Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, is a term found in English translations of the Bible, but understood differently among the Abrahamic religions.

Judaism

The Hebrew language phrase ruach ha-kodesh (Hebrew: רוח ×"קו×"ש, "holy spirit" also transliterated ruaḥ ha-qodesh) is a term used in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) and Jewish writings to refer to the spirit of YHWH (רוח ×™×"ו×"). It literally means "the spirit of holiness" or "the spirit of the holy place". The Hebrew terms ruaḥ qodshÉ™ka, "thy holy spirit" (רוּחַ קָ×"ְשְׁךָ), and ruaḥ qodshō, "his holy spirit" (רוּחַ קָ×"ְשׁÖ'וֹ) also occur (when a possessive suffix is added the definite article 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.

Christianity

For the large majority of Christians, the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost, from Old English gast, "spirit") is the third divine person of the Trinity: the "Triune God" manifested as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; each person itself being God.

Islam

The Holy Spirit (Arabic: الروح القدس al-Ruh al-Quddus, "the-Spirit the-Holy") is mentioned a number of times in the Qur'an, where it acts as an agent of divine action or communication. The Muslim interpretation of the Holy Spirit is generally consistent with other interpretations based upon the Old and the New Testaments. On the basis of narrations in certain Hadith some Muslims identify it with the angel Gabriel (Arabic Jibreel). The Spirit (الروح al-Ruh, without the adjective "holy" or "exalted") is described, among other things, as the creative spirit from God by which God enlivened Adam, and which inspired in various ways God's messengers, his prophets, and his angels, including Jesus and Abraham. The belief in a "Holy Trinity", according to the Qur'an, is forbidden and deemed to be blasphemy. The same prohibition applies to any idea of the duality of God (Allah). Though grammatical gender has no bearing on sexual identity in non-personal nouns, the term "Holy Spirit" translates in and is used in the masculine form throughout the Qur'an.

Bahá'í Faith

The Bahá'í Faith has the concept of the Most Great Spirit, seen as the bounty of God. It is usually used to describe the descent of the Spirit of God upon the messengers/prophets of God who include, among others, Jesus, Muhammad and Bahá'u'lláh.

In Bahá'í belief, the Holy Spirit is the conduit through which the wisdom of God becomes directly associated with his messenger, and it has been described variously in different religions such as the burning bush to Moses, the sacred fire to Zoroaster, the dove to Jesus, the angel Gabriel to Muhammad, and the Maid of Heaven to Bahá'u'lláh. The Bahá'í 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.

See also

• Avatar
• Baptism with the Holy Spirit
• Barakah
• Cult of the Holy Spirit
• Deity
• Gender of the Holy Spirit
• God in Abrahamic religions
• Intercession of the Spirit
• Pneumatology

References