Holy Spirit in Christianity

===New Testament===
The term Holy Spirit appears at least 90 times in the [[New Testament]].<ref name="Millsxi">''Acts and Pauline writings'' by Watson E. Mills, Richard F. Wilson 1997 {{ISBN|086554512X}}, pp. xl–xlx.</ref> The [[sacred]]ness of the Holy Spirit to Christians is affirmed in all three [[Synoptic Gospels]],<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#12:30|Matthew 12:30–32]], [[s:Bible (American Standard)/Mark#3:28|Mark 3:28–30]] and [[s:Bible (American Standard)/Luke#12:8|Luke 12:8–10]]</ref> which proclaim that [[blasphemy]] against the Holy Spirit is the [[unforgivable sin]].<ref>Blomberg, Craig L., ''Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey'', 2009 {{ISBN|0805444823}}, p. 280.</ref> The participation of the Holy Spirit in the [[Trinity]] is suggested in Jesus' final [[Resurrection of Jesus#Biblical accounts|post-Resurrection]] instruction to his disciples at the end of the Gospel of Matthew (28:19):<ref>{{cite web|title=Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 28:19 – English Standard Version|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2028%3A19&version=ESV|access-date=2020-08-10|website=Bible Gateway|language=en}}</ref> "Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".<ref name="Lord page 5"/>

====Synoptic Gospels====
[[File:Philippe de Champaigne - Annunciation - WGA04705.jpg|thumb|upright=1|The Holy Spirit as a dove in ''The Annunciation'', by [[Philippe de Champaigne]], 1644]]
The Holy Spirit is mentioned by all three authors of the synoptic Gospels. Most of the references are by the author of the [[Gospel of Luke]]; this emphasis is continued by the same author in the [[Book of Acts]].

The Holy Spirit does not simply appear for the first time at [[Pentecost]] after the [[resurrection of Jesus]], but is present in Luke (in [[Luke 1|chapters 1]] and [[Luke 2|2]]) prior to the [[Virgin birth of Jesus|birth of Jesus]].<ref name=Millsxi /> In Luke 1:15, [[John the Baptist]] was said to be "filled with the Holy Spirit" prior to his birth,<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Luke#1:15|Luke 1:15]]</ref> and the Holy Spirit came upon the [[Virgin Mary]] in Luke 1:35.<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Luke#1:35|Luke 1:35]]</ref><ref name=Millsxi /> Later, in Luke 3:16,<ref name="ReferenceA">[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Luke#3:16|Luke 3:16]]</ref> John the Baptist stated that Jesus baptized not with water but with the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus during his [[baptism of Jesus|baptism]] in the Jordan River.<ref name=Millsxi /> In Luke 11:13,<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Luke#11:13|Luke 11:13]]</ref> Jesus provided assurances that [[God the Father]] would "give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him".<ref name=Millsxi />

Mark 13:11 specifically refers to the power of the Holy Spirit to act and speak through the disciples of Jesus in time of need: "Be not anxious beforehand what ye shall speak: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye; for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit."<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Mark#13:11|Mark 13:11]]</ref> Matthew 10:20<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#10:20|Matthew 10:20]]</ref> refers to the same act of speaking through the disciples, but uses the term "Spirit of your Father".<ref>''The Gospel of Luke'' by Luke Timothy Johnson, Daniel J. Harrington 1992 {{ISBN|0814658059}}, p. 195.</ref>

====Acts of the Apostles====
{{Main article|Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles}}
The [[Acts of the Apostles]] has sometimes been called the "Book of the Holy Spirit" or the "Acts of the Holy Spirit".<ref name=Johnson14 /><ref name="Couch120">''A Bible Handbook to the Acts of the Apostles'' by Mal Couch 2004 {{ISBN|0825423910}}, pp. 120–129.</ref> Of the seventy or so occurrences of the word ''Pneuma'' in Acts, fifty-five refer to the Holy Spirit.<ref name=Couch120 />

From the start, in Acts 1:2,<ref name="ReferenceB">[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Acts#1:2|Acts 1:2]]</ref> the reader is reminded that the [[ministry of Jesus]], while he was on earth, was carried out through the power of the Holy Spirit and that the "acts of the apostles" continue the acts of Jesus and are also facilitated by the Holy Spirit.<ref name=Couch120 /> Acts presents the Holy Spirit as the "life principle" of the [[Early Christianity|early Church]] and provides five separate and dramatic instances of its outpouring on believers in Acts 2:1–4,<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Acts#2:1|Acts 2:1–4]]</ref> 4:28–31,<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Acts#4:28|Acts 4:28–31]]</ref> 8:15–17,<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Acts#8:15|Acts 8:15–17]]</ref> 10:44,<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Acts#10:44|Acts 10:44]]</ref> and 19:6.<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Acts#19:6|Acts 19:6]]</ref><ref name="Johnson14">''The Acts of the Apostles'' by Luke Timothy Johnson, Daniel J. Harrington 1992 {{ISBN|0814658075}}, pp. 14–18.</ref>

