demonstrable misconception. In Semitic texts it is soul
(nephes, Syriac naphso = q;uxf)), not spirit (ruah, Syriac ruho
iTVEulla), that bears this meaning. Agreement on this
point among both biblical and knowledgeable liturgical
commentators is universal. . .. Furthermore, the Semites
themselves, whom one might expect to recognize a Semi
tism when they see it, did not take it to be one .... The
Liturgy of Addai and Mari, oldest and most Semitic of the
Semitic liturgies, has the response: "with you and with your
spirit." That would be ridiculously tautological if both
meant the same thing. So what we have here is not a Semi
tism but a "Paulinism" that has become a "Christianism;' as
Botte put it. [Botte, Dominus vobiscum, p. 34ff.]34
In the East Syrian tradition the Dominus vobiscum took the
form of pax vobiscum. As Taft pointed out, the response was '~d
with you and your spirit." The full pre-anaphoral dialogue in
Addai and Mari finds corroboration in a fifth-century sermon of
Narsai on the Iiturgy,35 Narsai interprets the meaning ofthe Addai
and Mari response as follows: "They [the people) call 'spirit,' not
that soul which is in the priest, but the Spirit which the priest has
received by the laying on of hands." 36 No tautology here.
All of this is not to suggest that only those ordained into the
holy ministry possess the Holy Spirit or that they receive more of
him. The Holy Spirit is not a liquid that can be measured out. To
have the Spirit is to have the whole Spirit. The Holy Spirit, how
ever, is given to the ordained with the special promise that when
they preach repentance and forgiveness and loose sins in holy
absolution, he is there accomplishing that of which his word
speaks. Whether or not the Spirit dwells in all Christians is not
the question. He does (Rom 8:9-11). The questions are: Does
iTVElJllaTOS refer to more than simply a person's selfhood? Does it
in the case of those ordained into the holy ministry refer to the
Spirit-filled spirit, reflecting John 20:22?
THE BIBLICAL MEANING OF THE LORD
BEING "WITH" A PERSON
In short, what does the greeting mean? Robert Taft observes that
"Several authorities, most thoroughly W C. Van Unnik, have
examined its pristine biblical and Roman-Egyptian liturgical
AND WITH YOUR SPIRIT
form, '(The) Lord with you (thee)."'37 For van Dnnik, the phras
ing ofthe salutation raises four questions:
1. Who is "the Lord": God the Father or Jesus Christ?
2. What mood of the verb "to be" should be supplied: "is" or
"be"?
3. What is contained in this "to be with somebody;' when
said ofthe Lord?
4. Why is this former part followed by "and with thy spirit;'
this second part of the response being coupled to the for
mer by Kat and this continuation suggesting that there is a
certain parallelism? But how and why? Is this spirit the spe
cial grace of the priest given at his ordination?38
Van Dnnik considers number three the crucial question neces
sary for answering all four questions. He does not limit himself to
an examination of the small number of texts usually quoted in
which "the Lord with you" is used in the context of a greeting.
Instead of beginning with an obscure greeting from Judges or
Ruth, or even with an apostolic greeting, Van Dnnik begins with
the dominical promise in Matthew 28. He acknowledges that
It goes without saying that the Bible and the Christian
Church firmly believed in God's transcendence. God is in
heaven and Jesus who was once on earth is now at the right
hand of the Father in heaven (Eph 1:20). But what did Jesus
promise to His disciples when he said, "And 10, I am with
you always, even unto the end of the world" (Mt 28:20)?
Kat. tool) always alerts the hearer that "something extraordi
nary and unexpected" is to follow. A promise is then given to the
eleven disciples (see 28:16). It is common to jump immediately to
the church "as the locus of the presence of Christ during the
interval between His resurrection and parousia." Broadly speak
ing this is true; however, Van Dnnik's exegetical treatment is more
precise. He asks,
But is it not, I dare to ask, loose thinking? Are we to credit
the early Christians who so dearly knew about Jesus' sepa
ration from the earth and His glorification in heaven, with
such a conflicting view? On the other hand, Jesus does not
speak to the church (a word Matthew knows), but to the
apostles as missionaries. The use of the word "locus" sug
gests a static presence while, as will appear from the fol
lowing pages, Jesus' "being with them" has quite different
associations.39
A study ofthe meaning of God being "with" a person in Peter's
speech at the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:38), Stephen's sermon
reference to Joseph's life (Acts 7:9ff.), Nicodemus's visit with Jesus
On 3:2), demonstrates that this "being with" is (1) located in a
person, (2) an active not static presence, and, (3) connected with
the Holy Spirit. A study of the phrase in the Old Testament
reveals the same understanding. That God (or the Lord) is "with"
a person is found frequently in the Old Testament. Van Dnnik
locates and studies no less than 102 Old Testament references,4o
from which he makes the following observations:
31
1. The formula uses the words "God" and "the Lord" promis
cuously and without distinction in meaning; sometimes
both words are combined.
