The Meaning and Redemptive-Historical Significance of John 20:22

This monograph endeavors to clarify the nature and significance of the impartation of the Holy Spirit in John 20:22. Previous scholarship has produced a confusingly diverse and contradictory array of competing interpretations of this much-debated verse. The present work, which will prove immensely valuable to every scholar, pastor, and serious student interested in this question, carefully walks the reader through the interpretive issues. The book offers a more extensive survey of the history of interpretation of John 20:22 than that found in other works on Johannine pneumatology. It includes extensive exegetical analysis of the related motifs of the glorification of Jesus and eternal life as well as every passage in the Gospel of John mentioning the Spirit. The impartation of the Spirit on Resurrection Day is here clarified in terms of the nature of the gift itself, how this relates to Pentecost, and how this impartation constitutes a momentous step forward in the outworking of God’s unfolding plan in the history of redemption.

"With this monograph, Adrian Rosen has produced a meticulously researched and immensely valuable analysis of John 20:22 and, more generally, John’s pneumatology. Rosen helpfully highlights the central issues in current scholarly discussion of Johannine pneumatology, including how we should understand Jesus’s glorification in John 7:39 and the nature of the relationship between the life-giving function of the Spirit, so clearly described in John 3–7, the Paraclete promises in John 14–16, and the bestowal of the Spirit in John 20:22. Rosen’s exhaustive research, careful exegesis, and judicious reasoning make this book a must read for all who are interested in the work of the Spirit, the Gospel of John, and the mission of the Church."

— Robert Menzies, Director, Asian Center for Pentecostal Theology (www.pentec ost.asia), Kunming, China

"The depiction of Jesus imparting the Holy Spirit to his disciples in John 20:22 carries significant implications relating to John’s pneumatology and inaugurated eschatology but has also generated much debate. Writing with clarity and precision, Adrian Rosen provides a careful linguistic and contextual analysis of this challenging passage. He effectively highlights the problems besetting the major interpretations that have been offered and presents a well-argued case for an alternative that deserves careful consideration."

— Timothy J. Wiarda, Senior Professor of New Testament Studies, Gateway Seminary