Holy Spirit

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In Judaism, the Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is the divine force, quality and influence of God over the universe or his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as an agent of divine action or communication. In the Baha’i Faith, the Holy Spirit is seen as the intermediary between God and man and "the outpouring grace of God and the effulgent rays that emanate from His Manifestation".[1]

Comparative religion

The Hebrew Bible contains the term "spirit of God" (ruach elochim) which by Jews is interpreted in the sense of the might of a unitary God.[citation needed] This interpretation is different from the Nicene Christian conception of the Holy Spirit as one person of the Trinity.[2]

The Christian concept tends to emphasize the moral aspect of the Holy Spirit more than Judaism, evident in the epithet Holy Spirit that appeared in Jewish religious writings only relatively late[clarification needed] but was a common expression in the Christian New Testament.[3] Based on the Old Testament, the book of Acts emphasizes the power of ministry aspect of the Holy Spirit.[4]

According to theologian Rudolf Bultmann, there are two ways to think about the Holy Spirit: "animistic" and "dynamistic". In animistic thinking, he is "an independent agent, a personal power which (...) can fall upon a man and take possession of him, enabling him or compelling him to perform manifestations of power" while in dynamistic thought it "appears as an impersonal force which fills a man like a fluid".[5] Both kinds of thought appear in Jewish and Christian scripture, but animistic is more typical of the Old Testament whereas dynamistic is more common in the New Testament.[6] The distinction coincides with the Holy Spirit as either a temporary or permanent gift. In the Old Testament and Jewish thought, it is primarily temporary with a specific situation or task in mind, whereas in the Christian concept the gift resides in persons permanently.[7]

On the surface, the Holy Spirit appears to have an equivalent in non-Abrahamic Hellenistic mystery religions. These religions included a distinction between the spirit and psyche, which is also seen in the Pauline epistles. According to proponents[who?] of the History of religions school, the Christian concept of the Holy Spirit cannot be explained from Jewish ideas alone without reference to the Hellenistic religions.[8] And according to theologian Erik Konsmo, the views "are so dissimilar that the only legitimate connection one can make is with the Greek term πνεῦμα [pneuma, Spirit] itself".[9]

Another link with ancient Greek thought is the Stoic idea of the spirit as anima mundi or world soul – that unites all people.[9] Some[by whom?] believe that this can be seen in Paul's formulation of the concept of the Holy Spirit that unites Christians in Jesus Christ and love for one another, but Konsmo again thinks that this position is difficult to maintain.[10] In his Introduction to the 1964 book Meditations, the Anglican priest Maxwell Staniforth wrote:

Another Stoic concept which offered inspiration to the Church was that of "divine Spirit". Cleanthes, wishing to give more explicit meaning to Zeno's "creative fire", had been the first to hit upon the term pneuma, or "spirit", to describe it. Like fire, this intelligent "spirit" was imagined as a tenuous substance akin to a current of air or breath, but essentially possessing the quality of warmth; it was immanent in the universe as God, and in man as the soul and life-giving principle. Clearly it is not a long step from this to the "Holy Spirit" of Christian theology, the "Lord and Giver of life", visibly manifested as tongues of fire at Pentecost and ever since associated – in the Christian as in the Stoic mind – with the ideas of vital fire and beneficent warmth.[11]

Abrahamic religions

Judaism

The

definite article
ha is dropped).

The Holy Spirit in Judaism generally refers to the divine aspect of prophecy and wisdom. It also refers to the divine force, quality, and influence of the Most High God, over the universe or over his creatures, in given contexts.[13]

Christianity

For the large majority of

Jesus Christ, as tongues of fire as described in the Acts of the Apostles,[20] as promised by Jesus in his farewell discourse.[21][22]
Called "the unveiled epiphany of God",[23] the Holy Spirit is the One who empowers the followers of Jesus with spiritual gifts[24][25] and power[26][27] that enables the proclamation of Jesus Christ, and the power that brings conviction of faith.[28]

  • Depiction of the Christian Holy Spirit as a dove, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, in the apse of Saint Peter's Basilica
    Depiction of the Christian Holy Spirit
    Saint Peter's Basilica
  • A depiction of the Trinity consisting of God the Holy Spirit along with God the Father and God the Son
    A depiction of the Trinity consisting of
    God the Holy Spirit
    along with God the Father and God the Son
  • Pentecost icon depicting the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and Mary in the form of tongues of flame above their heads
    Pentecost icon depicting the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and Mary in the form of tongues of flame above their heads

