In the
Au-Asia-Am meeting yesterday, we crossed the topic, but did not go much into the differences between
Catholic Church and
Eastern Orthodox Church and wondered about the origin of the
East–West Schism of 1054, that separated them, and what the
Theological differences between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church might be.
Another passing topic was the Hebrew and Jewish,
Shekhinah:
The word
shekhinah is not present in the Bible, and is first encountered in the
rabbinic literature.
Shekhinah, also spelled
Shechinah (
Hebrew: שְׁכִינָה
Šəḵīnā,
Tiberian: Šăḵīnā)
[1] is the English transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning "dwelling" or "settling" and denotes the
presence of God, as it were, in a place. This concept is present in all
Abrahamic religions, particularly in
Judaism,
Christianity and
Islam.
[2]
The
Hebrew Bible mentions several places where the presence of God was felt and experienced as a Shekhinah, including the burning bush and the cloud that rested on
Mount Sinai. The Shekhinah was often pictured as a cloud or as a pillar of fire and was referred to as the glory of God. The Shekhinah was also understood to be present in the
Tabernacle and the
Temple in Jerusalem, and to be seated at the right hand of God.
The word shekhinah is not found in the
Bible and is
Talmud and
Midrash, though not in the
Mishnah.
Manifestation
The prophets made numerous references to visions of the presence of God, particularly in the context of the Tabernacle or Temple, with figures such as thrones or robes filling the Sanctuary.
[16] These visions have traditionally been attributed to the presence of the shekhinah.[
citation needed]
The shekhinah is referred to as manifest in the Tabernacle and the
Temple in Jerusalem throughout rabbinic literature.
It is also reported as being present in other contexts:
- While a person (or people) study Torah, the Shekhinah is among them.[17]
- "Whenever ten are gathered for prayer, there the Shekhinah rests."[18]
- "When three sit as judges, the Shekhinah is with them."[19]
- Cases of personal need: "The Shekhinah dwells over the headside of the sick man's bed",[20] "Wheresoever they were exiled, the Shekhinah went with them."[21]
- "A man and woman - if they merit, the Shekhinah is between them. If not, fire consumes them."[22] According to one interpretation of this source, the Shekhinah is the highest of six types of holy fire. When a married couple is worthy of this manifestation, all other types of fire are consumed by it.[14]: 111, n. 4
And also:
The concept of shekhinah is also associated with the concept of the
Holy Spirit in Judaism (
ruach ha-kodesh)
In
Holy Spirit in Judaism there is:
"Holy Spirit"
The term "holy spirit" appears three times in the
Hebrew Bible:
Psalm 51 refers to "Your holy spirit" (
ruach kodshecha)
[3] and
Isaiah refers twice to "His holy spirit" (
ruach kodsho).
[4]
Psalm 51 contains a triple parallelism between different types of "spirit":
Fashion a pure heart for me, O God; create in me a steadfast spirit (רוּחַ נָכֹון). Do not cast me out of Your presence, or take Your holy spirit (רוּחַ קָדְשְׁךָ) away from me. Let me again rejoice in Your help; let a vigorous spirit (רוּחַ נְדִיבָה) sustain me.
[5]
"Spirit of God"
Variations of a similar term, "spirit of God", also appear in various places in the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew
noun ruacḥ (רוח) can refer to "breath", "wind", or some invisible moving force ("
spirit").
The following are some examples of the word
ruacḥ (in reference to God's "spirit") in the Hebrew scriptures:
[6]
- Genesis 1:2 "a wind from God sweeping over the water" [7]
- 1 Samuel 16:13 "and the spirit of the LORD gripped David from that day on."
- Psalm 143:10 "Let Your gracious spirit lead me on level ground."
- Isaiah 42:1 "Behold My servant, I will support him, My chosen one, whom My soul desires; I have placed My spirit upon him, he shall promulgate justice to the nations."
- Isaiah 44:3 "So will I pour My spirit on your offspring, My blessing upon your posterity."
- Joel 2:28 "I will pour out My spirit on all flesh; Your sons and daughters shall prophesy."
The above has parallels in the
Holy Spirit in Christianity and the
Holy Spirit in Islam.
In From Paul to Mark, one encounters the Holy Spirit, on pages; 80, 83, 206, 267–269, 275, 280, 322, 327, 362, 368, 370, 378, 388, 399, 415, 418, 468, 470, 475, 479, 520, 521, 526, 537, 542, 546, 556"
The topic came up around a time when we were talked about:
It is clear that Paul not only believes in these angels, but also in the multi-layered universe … For he tells of a Christian who was ‘caught up into the third heaven’ and also ‘into paradise and heard words so secret that human lips may not repeat them’ (II Cor. xii, 2–5, NEB). The continuation shows that this man was Paul himself.
In From Paul to Mark: 2. Cor 12:2 is discussed on pages 274, 286, 540 with 12:2-4 on page: 540.
