Mediumistic Divine Possession among Early Christians: A Response to Craig S. Keener’s “Spirit Possession as a Cross-cultural Experience”
Bulletin for Biblical Research January 1, 2016 Clint Tibbs
In early Christian and Jewish cultures, spirit possession could be either demonic (violent) or divine (inspiring prophecy and glossolalia). Drawing on anthropological data and Craig S. Keener's cross-cultural research, the author argues that both types of possession coexisted, creating ambiguity that could lead to schisms over who was genuinely divinely possessed. The article builds on Keener's findings, which focused on demonic possession, to show that divine possession also occurred among early Christians.