Islam

The Holy Spirit (

duality of God (Allah).[31][32]

Baháʼí Faith

The

In Baháʼí belief, the Holy Spirit is the

Maid of Heaven to Bahá'u'lláh (founder of the Baháʼí Faith).[35] The Baháʼí view rejects the idea that the Holy Spirit is a partner to God in the Godhead, but rather is the pure essence of God's attributes.[36]

Other religions

Hinduism

The

Ultimate Reality and Absolute.[38]

Zoroastrianism

In

Angra Mainyu, who is the source of all wickedness and who leads humanity astray.[39]

Gnosticism

The ancient Gnostic text known as the Secret Book of John refers to the supreme female principle Barbelo as the Holy Spirit.[40]

See also

Further reading

  • Bellarmine, Robert (1902). "The Holy Ghost." . Sermons from the Latins. Benziger Brothers.
  • Council of Trent (1829). "Part 1: Article 8 "I Believe in the Holy Ghost.". The catechism of the Council of Trent. Translated by James Donovan. Lucas Brothers.
  • Deharbe, Joseph (1912). "Eighth Article: 'I believe in the Holy Ghost.'. A Complete Catechism of the Catholic Religion. Translated by Rev. John Fander. Schwartz, Kirwin & Fauss.
  • Forget, Jacques (1910). "Holy Ghost" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  • Swete, Henry Barclay (1912). The Holy Spirit in the Ancient Church: a Study of Christian Teaching in the Age of the Fathers. .

References

  1. ^ "Some Answered Questions | Bahá'í Reference Library". www.bahai.org. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  2. .
  3. .
  4. ^ Menzies, William W. and Robert P. "Spirit and Power." Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000.
  5. ^ Bultmann 2007, p. 155.
  6. ^ Bultmann 2007, pp. 156–157.
  7. ^ Bultmann 2007, pp. 157.
  8. ^ Konsmo 2010, p. 2.
  9. ^ a b Konsmo 2010, p. 5.
  10. ^ Konsmo 2010, p. 6.
  11. .
  12. ^  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainSinger, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Holy Spirit". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. Cf. also the term ruaḥ Elohim (Hebrew: רוח אלהים, "spirit/wind of God"). See, for example, Guy Darshan, "Ruaḥ ’Elohim in Genesis 1:2 in Light of Phoenician Cosmogonies: A Tradition's History," Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages 45,2 (2019), 51–78.
  13. ^ Alan Unterman and Rivka Horowitz, Ruah ha-Kodesh, Encyclopaedia Judaica (CD-ROM Edition, Jerusalem: Judaica Multimedia/Keter, 1997).
  14. .
  15. ^ Erickson, Millard J. (1992). Introducing Christian Doctrine. Baker Book House. p. 103.
  16. ^ Hammond, T. C. (1968). Wright, David F. (ed.). In Understanding be Men: A Handbook of Christian Doctrine (6th ed.). Inter-Varsity Press. pp. 54–56, 128–131.
  17. ^ Grudem, Wayne A. (1994). Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. p. 226.
  18. ^ a b Bible, Luke 3:22, NIV
  19. ^ Bible, Acts 2:3, NIV
  20. ^ Bible, Acts 2:1–31
  21. ^ Bible, John 14-16
  22. ^ Williams, Charles (1950). The descent of the Dove : a short history of the Holy Spirit in the church. London: Faber.
  23. .
  24. ^ Bible, I Corinthians 13:4-11, NIV
  25. OCLC 53143450
    .
  26. Acts 1:8
  27. ^ Johnson, Bill. When Heaven Invades Earth. Destiny Image, 2005
  28. ^ Fee, Gordon D. (1994). "God's empowering presence: the Holy Spirit in the letters of Paul." Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson.
  29. ^ Qur'an search: روح القدس. searchtruth.com.
  30. ^ "What Is Meant by the Holy Spirit in the Qur'an?". Islam Awareness. Sheikh Ahmad Kutty. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  31. Encyclopaedia of the Quran
    .
  32. Thomas Patrick Hughes
    , A Dictionary of Islam, p. 605.
  33. .
  34. .
  35. ^ Abdo, Lil (1994). "Female Representations of the Holy Spirit in Baháʼí and Christian writings and their implications for gender roles". Baháʼí Studies Review. 4 (1).
  36. .
  37. .
  38. .
  39. .
  40. ^ Marvin Meyer; Willis Barnstone (June 30, 2009). "The Secret Book of John". The Gnostic Bible. Shambhala. Retrieved October 15, 2021.

Works cited