Masculine Holy Spirit is tightly connected with the doctrine of Trinity and the Virgin birth. The belief that God is one being who exists as three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit and all of those three persons are masculine, gave the foundation of the belief that Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, Jesus’ mother. The conception was emphasizing that Jesus came from a miraculous birth of human and God by divine intervention, however non-sexual and unique. This laid the foundation of divinity of Jesus and placing Jesus as the second head of the Trinity.
First, it is important to examine if the fact that Holy Spirit was masculine was what early Christians believed in. After 2 thousand years, Christianity deviated from the original teachings of Jesus and introduced non-Biblical doctrines. In the New Testament we can clearly see that Holy Spirit was called a “He”, however, what about original Hebrew Bible? What did Jews believe about the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit has been present throughout the Bible, from the Old Testament to the New Testament. In the Old Testament we see that Holy Spirit was present with God from the beginning:
“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2
Here we see the word “Spirit of God” as “Ruach Elohim”, which is a feminine noun. How do we know the Spirit of God was in fact Holy Spirit and with God from the beginning? In the book of Proverbs we see the Spirit of God being called “Wisdom”:
“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.
I have been established from everlasting,
From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was brought forth;” Proverbs 8: 22-25
Many interpret this as this being Jesus with God, however this whole chapter is talking about Wisdom and is always referred to as “She”:
“She takes her stand on the top of the high hill,
Beside the way, where the paths meet.
She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,
At the entrance of the doors:
“To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.” Proverbs 8: 2-4
“Now therefore, listen to me, my children,
For blessed are those who keep my ways.
Hear instruction and be wise,
And do not disdain it.
Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at the posts of my doors.
For whoever finds me finds life,
And obtains favor from the Lord;” Proverbs 8: 32-35
Not only the Spirit of God, Wisdom or the Holy Spirit is calling people “my children”, which indicates parental aspect. This would confirm why Jesus was calling the Holy Spirit his true mother:
“And Yeshua therefore answered them ‘Do not murmur amongst yourselves. No one can enter the Kingdom unless they are born of the spirit. You speak well when you say that my mother gave me birth but, only from the truth I tell you, it was my true mother who gave me life” (GBC 18:3)
We also see that God would send His Spirit to the prophets, Kings and servants that were speaking or acting in His behalf.
“Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.” 1 Samuel 16:13
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;” Isaiah 61:1
Therefore being “anointed” means to be filled with the Holy Spirit, which would give wisdom, prophecy and understanding.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” Psalm 51: 10-11
Therefore, God could take away His Holy Spirit, which we also see in the life of King Saul:
“But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him.” 1 Samuel 16: 14
In the Hebrew Bible, Holy Spirit was translated as Ruach HaKodesh, which literally translates to “Spirit of Holiness” or “Holy Spirit”. “Ruach” is a grammatically feminine noun and it was widely known that Holy Spirit was feminine. Ruach was also represented as a dove, which is also associated with femininity and delicacy.
“And Yohanan (John) testified saying ‘In a vision I have seen the spirit descending like a dove out of the sky, and She remained upon him’” (GBC 4:2)
Here, from the Gospel of the Beloved Companion, we see that John also referred to the Holy Spirit as a “She”. This was also widely accepted by early Christianity before Rome took over and put their hands on the scripture. In the Apocrypha texts of the Gospel of Philip from 2nd and 3rd century, Philip wrote:
“Some say, ‘Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit.’ They are in error. They do not know what they are saying. When did a woman ever conceive by a woman?” The Gospel of Philip.
However, in the New Testament, Holy Spirit was presented as neutral “Pneûma Hagion” and later changed into masculine noun in Latin “Spiritus”. The change from feminine to neutral to masculine came gradually and was established as “masculine” during the Council of Nicea in 325AD, when the doctrine of Trinity was also established as three masculine beings. Before that, it was not clear and there was no emphasis on the masculinity of the Holy Spirit. As with previous doctrines, this came gradually and started as a debate.
When Christianity spread into the Greek-speaking world, things changed due to translations from Hebrew into Greek and Greek variations to then being translated into other languages. The question “Is the Spirit male or female?” started with Tertulian, however the emphasis was more on: is the spirit fully God and how the Spirit relates to God and the Son. In doing so, they used masculine descriptions and naturally formed the Spirit as masculine.
Then, the doctrine of Trinity solidified this idea and Latin word: “spiritus” strengthened its masculine origin. Therefore, Holy Spirit was not originally seen as masculine in early Judaism and the shift toward masculine language happened through Greek grammar language and Latin influence in the Western Church.
If Hebrew used feminine imagery, used feminine noun and Jesus or other disciples called the Spirit “SHE”, then what does this tells us about the knowledge and interpretation of the Early Church Fathers? Can we really trust their interpretations and debates? Can we say their knowledge was authoritative and based on the truth? Could Holy Spirit be a Mother as Jesus stated?
We see the Holy Spirit first with God at the beginning:
“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2
“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1: 26-27
Therefore, God with the Spirit of God were together and God said: “Let Us make man in Our image” and God created man in His own image but there is also a female, therefore this tells us that female was created in the image of the Holy Spirit, and “male and female He created them.”
“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply;” Genesis 1: 28
This tells us that since we were created in God’s and Holy Spirit likeness, each soul was first born through the Holy Spirit before coming to earth into the body. God being our Father and Holy Spirit our Mother, just as Jesus said in the Gospel of the Beloved Companion.