References to the Holy Spirit appear throughout Acts, for example Acts 1:5 and 8<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Acts#1:5|Acts 1:5 and 8]]</ref> stating towards the beginning, "For John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.&nbsp;...Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you", referring to the fulfillment of the prophecy of [[John the Baptist]] in Luke 3:16,<ref name="ReferenceA"/> "he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit".<ref>''Reading Acts: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles'' by Charles H. Talbert 2005 {{ISBN|1573122777}}, pp. 24–25.</ref>

====Johannine literature====
{{Main article|Holy Spirit in Johannine literature}}
Three separate terms, namely ''Holy Spirit'', ''Spirit of Truth'' and ''Paraclete'' are used in the [[Johannine writings]].<ref name="Truth pages 1-5"/> The "Spirit of Truth" is used in John 14:17,<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/John#14:17|John 14:17]]</ref> 15:26,<ref name="ReferenceC">[[s:Bible (American Standard)/John#15:26|John 15:26]]</ref> and 16:13.<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/John#16:13|John 16:13]]</ref><ref name= Millsxi /> The [[First Epistle of John]] then contrasts this with the "spirit of error" in 1 John 4:6.<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/1 John#4:6|1 John 4:6]]</ref><ref name=Millsxi /> 1 John 4:1–6 provides the separation between spirits "that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God" and those who in error refuse it – an indication of their being evil spirits.<ref>''1, 2, and 3 John'' by John Painter, Daniel J. Harrington 2002 {{ISBN|0814658121}}, p. 324.</ref>

In John 14:26,<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/John#14:26|John 14:26]]</ref> Jesus states: "But the Comforter, [even] the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things". The identity of the "Comforter" has been the subject of debate among theologians, who have proposed multiple theories on the matter.<ref>''The anointed community: the Holy Spirit in the Johannine tradition'' by Gary M. Burge 1987 {{ISBN|0802801935}}, pp. 14–21.</ref>

====Pauline epistles====
{{Main article|Holy Spirit in the Pauline epistles}}
[[File:Holy Spirit as Dove (detail).jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|[[Stained glass]] representation of the Holy Spirit as a dove, c. 1660]]
The Holy Spirit plays a key role in the [[Pauline epistles]]; and the [[Apostle Paul]]'s pneumatology is closely connected to his theology and [[Christology]], to the point of being almost inseparable from them.<ref name="Paul pages 248-249"/>

The [[First Epistle to the Thessalonians]], which was likely the first of Paul's letters, introduces a characterization of the Holy Spirit in 1 Thessalonians 1:6<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/1 Thessalonians#1:6|1:6]]</ref> and 1 Thessalonians 4:8<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/1 Thessalonians#4:8|4:8]]</ref> which is found throughout his epistles.<ref name="Dunn418">''Theology of Paul the Apostle'' by James D. G. Dunn 2003 {{ISBN|0567089584}}, pp. 418–420.</ref> In 1 Thessalonians 1:6 Paul refers to the [[imitation of Christ]] (and himself) and states: "And ye became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit", whose source is identified in 1 Thessalonians 4:8 as "God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you".<ref name=Dunn418 /><ref name="Collins">''A Concise Dictionary of Theology'' by Gerald O'Collins, Edward G. Farrugia 2004 {{ISBN|0567083543}}, p. 115.</ref><ref name="Phyllis">''Holy People of the World: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia, Volume 3'' by Phyllis G. Jestice 2004 {{ISBN|1576073556}}, pp. 393–394.</ref>

These two themes of receiving the Spirit "like Christ" and God being the source of the Spirit persist in Pauline letters as the characterization of the relationship of Christians with God.<ref name=Dunn418 /> For Paul the ''[[imitation of Christ]]'' involves readiness to be shaped by the Holy Spirit, as in Romans 8:4 and 8:11: "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you."<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Romans#8:4|Romans 8:4]]</ref><ref name=Collins />

The First Epistle to the Thessalonians also refers to the power of the Holy Spirit in 1 Thessalonians 1:5,<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/1 Thessalonians#1:5|1:5]]</ref> a theme also found in other Pauline letters.<ref>''1 & 2 Thessalonians'' by Jon A. Weatherly 1996 {{ISBN|0899006361}}, pp. 42–43.</ref>

