"Holy Spirit" - when did it start?

[The_Prodigal]

The discussion on another thread regarding the use of “Holy Ghost” vs. “Holy Spirit” got me wondering: when did “Holy Spirit” become the norm?

(On that other thread, several remarked that it doesn’t matter and is not worth discussing. If you share that opinion, feel free **not **to respond. )

My impression, as a 40 year old American native English speaker, is that “Spirit” is a relatively recent innovation, dating from the 1960’s, more or less, in the States. This observation comes from some casual conversations with Traditional Catholic friends of mine. (I could be completely mistaken about the time).

I’d be interested to hear the experiences of others, especially those who were born around, say, 1950 or so. If I’m right, those people ought to have said their first prayers with “Ghost” but then been instructed to use “Spirit” through some sort of directive or catechesis. Those born around 1940 would have grown up with “Ghost” until at least their teen years.

The evidence of hand missals will be of limited value here. They are rather weak evidence that one word or the other was in actual use in prayer, since typically those translations would never be said aloud by the faithful at all. Two missals from the same publisher might well use the same translation. The “innovators” might have gained control of editorship at the publishing house even before “Spirit” came into general use.

What I’d really like to find out, is: if you were born 1950 or before, when do you remember the change in the language coming in?

As an aside, I wonder about regional variation in the English-speaking world outside the States as well. When did the change occur in the U.K., Ireland, and so forth?

 

[maurin]

Prodigal,

I was born in '63, so my understandings may not be what you are looking for. I have a number of missals ranging in publication dates from 1935 onward. All of the missals translate “Spiritus” as ‘Ghost’, except for the Saint Andrew Daily Missal, published in 1957, which exclusively uses “Spirit.”

I do have one prayer book that I love which was published in the 50’s which uses both Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost.

A ‘transitional’ Liturgy of the Hours in English (published after the Council, but before the NO Mass was propagated), which follows the Roman Breviary from before the Council uses “Holy Spirit” exclusively.

The Douay-Rheims Bible, written in older English translates “Spiritus” as Ghost, as I’m sure we are all aware.

Not sure if any of this is what you were looking for, but thought I’d chime in.

 

[gelsbern]

According to wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_ghost#.22Holy_Spirit.22_or_.22Holy_Ghost.22

Holy Spirit" or "Holy Ghost"

Holy Ghost was the common name for the Holy Spirit in English prior to the 20th century. It is the name used in the Book of Common Prayer, the Catholic Douay Rheims Bible and the King James Version (KJV), and is still widely used in England and Scotland, and by other English speakers whose religious vocabulary is largely derived from the KJV. The term is still retained in the traditional-language rites of the Anglican Church. The original meaning of the English word ghost closely paralleled the words spirit or soul; only later did the former word come to acquire the specific sense of “disembodied spirit of the dead” and the associated pejorative connotations. The Holy Ghost is received by speaking with an unknown tongue. In Acts 2:1-4 it says this.

In 1901 the American Standard Version of the Bible translated the name as Holy Spirit, as had the English Revised Version of 1881-1885 upon which it was based. Almost all modern English translations have followed suit. Some languages still use a word that overlaps both English words, such as the German Geist.

In Norfolk, a county in the United Kingdom, Religious Education teachers are told to avoid using “Holy Ghost” as it allegedly “suggests a trivial and spooky element to the third part in the Trinity”.

 

[ConservativeOne]

This is a very interesting post. Thanks, OP.

I don’t remember the introduction of “Holy Spirit” usage until around or after Vatican II / changes. I’d like as much confirmation from anyone who can - as possible. Very interesting.

 

[Frosty]

I was born just before the 1950’s. It’s hard to remember exactly what the wording used was; Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit; and in what context. I do know that personally I have always used the words *Holy Spirit *when saying the *Glory Be *during the Rosary. Someone obviously taught it to me that way but whether it was my parents or the sisters at school I really can not recall. I do remember being surprised when I did hear *Holy Ghost *used by other people during prayer. By the time I was in High School, *Holy Spirit *was pretty much the standard usage. At least in my experience.

 

[bthorn31]

I grew up in the 60’s and recall as a young child hearing the mass in Latin, the priest had his back to us, and we were wearing gloves and covering our heads with veils. Our prayers included the Holy Ghost. Sometime during the 70’s when I was a teen the verbage changed. However, I don’t recall a directive, it just seemed to happen. But, old habits die hard and I slip sometimes and still say Holy Ghost.

 

[ConservativeOne]

I grew up in the 60’s and recall as a young child hearing the mass in Latin, the priest had his back to us, and we were wearing gloves and covering our heads with veils. Our prayers included the Holy Ghost. Sometime during the 70’s when I was a teen the verbage changed. However, I don’t recall a directive, it just seemed to happen. But, old habits die hard and I slip sometimes and still say Holy Ghost.

I try to stick with what I grew up with - “Holy Ghost”. I tend to go a bit back and forth. I don’t remember a directive either…it’s true, it just seemed to happen. But my guess is it happened probably during the changes in the Mass. I’d like to know if there WAS any directive when and what it was - and why. Anyone?

 

[The_Prodigal]

I’m getting the feeling from the responses that there was variation in usage before the sixties, and that “Spirit” was used for a lot longer than I suspected, especially given the ERV Bible mentioned above. As an aside, maybe this indicates that the change to “Spirit” was initiated in Britain (?)

 

[DavidPalm]

I’m getting the feeling from the responses that there was variation in usage before the sixties, and that “Spirit” was used for a lot longer than I suspected, especially given the ERV Bible mentioned above. As an aside, maybe this indicates that the change to “Spirit” was initiated in Britain (?)

One more data point here, perhaps supporting your position: Msgr. Ronald Knox’s translation of the New Testament, published in 1945, uses “Holy Spirit” throughout. See on-line here.