In his seminal Theology of the Old Testament, Gerhard von Rad argues that the testimonial character of the Old Testament provides it with a coherent framework of theological interpretation. Von Rad defines “testimony” as the dynamic interplay between Israel's memory and the expectation of a God who is revealed in the history of the chosen people.

One of the characteristics of Spirit language in the Old Testament is that it occurs in places that have particular significance for the literary formation as well as the theological profile of the Hebrew Scriptures. This essay examines texts from 1 Samuel, Ezekiel, Isaiah 40–66, and Psalm 104 and reconstructs an awareness across the biblical traditions that the experience of divine presence unfolds in and through the “Spirit” as part of God’s “aura.”.