==== In the Apocrypha ====
The view of the Holy Spirit as responsible for Mary's pregnancy, found in the Synoptic Gospels,<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#1:18|Matthew 1:18]] and [[s:Bible (American Standard)/Luke#1:34|Luke 1:34 –35]]</ref> is different from that found in the [[apocrypha]]l [[Gospel of the Hebrews]], adopted as canonical by the [[Nazarene (sect)#The Nazarenes (4th century)|4th century Nazarenes]], in which Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as his mother and thus as female.<ref>{{Citation |last=Koch |first=Glenn Alan |title=Mercer Dictionary of the Bible |page=364 |year=1990 |editor1-last=Mills |editor1-first=Watson E. |chapter=Hebrews, Gospel of the |publisher=Mercer University Press |isbn=978-0865543737 |editor2-last=Bullard |editor2-first=Roger Aubrey}}.</ref> Some thought femininity incompatible with the idea that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit; according to the apocryphal [[Gospel of Philip]], for example,
: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?<ref>{{cite web|translator-last=Isenberg|translator-first=Wesley W.|date=1996|title=Gospel of Philip|url=http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gop.html}}</ref>

====Jesus and the Holy Spirit====
[[File:Christ Taking Leave of the Apostles.jpg|thumb|upright=1|In the [[Farewell Discourse]] Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to his disciples after his departure;<ref name=quest/> depiction from the ''[[Maestà (Duccio)|Maesta]]'' by [[Duccio]], 1308–1311.]]

The New Testament details a close relationship between the Holy Spirit and Jesus during his earthly [[Ministry of Jesus|life and ministry]].<ref name=Scott208/> The [[Apostles' Creed]] echoes the statements in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, stating that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.<ref name=Erickson268/>

Specific New Testament references to the interaction of Jesus and the Holy Spirit during his earthly life, and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit during [[Ministry of Jesus|his ministry]] include:<ref name="Scott208">''Jesus in Trinitarian Perspective: An Introductory Christology'' by Scott Horrell, Donald Fairbairn, Garrett DeWeese and [[Bruce Ware]] (2007) {{ISBN|080544422X}} pp. 208–213.</ref><ref name="Erickson268">{{cite book |author=Erickson |first=Millard J. |title=Introducing Christian Doctrine |publisher=Baker Book House |year=1992 |pages=267–268 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Barth |first=Karl |author-link=Karl Barth |url=https://archive.org/details/dogmaticsinoutli00bart |title=Dogmatics in Outline |publisher=New York Philosophical Library |year=1949 |page=[https://archive.org/details/dogmaticsinoutli00bart/page/95 95] |url-access=registration}}</ref>

:* "Spirit without measure" having been given to Jesus in [[s:Bible (American Standard)/John#3:34|John 3:34]], referring to the word spoken by Jesus ([[Rhema]]) being the words of God.<ref>''The Gospel According to John: An Introduction and Commentary'' by Colin G. Kruse (2004) {{ISBN|0802827713}}, p. 123.</ref>

:*[[Baptism of Jesus]], with the Holy Spirit descending on him as a dove in Matthew 3:13–17,<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#3:13|Matthew 3:13–17]]</ref> Mark 1:9–11<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Mark#1:9|Mark 1:9–11]]</ref> and Luke 3:21–23.<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Luke#3:21|Luke 3:21–23]]</ref>
:* [[Temptation of Jesus]], in Matthew 4:1 the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the desert to be tempted.<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#4:1|Matthew 4:1]]</ref>
:* The Spirit casting out demons in [[Exorcising the blind and mute man]] miracle.<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#12:28|Matthew 12:28]]</ref>
:* Rejoice the Spirit in Luke 10:21 where [[seventy disciples]] are sent out by Jesus.<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Luke#10:21|Luke 10:21]]</ref>
:* Acts 1:2 states that until his death and resurrection, Jesus "had given commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles".<ref name="ReferenceB"/>
:* Referring to the sacrifice of Jesus to be crucified out of obedience to the father, Hebrews 9:14 states that Jesus "through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God".<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Hebrews#9:14|Hebrews 9:14]]</ref>

In his [[Farewell Discourse]] to his disciples, Jesus promised that he would "send the Holy Spirit" to them after his departure, in John 15:26 stating: "whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth&nbsp;... shall bear witness of me".<ref name="ReferenceC"/><ref name="And442">''John'' by Andreas J. Köstenberger 2004 {{ISBN|080102644X}}, p. 442.</ref><ref name="quest">''The Gospel of John: Question by Question'' by Judith Schubert 2009 {{ISBN|0809145499}}, pp. 112–127.</ref>