The mainstream Christian church talks a lot about the Holy Spirit, and we can learn much from them on this subject. However, it important to review the church’s understanding of this member of the Godhead in light of a more holistic, whole Bible, Hebraic perspective. In so doing, we might make some important discoveries that we have previously overlooked.
Let’s first make sure that our terminologies are correct. In Hebrew, the words for Holy Spirit is Ruach haKodesh meaning “Set-Apart Spirit.” Set-Apart Spirit is a better translation of the Hebrew than is “Holy Spirit” because of the pagan origins of the word holy, as we will discuss below. The Torah forbids the saints from taking on their lips the names of pagan deities (Exod 23:13). This is pretty hard to do, since there are many English words that have pagan derivations. If at all possible, to follow the command of the Torah, we should endeavor not to use any of names of pagan deities in reference to Elohim. Holy, God and Lord would be examples of names that have pagan connotations.
How the Holy Spirit Fits into the Godhead
Where does the Christian concept of the trinity fit into the biblical concept of the “Godhead” (for lack of a better term)? The doctrine of the trinity is an ancient Christian concept that goes back to the early church fathers. Suffice it to say, the term trinity isn’t found in the Bible. The one Bible verse that some Christians will use to try to substantiate this doctrine is 1 John 5:7. In fact, this verse was added to the Bible by a misguided Christian copiest in about the ninth century, and is not found in the earliest Greek versions of the Testimony of Yeshua (New Testament). Christian scholars recognize this as any will honest Bible commentary. This verse is the one and only verse in the Bible that should be crossed out and removed.
It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss or critique the Christian doctrine of the trinity. All this author cares about is what the Bible has to say on the subject, which we will Continue reading
