Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is recognized in Christianity as the third person of the Holy Trinity, alongside God the Father and Jesus Christ. Drawing from both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, the Holy Spirit is seen as God's active presence on Earth, empowering believers to fulfill divine purposes. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit, referred to as "ruach," plays various roles, such as inspiring individuals like Bezalel and granting strength to Samson. The New Testament further emphasizes the significance of the Holy Spirit through key moments in Jesus' life, including his conception and baptism, where the Spirit is described as a "helper" and "comforter."
The understanding of the Holy Spirit evolved in early Christianity, leading to doctrinal debates that culminated in the Council of Constantinople, which affirmed the full divinity of the Holy Spirit. A notable theological disagreement, known as the Filioque controversy, emerged regarding whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son, contributing to the split between Western and Eastern Christian traditions. While perspectives on the Holy Spirit may vary, all Christians acknowledge its enduring presence and transformative power, with Pentecostal Christians particularly emphasizing the gifts bestowed by the Spirit, such as healing and prophesy.
Holy Spirit
In Christianity, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity, the union that also includes the persons of God and Jesus existing in the same singular divine being. As described in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, the Holy Spirit is God's agent on Earth, empowering the faithful to carry out God's work. In contemporary Christianity, the Holy Spirit is worshiped and entreated for help as the eternal presence of God.
History of the Holy Spirit
Much of what Christians believe about the Holy Spirit derives from scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, which repeatedly mention the identity and activities of God's Spirit on Earth. Official Christian doctrine on the Holy Spirit, however, was developed in later centuries by early church leaders.
Old Testament
In the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, the Holy Spirit is known simply as the "Spirit," or the ruach in the original Hebrew. Here, the Spirit consistently acts as the immaterial essence of God among his faithful, moving among people and nature to inspire certain events.
In the beginning of the Book of Genesis, the Spirit is briefly mentioned as hovering over the face of the waters before God begins creating the world. Later, in the Book of Exodus's narrative about the Israelites escaping to the desert from slavery in Egypt, the Spirit is said to have inspired the artistic skill of Bezalel, whom God had chosen to design and build his tabernacle. The tabernacle was the enclosed structure in which God's divine presence was said to reside while being transported through the desert. In other Old Testament books, the Holy Spirit embodies courage and physical power, as when, in the Book of Judges, the Spirit grants the warrior-judge Samson the strength for which he becomes famous.
The Holy Spirit takes on a new significance in the Book of Isaiah, in which it is prophesied that the Spirit will come to inhabit a future king in the line of David, one who will be known as a servant of the Lord. Additionally, the books of Ezekiel and Joel claim that the same Spirit, but one even more powerful, will have an important role to play in God's future plans. Christians generally look to all of these statements about the Holy Spirit as predictions of the coming of Jesus.
New Testament
The New Testament refers to the Holy Spirit by many names. In Greek, "Holy Spirit" translates as hagios pneuma, which means "holy wind" or "holy breath." The Greek word parakletos, also used many times to describe the Spirit, translates as "helper," "comforter," or "advocate."
The Holy Spirit is especially important in the life and ministry of Jesus. First, Jesus's mother, Mary, is told by an angel that she will be filled with the Holy Spirit to give birth to her son. Later, as an adult, Jesus is inhabited by the Holy Spirit as he is being baptized in the Jordan River. This begins Jesus's religious ministry, after which he openly and often speaks of the Spirit to his followers.
These references occur, for example, throughout the Gospel of John. In chapter fourteen, Jesus vows that the "Comforter" will come onto the people to guide them to believe in him. In chapter sixteen, Jesus claims that all who renounce their sins and follow Jesus will be shown the truth by the Holy Spirit.
In Acts of the Apostles, after he has risen from the dead, Jesus promises his disciples that they will be granted great power when the Holy Spirit visits them. This promise is fulfilled on the feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit allows the disciples to spread God's word in all the languages on Earth. The Holy Spirit is also referenced extensively in St. Paul's letters to early Christian communities; these letters are found in the New Testament.
Christian Doctrine
In the first several centuries of the Christian Church, leading Christian thinkers vigorously debated the essence of the Holy Spirit, for no official church doctrine on the matter had yet been decided. Some claimed to know the differences between the true and false actions of the Spirit, while others, such as Origen of Alexandria, suggested that the Holy Spirit worked only in the church, rather than in the entire universe, as Jesus did.
In the late 300s C.E., to combat increasing heresies—or false teachings—about the Holy Spirit and other related doctrinal matters, the church convened the Council of Constantinople. This meeting of bishops confirmed the full divinity of the Holy Spirit as one of three persons of the Holy Trinity. Even with this issue settled, however, one disagreement about the Holy Spirit remained.
The question that divided Christians for the next seven centuries—until they split into the Eastern and Western Churches in 1054 C.E.—was known as the Filioque controversy. This Latin phrase, used by Western Christians, means "and the Son." It referred to the belief that the Holy Spirit "proceeds" from God the Father, who is the power source of the Trinity, and from Jesus the Son, as all three persons are simultaneously distinct yet linked together.
Eastern Christians refused to accept the Filioque clause. They believed that because Jesus was "begotten" by God—the word used in the church's official declaration of faith, the Nicene Creed—he was produced by God. If this were the case, Easterners argued, then the Spirit could not possibly proceed from Jesus, even though Jesus shared in God's divinity and eternity. The Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Orthodox Christian Church in the East continue to maintain their own beliefs on the subject today.
All Christians, however, believe in the everlasting presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Pentecostal Christians especially believe the Holy Spirit bestows gifts on God's faithful. These include ability gifts such as prophesy, healing, and the ability to speak in tongues, while spiritual gifts include teaching, healing, and mercy.
Bibliography
"The Holy Spirit in Christianity." ReligionFacts. ReligionFacts. Web. 27 July 2015. http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/beings/holy-spirit
"The Nicene Creed and Its Origins." Catholic News Herald. Catholic News Herald. Web. 27 July 2015. http://www.catholicnewsherald.com/our-faith/200-news/roknewspager-yearfaith/2718-the-nicene-creed-and-its-origins?showall=&limitstart=
"What Is the Holy Spirit?" Beyond Today. United Church of God. 23 Feb. 2011. Web. 27 July 2015. http://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-study-course/bible-study-course-lesson-9/what-is-the-holy-spirit