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Article: Holy Spirit
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Science and Religion
- Author:
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Holy Spirit
The term
Holy Spirit
occurs in only two historically late texts in the Old Testament (Isa. 63:10.11; Ps. 51:13), but much can nonetheless be deduced about the term. God's spirit (
ruah Yahweh
) is the "wind," the breath of life, which proceeds from and will return to Yahweh. It determines life spans (Gen. 6:3; Ps. 104:29
–
30; Job 33:4) and tames natural forces (Ex. 15:8). Psalm 33:6 ("by the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth"), uses it synonymously with
word
(
dabar
), which Genesis uses to explain how God created the world.
God's spirit is not just a life-giving power. Job 32:8 includes the assertion, "But truly it is ...