A Review of Charismatic Gifts in the Early Church by Ronald A. N. Kydd
Charismatic Gifts in the Early Church by Ronald A.N. Kydd is one of several important dissertation turned books to play an important role in spiritual gifts literature. Subtitled "An Exploration Into the Gifts of the Spirit During the First Three Centuries of the Christian Church," It is commonly referenced in Pentecostal literature as providing important evidence for the continuation of "spiritual gifts" beyond the Apostolic Age. Kydd has done an effective job of cataloguing the evidence for supernatural manifestations in the early church, and he provides appropriate background information on the cultural and intellectual setting for each of his references. His knowledge of Greek also allows him access to the original source material. His argument, however, is derailed by several faulty presuppositions common in the Pentecostal tradition.
The first is that "spiritual gifts" are temporary manifestations. Kydd is searching for reports of "the presence of spiritual gifts," something that many conservative believers would find odd. For many of us, the gifts are what make us part of the Body of Christ. If we are part of His body, then we have at least one gift by default, and if the Body of Christ really does work like a human body, this belief is almost certainly correct.
The next presupposition is that "spiritual gifts" equal overtly "miraculous" gifts. Although, to be fair, Kydd seems to be aware that less dramatic manifestations can also be spiritual gifts. In the introduction he adds the list of Romans 12:6-8 as included in the search, qualifying this by writing "Even if they {the gift lists in Romans and I Corinthians} were exhaustive, we would have to acknowledge that some of the gifts will stand out more clearly than others; tongues, for example, more clearly than giving aid. We will try to catch them all, but we are likely to encounter the dramatic more often than the non-dramatic." This perspective is echoed again in the conclusion where Kydd writes "At one time it would be a spoken word, at another, a miraculous deed, and at yet another, an act of compassion. These were the charismata, the gifts of the spirit, moments when the grace of God would break into human affairs in a special way."
What lies in between the introduction and the conclusion is a survey of early Christian reports of the miraculous, with the exception of Clement who writes in his letter to the church at Rome "So let our whole body be preserved in Jesus Christ..., and let each put himself at the service of his neighbor as his particular spiritual gift dictates." Kydd seems unaware that Clement's quote marks a shift in thinking, possibly the last reference to be found for many centuries that spiritual gifts are abilities with which we all must serve one another, that the gifts are part of the ministry of all believers. This way of thinking about the gifts, which is only hinted at by a few of the early commentators, is only now being recovered, but that is for another discussion.
What follows the reference to Clement is a series of reports of tongues, healings, and other miracles, or vague reports that the gifts are still among us. Justin Martyr in the Second Century is a representative sample, reporting that "It is possible to see amongst us women and men who possess gifts of the Spirit of God." At the end of his search, and based on this lack of evidence for the miraculous, Kydd writes that around A.D. 260 "the gifts of the Spirit vanished." This conclusion is unconvincing, for how many conservative believers would really be persuaded that the gifts of mercy, giving, or encouragement ceased, based on the lack of evidence for overtly supernatural manifestations such as healing and tongues?
The final premise that pervades the book is that testimony that "miraculous gifts remain with us" constitutes evidence that they did. Move forward 1800 years and the same testimony can still be heard in many parts of the church. If the testimony from modern church leaders and scholars is not enough to convince conservative Christians to abandon cessationism, then why would the same testimony from Justin or Tertullian be any different. Certainly the stature of a Grudem or Hayford is comparative to their Anti-Nicene counterparts, and the level of scholarship probably much greater owing to the availability of resources. The only difference I can see is that modern claims can be investigated, while the early, often vague or terse claims to the "miraculous" depend entirely on the source for authentication.
Kydd's book Charismatic Gifts in the Early Church may be useful for someone with a particular interest in the kind of evidence he presents, but I would not recommend it for most readers. Its arguments are simply ineffective on two points. One, that the miraculous gifts continued into the Third Century, and two, that the non-miraculous gifts ceased after the Third Century.
Reference: Kydd, Ronald A.N. Charismatic Gifts in The Early Church. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1984.
