The Spirit of God: The Exegesis of 1 and 2 Corinthians in the Pneumatomachian Controversy of the Fourth Century

This text examines the use of 1 and 2 Corinthians by two 4th-century Greek Christian authors, Athanasius and Basil of Caesarea, especially as it relates to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. The controversy over the nature and status of the Spirit during the latter half of the 4th century is detailed in order to place in context the way in which the theological concerns of Athanasius and Basil shaped their pneumatological interpretation of the Corinthian correspondence. This examination should be useful for patristic scholars interested in the way Scripture was employed in the 4th century to hammer out doctrine.