According to the ideas accepted in Christianity, God is one, but represented in three persons. He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In other words, the Holy Spirit is one of the Creator's hypostases, a part of the indivisible Holy Trinity. For those who come to the Christian faith and try to comprehend its foundations, it is difficult to understand this issue and imagine such an intricate nature of God.
Holy Spirit in Judaism
The Holy Spirit is already mentioned in the Old Testament, although it is not often mentioned there. Much more often in the Holy Scriptures you can find just a mention of "spirit" or "the spirit of God." In the Jewish religion, even in those distant times, when the Old Testament was drawn up, it was believed that God is one. Any idea of the duality or trinity of the Creator was considered heresy among the Jews.
When speaking of the “spirit of God,” the Jews meant divine power, which, although it has a personal coloring, remains a property that belongs to God as one of his indispensable attributes. This is the difference between Judaism and Christianity, where the Holy Spirit is part of the triune God.
In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is thus perceived as a real force acting in the world, divine breath. Everything that God does is permeated with his spirit. But the Orthodox Jews never perceived God's Spirit as a person, this is characteristic of the Christian religion.
Concepts of the Holy Spirit in Christianity
The doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which includes the Holy Spirit as one of its parts, has developed over several centuries. Theologians actively discussed the nature of God and tried to come to a consensus as to whether the Creator should be considered a single person or whether his trinity should be accepted. Such questions caused heated debate at church councils and were reflected in the works of the defenders of the Christian religion.
Most of the Christian denominations recognize the importance of the Holy Spirit in explaining the divine nature. Through this face of the Trinity, according to theologians, the triune God acts in the world and in man. Modern interpreters of the Christian faith also believe that the significance of God the Father was great in the Old Testament, the Son of God - Jesus Christ - served people during the period described in the Gospels. But the Holy Spirit pervades the work of divine forces at all times.
Adherents of Christianity are convinced that throughout human history the Holy Spirit has descended on some people more than once, after which they received supernatural abilities. Several times in the Gospels, there is mention of "the baptism of the Holy Spirit."
In the Christian tradition, the Holy Spirit appears in the form of a snow-white dove. This image was approved as a spiritual symbol at one of the church councils. Those overshadowed by the Holy Spirit most often became priests or prophets. Often they accepted martyrdom for their faith, and later were declared saints.
