A) Introduction: The ancient Greek word pneuma / pneuma has a variety of meanings and translations: wind, breath, ghost, spirit.

• The English adjective "pneumatic" and other words that are derived from pneuma all have something to do with "air" or "spirit" or "lungs": pneumatic drills/pumps/tools (operated by air pressure); pneumatic tires (filled with air); pneumonia (a disease of the lungs); pneumatology (the study of spiritual beings or phenomena), etc.
• The related Greek adjective ("spiritual") and adverb ("spiritually") do not occur in the Gospels or Acts, but mostly in Paul's Letters.
• The related verb pnew / pneo ("to blow") always refers to the wind, while the verb ekpnew / ekpneo ("to breathe out") is used in the NT only of Jesus' death: "he breathed his last" (Mark 15:37-39; Luke 23:46).

 
B) Various Meanings of pneuma in the New Testament:

• Something divine:
  • Spirit of (our) God, Spirit of the Living God, Spirit of the Lord, Spirit of your Father, Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead;
  • Spirit of His Son, Spirit of Jesus, Spirit of Christ, Spirit of Jesus Christ;
  • Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit of God, Spirit that is from God, Spirit of Truth, eternal Spirit;
  • seven spirits of God (only in Rev 3:).
• Something demonic:
  • evil spirit, unclean spirit, demonic spirit, foul spirit, spirit of an unclean demon, spirit of cowardice, spirit of divination, spirit of error, spirit of slavery, spirit of the antichrist, spirit of the world, sluggish spirit.
• Something human, but coming from God:
  • spirit of adoption, spirit of faith, spirit of gentleness, spirit of glory, spirit of grace, spirit of holiness, spirit of life, spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline, spirit of prophecy, spirit of wisdom and revelation, spirit of your minds, spirits of the prophets, spirits of the righteous, spirit of Elijah.
• Something in nature:
  • air, wind, breath.

C) The Role of the Holy Spirit (and other spirits) in the Gospel according to Luke:

• The angel Gabriel says of John the Baptist: "Even before his birth, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit" (1:15); he will act "with the spirit and power of [the prophet] Elijah" (1:17); later, the child grows and becomes "strong in spirit" (1:80).
• Gabriel tells Mary how she will conceive Jesus: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you" (1:35).
• When Mary visits her pregnant older cousin, Elizabeth is "filled with the Holy Spirit" (1:41).
• In her song of praise (the Magnificat), Mary proclaims, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (1:46-47).
• After the birth of John the Baptist, his father Zechariah is "filled with the Holy Spirit" and utters a prophecy (1:67).
• In Jerusalem, "the Holy Spirit rested on" a righteous man named Simeon (2:25); the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die before seeing the Messiah (2:26); so one day, the Spirit guides Simeon to the Temple, where he encounters the infant Jesus and his parents (2:27).
• John the Baptist distinguishes between himself and Jesus: "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (3:16).
• After Jesus is baptized, "the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove" (3:22).
• Before beginning his public ministry, "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness" (4:1), where he is tempted by the devil.
• After withstanding the devil's temptations in the desert, Jesus returns to Galilee "filled with the power of the Spirit" (4:14).
• In the synagogue at Nazareth, his hometown, Jesus reads from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor" (4:18); after finishing the reading, Jesus declares, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (4:21), implying that he is indeed the Messiah, enlivened by God's Spirit.
• In his public ministry, Jesus casts many "unclean spirits" and "evil spirits" out of various people (4:33, 36; 6:18; 7:21; 8:2; 8:29; 9:39, 42; 10:20; 11:24, 26; 13:11).
• Soon after the seventy disciples return from their mission, Jesus "rejoiced in the Holy Spirit" and thanks God for hiding things from the wise but revealing them to infants (10:21).
• While teaching his disciples about prayer, Jesus says, "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (11:13).
• In response to criticism from his opponents, Jesus tells his disciples, "Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven" (12:10).
• Jesus tells his disciples not to worry if they are arrested or put on trial, "for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say" (12:12).
• As Jesus is dying on the cross, he utters his final words: "Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.' Having said this, he breathed his last (Gk: exepneusen)" (23:46).
• When the resurrected Jesus appears to the disciples, they are at first afraid, thinking that they were seeing a ghost/spirit (24:37); but Jesus assures them that he is not merely a ghost/spirit, but can be seen and touched, since he has flesh and bones (24:39).

D) The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles:

Just as in Luke's Gospel, the Spirit of God inspires and guides most of the action within the Acts of the Apostles.  Some scholars even suggest that this book should be named "The Acts of the Holy Spirit":

• Jesus instructs the apostles "through the Holy Spirit" (1:2).
• The first disciples are "baptized with the Holy Spirit" at Pentecost (1:5, 8; 2:1-4; 11:15-16).
• The apostles are "full of" or "filled with" the Holy Spirit, esp. when they preach (1:8; 2:4; 4:8, 31; 11:24; 13:9, 52).
• Similarly, the Holy Spirit spoke through King David and the prophets in ancient Israel (1:16; 4:25; 28:25).
• God "will pour out" his Spirit on all people and all nations in the last days (2:17-18, 33; 10:45).
• Believers, including Gentiles, receive the Holy Spirit when they repent and are baptized (2:38; 15:8; 19:5-6).
• Sometimes the reception of the Holy Spirit even precedes baptism (10:44-48).
• Some people "test" or "lie to" or "oppose" the Holy Spirit, with dire consequences (5:1-11; 7:51).
• Deacons and other ministers must also be "full of the Spirit" (6:1-6), esp. when they prophesy (6:10; 7:55-59; 11:28; 21:4).
• The Spirit is conferred through the "laying on of hands" (8:17-19; 9:17; 19:6).
• The Spirit "speaks to" the apostles and prophets (8:29; 10:19; 11:12; 13:1-4; 21:11).
• The Spirit leads and guides the decisions and actions of the Christian leaders (15:28; 16:6-7; 19:21; 20:22-23).

E) The Holy Spirit in the Pauline Letters:

Since Luke was a companion of the apostle Paul, it is noteworthy how important the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, and spiritual gifts also are in the Letters of Paul:

• (coming soon)