The Holy Spirit: feminine, neuter, masculine

[tonychanyt]

Genesis 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit [H7307, G4151] of God was hovering over the waters.

Strong's Concordance:
H7307. ruach
ruach: breath, wind, spirit
Original Word: רוּחַ
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Definition: breath, wind, spirit

Strong's Concordance:
G4151. pneuma
lpneuma: wind, spirit
Original Word: πνεῦμα, ατος, τό
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Usage: wind, breath, spirit.

John 16:7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate [G3875] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Advocate
Παράκλητος (Paraklētos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3875: (a) an advocate, intercessor, (b) a consoler, comforter, helper, (c) Paraclete. An intercessor, consoler.

The Holy Spirit in Hebrew is feminine gender; in Greek, it is neuter; and as the Paraclete, it is masculine. Bill Mounce gave a good explanation of the grammatical genders of the Holy Spirit.

 

[HTacianas]

Genesis 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit [H7307, G4151] of God was hovering over the waters.

Strong's Concordance:
H7307. ruach
ruach: breath, wind, spirit
Original Word: רוּחַ
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Definition: breath, wind, spirit

Strong's Concordance:
G4151. pneuma
lpneuma: wind, spirit
Original Word: πνεῦμα, ατος, τό
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Usage: wind, breath, spirit.

John 16:7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate [G3875] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Advocate
Παράκλητος (Paraklētos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3875: (a) an advocate, intercessor, (b) a consoler, comforter, helper, (c) Paraclete. An intercessor, consoler.

The Holy Spirit in Hebrew is feminine gender; in Greek, it is neuter; and as the Paraclete, it is masculine. Bill Mounce gave a good explanation of the grammatical genders of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is spoken of in feminine terms. The shekinah, as Jews have it, is the power of God who rests on the righteous. It's the origin of the Islamic name Shakinah, a girl's name. In one of the gnostic gospels -I forget which one- Jesus is reported to have said "my mother the Holy Spirit...". We have God the Father, the Word the Son, and the Holy Spirit, spoken of in feminine terms, causes me to wonder if when we look at an icon of the Holy Family, are we looking at an icon of the Trinity.

 

[tonychanyt]

Jesus is reported to have said "my mother the Holy Spirit...".

Reference?

 

[HTacianas]

Reference?

It comes from the gospel of the Hebrews. Jerome commented on it.

The Gospel of the Hebrews

The Gospel of the Hebrews on Early Christian Writings: the New Testament, Apocrypha, Gnostics, and Church Fathers: information and translations of Gospels, Epistles, and documents of early Christianity.

www.earlychristianwritings.com

 

[tonychanyt]

It comes from the gospel of the Hebrews. Jerome commented on it.

The Gospel of the Hebrews

The Gospel of the Hebrews on Early Christian Writings: the New Testament, Apocrypha, Gnostics, and Church Fathers: information and translations of Gospels, Epistles, and documents of early Christianity.

www.earlychristianwritings.com

Can you display the actual quote and bold the relevant words? It is the standard scholarship and it would save the effort of everyone.

 

[HTacianas]

Can you display the actual quote and bold the relevant words? It is the standard scholarship and it would save the effort of everyone.

The actual quote goes:

Even now did my mother the Holy Spirit take me by one of mine hairs, and carried me away unto the great mountain Thabor'

It was mentioned by Origen and then later by Jerome. Jerome didn't really defend the idea, but commented that the Holy Spirit is spoken of in feminine terms, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.

 

[OldAbramBrown]

sshh . . . don't tell anyone . . . ALL grammar (on all subjects) is metaphorical . . .

 

[ozso]

It's been said that Genesis 1:2 alludes to pregnancy.

"Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." Genesis 1:2

 

[Andrewn]

causes me to wonder if when we look at an icon of the Holy Family, are we looking at an icon of the Trinity.

No, this is what Muslims think that we believe!! You'd be justifying their criticism of Christianity.

Quran 5:116 When God says, ‘Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to people, “Take me and my mother as two gods alongside God”?’ he will say, ‘May You be exalted! I would never say what I had no right to say- if I had said such a thing You would have known it: You know all that is within me, though I do not know what is within You, You alone have full knowledge of things unseen-