2. The verb "to be" is sometimes used, sometimes left out. It
is deployed in all three tenses .... The Lord's active help
was there in the past, is experienced in the present and will
be there in the future. In past and present it can be seen. As
to the future it is not always formulated as a wish ... but
mostly as a definite declaration.
3. Frequent though the expression is, it occurs only twice in
greetings, viz. Judges 6:12 and Ruth 2:4, the usual greeting
form being: "Peace ...."
4. The Gideon-story is highly significant, because it shows
that God's "being with a person" was not conceived as a
permanent fact, but as a dynamic experience that acts in
special cases which can be sharply discerned ....
5. The fact that "The Lord is with a person" can be discovered
by others. It manifests itself outwardly, and even unbeliev
ers see it....
6. In some places the term is given in the form of a wish ....
[Yet, in its usage] lilt is important to see that this note of
certainty about future help and blessing is far stronger than
the subjective forms ofwish and possibility ....
'J. ••• [W]here the copula is missing in the Greek text (in literal
translation of the Hebrew) .... In all these cases it is practi
cally always a declaration, a~ appears from the context and
therefore the later translators rightly add "was" or "is ...."
8. . .. [TJhere is a curious distribution throughout the aT. It
is fairly seldom found in Psalms and prophets, where one
would expect it, and rather frequent in the historical books
... [especially] Genesis, Joshua, Samuel, and Chronicles.
There is no connection with liturgical context. ... [It] is
not bound up with the Ark or the Temple; in those cases
the aT speaks about the "dwelling" of God and this differ
ence once more brings to light the active character of the
expression....
9. If one makes a list of those "with whom God is;' it is typi
cal that the number of instances where the people of Israel
as a whole, the chosen people of God is intended, forms a
minority. In the large majority of texts the term is used of
individuals, and even where the people is meant it is some
times individualized .... The line does not go from people
as a whole to the individual, but rather the other way. It is
not applied to every pious man in general, but to very spe
cial persons. ... It is often mentioned in connection with a
special divine task, in which the particular man is assured
of God's assistance .... the man himself is afraid to accept
the task, because he has no strength in himself.
10. Here we come to a point that is ofvital importance for the
exact and full understanding of the expression. Most of the
individuals ofwhom it is declared that "God was with them"
were specially endowed with the Spirit ofGod.41
Number nine is especially helpful in shedding light on the
meaning of the Lord's promise "I am with you (EYW !lEe' V!lWV
El!ll) to the dose of the age" (Mt 28:20). Eager makes the very
important connection between
32
the apostolic context of the Matthean promise to analo
gous OT commissioning scenes in which Yahweh appoints
envoys to speak on his behalf, as in Acts 18:9-10. And when
those commissioned protest their weakness, God replies, "I
will be with you" (Ex PO-12, 4:10-12; Jos 1:9; Jer 1:6-8; Is
41:10,43:5).42
Van Unnik's observation number ten is particularly evident in the
John 20 account of the risen Lord appearing to his disciples and
giving them the Holy Spirit.
This twentieth-century mutation is a
, good example ofthe danger and com
i plexities that attend liturgical tampering.
With the Old Testament understanding in mind, van Unnik
addresses the New Testament occurrences of the phrase. Having
already dealt with Matthew 28, he turns his attention to Matthew
1:23 (Is 7:14); Luke 1:28; John 8:29; 14:16, 16:32; Acts 18:9ff.; Romans
15:33; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Philippians 4:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:16;
2 Timothy 4:22. From this he concludes:
In reviewing these texts from the NT we discover that in
light of OT usage they receive their full force. The phrase is
like a short-hand note. At face value it does not seem of
great importance and is therefore passed over in the com
mentaries. On closer inspection, however, it turns out that
the NT authors themselves understood its full meaning
perfectly well and were sure that their readers would under
stand it as -well. They did not use an out-warn phrase, but
wrote it down as expressing a self-evident truth. There is a
marked difference here from later Judaism .... In its hum
ble wording it contains the fullness and certitude of the
Christian faith.43
APOSTOLIC GREETINGS
Paul ends his letter to the Galatians with the greeting, "The grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen" (,H
xaplS TOU KUPlOtJ ~IlWV 'IT)