“And Yeshua therefore answered them ‘Do not murmur amongst yourselves. No one can enter the Kingdom unless they are born of the spirit. You speak well when you say that my mother gave me birth but, only from the truth I tell you, it was my true mother who gave me life” (GBC 18:3)
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24
Which would suggest that Adam had a father and a mother that he was about to leave to join with his wife Eve. God was conversing with His wife, the Holy Spirit, our Mother. We also see the truth about the Mother in the book of Proverbs that speaks about Wisdom.
“My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;
For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck.” Proverbs 1: 8-9
“Wisdom calls aloud outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares.
She cries out in the chief concourses,
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words:
“How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?
For scorners delight in their scorning,
And fools hate knowledge.
Turn at my rebuke;
Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.” Proverbs 1: 20-23
This is very clearly shown that Wisdom is a She and she will pour out herself on people. It also shows that, since the Law comes from God, we see a couple: “hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother;”
“If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;” Proverbs 2: 4-6
“When wisdom enters your heart,
And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
Discretion will preserve you;
Understanding will keep you,
To deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks perverse things,
From those who leave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the ways of darkness;” Proverbs 2: 10-13
The Lord gives wisdom and wisdom enters your heart, just like the Lord gives His Holy Spirit and Holy Spirit enters your heart.
“So you may walk in the way of goodness,
And keep to the paths of righteousness.
For the upright will dwell in the land,
And the blameless will remain in it;” Proverbs 2: 20-21
Without the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, we can’t know the path of righteousness and remain on the land with the Lord. Holy Spirit is our spiritual compass and our internal guide, an intuition and with her soft voice, she leads us to the right way.
“Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding;
For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,
And her gain than fine gold.
She is more precious than rubies,
And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
Length of days is in her right hand,
In her left hand riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who retain her.” Proverbs 3: 13-18
This verse suggest that Holy Spirit is not freely given but “happy is the one who finds wisdom”. Therefore, it is our individual path to find wisdom, to overcome your negative side, rather than if you only confess that Jesus is Lord, then you are filled with the Holy Spirit. This is a misconception in Christianity, however not every believer who believes in Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit, but those who overcome the powers. The Holy Spirit, just like God the Father, is holy and can only dwell in holy vessels, not where the sin is. That is why the work is our individual work, to come back to our Divine parents.
Here we see that wisdom or the Holy Spirit is like fine gold, like profits of silver, and She is more precious than rubies. All her paths are peace. Holy Spirit gives us all this wisdom and knowledge but also peace.
Why could belief about masculine Holy Spirit be dangerous?
The belief that Holy Spirit is masculine is not only dangerous because it is not based on the truth, but also this takes away from the feminine aspect in the Godly family. For a long time, we have seen the suppression of the feminine aspect of the divine being and rejection of the feminine in the church. According to the teachings of the Apostle Paul, women had to remain silent and they had no say. The laws in the 1st century Israel emphasized that women could not be real witnesses, could not teach or be writers. That is why there was a problem for accepting Mary Magdalene as the real witness of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. This was also one of the reasons why all four Gospels were so different from one another, because for the story to be believable, it had to be based on male witnesses. Therefore, the story was changed, more people were added, more women, less women and with this, diminishing Gospel’s validity. However, the suppression of women only increased in the church with the teachings of the Apostle Paul, who said:
“Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church.” 1 Corinthians 14: 34-35
This was then translated in many ways by the church but also individually in marriages and at home, giving women more submissive role. We can also say that this created a foundation to the patriarchal system that the church created. This, however, was an existing problem within the communities, which we see the evidence of in the Gospel of Thomas, where Peter said this about Mary Magdalene:
“Simon Peter said to them, “Mary should leave us, for females are not worthy of life.” Jesus said, “See, I am going to attract her to make her male so that she too might become a living spirit that resembles you males.” The Gospel of Thomas (saying 114)
This shows us that the problem of inequality between men and women was an existing problem in the 1st century Judea and Jesus was actually in favour of equality. Jesus appointed Mary as the successor of His message, and it was only hijacked from her by men:
“You do not understand what she has done. I tell you this: when all have abandoned me, only she shall stand beside me like a tower. A tower built on a high hill and fortified cannot fall, nor can it be hidden. From this day forth, she shall be known as Migdalah, for she shall be as a tower to my flock, and the time will soon come when her tower shall stand alone by mine.” ( Gospel of the Beloved Companion 32:4)
When examining the roles of males and females, we have to look at the facts. God appointed Eve as the helper to Adam, women had prominent roles in the communities like we see with the characters of Deborah being the judge of Israel. We also see in the Bible stories of women prophets and spiritual leaders, like Miriam, Esther, Deborah or Huldah. I have also demonstrated that in the early years of CE era, early Christianity viewed Holy Spirit as a female and a Mother. We also see Jesus being in favour of equality between men and women and calling Holy Spirit his true Mother. You have to then ask why it was so important to the church to change Holy Spirit into the masculine? To fit into the Trinity doctrine? To fit into the Virgin birth doctrine? Why it was so important for the feminine to be suppressed if this was not based on the Biblical truth?
Once you ask those questions, you will start seeing man-made religion of Christianity as not divinely guided and not based on the truth. Because too much has been changed for it to be based on the truth. But again, this is an individual journey that one must take when searching for the truth. With searching, you have to put aside your personal bias and your pre-conditioned believes but only look at the facts of how it was viewed originally and what the Hebrew Bible says. And just because it was established by the Early Church Fathers and Councils, does not make it based on the truth.
By Dagmara Z.