Where did the Holy Spirit part of the Trinity come from?

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

meltzerboy

New member
As a member of the Jewish faith, I am always interested in learning about other religions such as Catholicism. According to my understanding, traditional Catholicism believes there are three “faces” of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, yet also believes there is only one God. It does not, however, believe in only one face of God, which is considered a heretical view as found in the “Jesus Only” Pentecostal movement as well as in Jehovah’s Witnesses. In the trinitarian Catholic theology, Jesus, son of God (both human and divine) can talk to God the Father and is not exactly talking to Himself while doing so. However, based on my reading, belief in the Trinity is more challenging than belief in God as a Unity and can ultimately only be accepted by the “mystery of faith” rather than human reason, which fails to grasp completely such a concept. Now, my question is regarding the origins of the third face of God: the Holy Spirit. Where did that part of the Trinity come from: Jesus’ own teachings, the apostles, or the early Church Fathers? And where does the Holy Spirit “reside”?
 
meltzerboy said:
As a member of the Jewish faith, I am always interested in learning about other religions such as Catholicism. According to my understanding, traditional Catholicism believes there are three “faces” of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, yet also believes there is only one God. It does not, however, believe in only one face of God, which is considered a heretical view as found in the “Jesus Only” Pentecostal movement as well as in Jehovah’s Witnesses. In the trinitarian Catholic theology, Jesus, son of God (both human and divine) can talk to God the Father and is not exactly talking to Himself while doing so. However, based on my reading, belief in the Trinity is more challenging than belief in God as a Unity and can ultimately only be accepted by the “mystery of faith” rather than human reason, which fails to grasp completely such a concept. Now, my question is regarding the origins of the third face of God: the Holy Spirit. Where did that part of the Trinity come from: Jesus’ own teachings, the apostles, or the early Church Fathers? And where does the Holy Spirit “reside”?
Click to expand...
I am not 100% sure what you are asking, but according to the Nicene Creed (AD 325), we say:
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
Click to expand...
Or are youy asking where the theology of the Holy Spirit comes from?
 
Yes, I am asking where the theology of the Holy Spirit came from. Was it part of Jesus’ teachings or was it introduced later? If it came later, what is its biblical justification? In other words, why not worship only two faces of God rather than three?
 
It confuses me too.

According to scripture ‘‘God is love’’ and ‘‘God is spirit’’.

So if this is what the FATHER(God) is, than what’s the Holy Spirit?

It should be another title more than another ‘nature’ of him.
 
meltzerboy said:
Yes, I am asking where the theology of the Holy Spirit came from. Was it part of Jesus’ teachings or was it introduced later? If it came later, what is its biblical justification? In other words, why not worship only two faces of God rather than three?
Click to expand...
We believe the Holy Spirit is mentioned in as early as the first chapter of Genesis:
In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void, and the Spirit of G-d was moving on the face of the waters.
Click to expand...
Genesis 1:1-2
 
Thank you for the reference. Are there any other citations from the Old Testament or New Testament that mention the Spirit of G-d? Also, are you sure the expression “Spirit of G-d” suggests a third nature of G-d? I’m asking this because of the eternal problems in translation of the Old Testament (was it written in Aramaic or Hebrew?) as well as the New Testament (in Greek, I believe). Is “Spirit of G-d” to be taken as a face of G-d or more metaphorically? That’s why I asked whether there are other references to lend support.
 
The teachings come from Christ and from what happened to the Apostles after Jesus ascended to heaven.

Here at the Last Supper, Jesus says he is going to send an advocate to be with the apostles always, see verses 26-27

usccb.org/nab/bible/john/john15.htm

And then on the night of the Resurrection, Jesus breathes on the apostles and gives them the Holy Spirit, see verses 21-23. He specifically refers to the Father as being separate from the Holy Spirit.

usccb.org/nab/bible/john/john20.htm

This is the same breath of life that Adam received when he was created in Genesis, see verse 7:
usccb.org/nab/bible/genesis/genesis2.htm

The last instruction Jesus gave to his apostles before he ascended into heaven was to baptize all nations, “in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” See verse 19
usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew28.htm

Here in the Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke refers back to the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, saying it was the Holy Spirit who gave David his prophecies about Judas. See verse 16:
usccb.org/nab/bible/acts/acts1.htm
Notice verse 7 & 8-here again Jesus specifically mentions the Father separate from the Holy Spirit

Finally, in the second book of the Acts of the Apostles, on the Jewish feast of Pentecost (which was 50 days after the Resurrection), the Holy Spirit descends upon the Apostles, fulfilling Jesus promise from the Last Supper:
usccb.org/nab/bible/acts/acts2.htm
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top