In the Eastern Church, Spirit was always considered to have a feminine nature. The writings of the Catholic fathers, in fact, preserve the vision of the Spirit encapsulating the “peoplehood of Christ” as the Bride or as the “Mother Church.” Both are feminine aspects of the Divine. Church doctrine regards the Holy Spirit as a person, not a force like magnetism. The Spirit is not called “it” despite the fact that pneuma in Greek is a neuter noun.
#Book of sophia where jesus introduces himself as a woman plus
Denoting Spirit as a feminine principle, the creative principle of life, makes sense when considering the Trinity aspect where Father plus Spirit leads to the Divine Extension of Divine Sonship. Thus, referring to the Holy Spirit as “she” has some linguistic justification. “He” as a reference to Spirit has been used in theology to match the pronoun for God, yet the Hebrew word ruach is a noun of feminine gender. Thus, in the Old Testament language of the prophets, She is the Divine Spirit of indwelling sanctification and creativity and is considered as having a feminine power. Likewise in Hebrew thought, Ruach Ha Kodesh was considered a voice sent from on high to speak to the Prophet. The Holy Spirit was also a source for Divine guidance and as the indwelling Comforter. The power of this force can be seen in the Christian church as the “gifts of the Spirit” (especially in today’s tongues- speaking Pentecostals). For the most part, Ruach or Pneuma have been considered the spiritual force or presence of God. The Holy Spirit was not rendered as “Holy Ghost” until the appearance of the 1611 Protestant King James Version of the Bible.
In the New Testament as Pneuma (Romans 8:9). In the Old Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls the Holy Spirit was known as the Ruach or Ruach Ha Kodesh (Psalm 51:11). Moreover, the Eastern Church places the Holy Spirit as the Second Person of the Trinity with Christ as the Third, whereas the Western Church places the Son before the Holy Spirit. Although all Christian Churches accept the union of three persons in one Godhead, the Eastern Church, particularly the communities of the Greek, Ethiopian, Armenian, and Russian, do not solidify a strong union of personalities, but see the figures uniquely differentiated, but still in union. The Holy Spirit became well-established as part of a circumincession, a partner in the Trinity with the Father and Son after doctrinal controversies of the late 4th century AD solidified the position of the Western Church. In the New Testament She is the presence of God in the world and a power in the birth and life of Jesus. The Holy Spirit plays varied roles in Judeo-Christian traditions: acting in Creation, imparting wisdom, and inspiring Old Testament prophets. Scholars are recognizing the Holy Spirit as the “female vehicle” for the outpouring of higher teaching and spiritual rebirth. Once more we find a rich and profound history reshaping the future even as it unfolds before our eyes.Ī new response to the “image” of the Holy Spirit is taking shape quietly in scholarly circles throughout the world, as the result of new findings in the Dead Sea Scriptures, the Coptic Nag Hammadi and intertestamental texts of Jewish mystics found side-by-side the writings of the early Christian church. For this reason, this particular article becomes a meaningful and insightful contribution to the current discussion of the role of the female in modern times.
Far from being the overbearing patriarchal advocates as they are often portrayed, more recent findings reveal an innate sensitivity and appreciation for the feminine aspect of Divinity than has been previously suspected. Hurtak, the notion of femininity played an extremely important and significant role in the thinking and belief system of the intertestamental authors. This growing awareness of gender-related matters was not something ignored by the early Church and the writers of ancient religious texts. The Holy Spirit: The Feminine Aspect Of the GodheadĪbstract: There is currently much talk of “feminine issues,” particularly in social and political contexts.
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