The Use of Rua? in the Old Testament and of Pneuma in the New Testament

The Use Of Rua? In The Old Testament And Of Pneuma In The New Testament by William Ross Schoemaker is a lexicographical study of the Hebrew ruah and the Greek pneuma across biblical and related literature. The work traces how ruah and pneuma acquire multiple meanings—primarily wind and spirit—in the Old and New Testaments, respectively, and it maps their growth through historical periods. In Part I the Old Testament usage is examined in four chronological phases, detailing how wind and spirit function in prophetic, Deuteronomic, exilic, and post-exilic contexts, including the shifting sense of God’s Spirit, the Spirit’s relation to man, and the Spirit’s role in strength, courage, or humility. Part II extends to classical writings, the Septuagint, Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, Philo, Josephus, and the New Testament, analyzing wind, breath, the Spirit of God, and the human spirit across diverse authors. The final sections address Pneuma in the New Testament, tracing its meanings in Jesus’ teaching, the Gospels, Acts, Pauline epistles, and early Christian thought, including prophecy, tongues, and spiritual transformation.