Spirit possession is central to the religious experience of Paul and his Christ groups, expressed through the idiom of being "in Christ." This possession by a πνεῦμα (spirit), identified with the risen Christ, grants believers salvation from eschatological wrath and the expectation of eternal life. Paul believed Christ achieved the state of πνεῦμα through his death and resurrection, an idea shared by other early Christ groups, as confirmed by the Shepherd of Hermas, though with notable differences.
This concluding chapter examines how spirit possession appears in early Christian texts, drawing on anthropological insights. It argues that the spirits involved in possession should be taken seriously as real entities, not merely as mythical or metaphorical representations, as earlier studies often did. This approach raises complex questions about ontology and agency, because attributing agency to nonhuman entities conflicts with the modern paradigm that only autonomous human individuals possess agency.
Spirit possession in early Christian groups led by Paul served social and ethical functions, shaping social structures, moral agency, and individual identities. Drawing on recent ethnographic studies of possession's productive role, this analysis shows similar traits in Pauline communities. Possession enabled a unique form of engaging with the past, distinct from modern archival history. By embodying the spirit of Christ, Paul and group members could make Christ present, affecting their remembrance, moral choices, and formation as believers.