Origin of the Holly Spirit (Part One)

When I was an Altar boy, I’ve never understood nor supported the Holy Spirit concept. I saw it as needless “Joker” in an already useless partition of power between God and his son, Jesus. If you prefer, a convenient “filler” for some unforeseen needs, somewhere, sometime. 

Apparently, the Holy Spirit has roots that stretch from the earliest pages of the Hebrew Bible to the theological debates of the early Church and into modern Christian practice. Some of its origins can be found in the Old Testament, where in Genesis 1:2, the Spirit of God (ruach elohim) is described as "hovering over the waters" during creation. 

It’s also portrayed as a divine force that empowers individuals like Moses, the judges, and prophets. In that early period, the Spirit is more a manifestation of God's power or presence than a distinct person. As Christianity began to take hold, the Holy Spirit played a central role in Jesus’ life, present at his baptism (as a dove), guiding his ministry, and promising to help his followers. 

Then, the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, empowering them to speak in tongues and spread the gospel. Quite a a shift from selective empowerment to universal availability for believers! In his Epistles, Paul emphasizes the Spirit as the source of spiritual gifts (charismata), inner transformation, and unity in the body of Christ. In 381, the Holy Spirit becomes the third person of the Trinity, both co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. 

This soon would lead to a major theological dispute over whether the Spirit proceeds from the Father alone instead of the Father and the Son, contributing to the East–West Schism in 1054. From medieval mystics to modern Pentecostalism, the Holy Spirit has been central to movements emphasizing direct experience of God through prophecy, healing, and ecstatic worship. 

As a matter of fact, extracting something from the universal energy appeals to all religions and all of them have a vehicle to do just that. From a Catholic perspective, the Spirit’s role is found in sacraments, Church teaching, and personal sanctification, while Protestants see its focus on the Spirit’s role in Scripture interpretation and personal conviction. 

Finally, Pentecostals emphasize spiritual gifts and baptism in the Spirit, while my Mormon neighbors and Jeovah’s Witnesses often see the Spirit more as a divine influence or force than a person. Tomorrow, we’ll explore it’s relationship with Prana Chi and other cosmic manifestation of energy...