Charismatic Gifts in the Early Church by Ronald A.N. Kydd is one of several important dissertation turned books to play an important role in spiritual gifts literature. Subtitled "An Exploration Into the Gifts of the Spirit During the First Three Centuries of the Christian Church," It is commonly referenced in Pentecostal literature as providing important evidence for the continuation of "spiritual gifts" beyond the Apostolic Age. Kydd has done an effective job of cataloguing the evidence for supernatural manifestations in the early church, and he provides appropriate background information on the cultural and intellectual setting for each of his references. His knowledge of Greek also allows him access to the original source material. His argument, however, is derailed by several faulty presuppositions common in the Pentecostal tradition.
The first is that "spiritual gifts" are temporary manifestations. Kydd is searching for reports of "the presence of spiritual gifts," something that many conservative believers would find odd. For many of us, the gifts are what make us part of the Body of Christ. If we are part of His body, then we have at least one gift by default, and if the Body of Christ really does work like a human body, this belief is almost certainly correct.
The next presupposition is that "spiritual gifts" equal overtly "miraculous" gifts. Although, to be fair, Kydd seems to be aware that less dramatic manifestations can also be spiritual gifts. In the introduction he adds the list of Romans 12:6-8 as included in the search, qualifying this by writing "Even if they {the gift lists in Romans and I Corinthians} were exhaustive, we would have to acknowledge that some of the gifts will stand out more clearly than others; tongues, for example, more clearly than giving aid. We will try to catch them all, but we are likely to encounter the dramatic more often than the non-dramatic." This perspective is echoed again in the conclusion where Kydd writes "At one time it would be a spoken word, at another, a miraculous deed, and at yet another, an act of compassion. These were the charismata, the gifts of the spirit, moments when the grace of God would break into human affairs in a special way."
What lies in between the introduction and the conclusion is a survey of early Christian reports of the miraculous, with the exception of Clement who writes in his letter to the church at Rome "So let our whole body be preserved in Jesus Christ..., and let each put himself at the service of his neighbor as his particular spiritual gift dictates." Kydd seems unaware that Clement's quote marks a shift in thinking, possibly the last reference to be found for many centuries that spiritual gifts are abilities with which we all must serve one another, that the gifts are part of the ministry of all believers. This way of thinking about the gifts, which is only hinted at by a few of the early commentators, is only now being recovered, but that is for another discussion.
What follows the reference to Clement is a series of reports of tongues, healings, and other miracles, or vague reports that the gifts are still among us. Justin Martyr in the Second Century is a representative sample, reporting that "It is possible to see amongst us women and men who possess gifts of the Spirit of God." At the end of his search, and based on this lack of evidence for the miraculous, Kydd writes that around A.D. 260 "the gifts of the Spirit vanished." This conclusion is unconvincing, for how many conservative believers would really be persuaded that the gifts of mercy, giving, or encouragement ceased, based on the lack of evidence for overtly supernatural manifestations such as healing and tongues?
The final premise that pervades the book is that testimony that "miraculous gifts remain with us" constitutes evidence that they did. Move forward 1800 years and the same testimony can still be heard in many parts of the church. If the testimony from modern church leaders and scholars is not enough to convince conservative Christians to abandon cessationism, then why would the same testimony from Justin or Tertullian be any different. Certainly the stature of a Grudem or Hayford is comparative to their Anti-Nicene counterparts, and the level of scholarship probably much greater owing to the availability of resources. The only difference I can see is that modern claims can be investigated, while the early, often vague or terse claims to the "miraculous" depend entirely on the source for authentication.
Kydd's book Charismatic Gifts in the Early Church may be useful for someone with a particular interest in the kind of evidence he presents, but I would not recommend it for most readers. Its arguments are simply ineffective on two points. One, that the miraculous gifts continued into the Third Century, and two, that the non-miraculous gifts ceased after the Third Century.
Reference: Kydd, Ronald A.N. Charismatic Gifts in The Early Church. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1984.
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