PERSONALITY OF THE SPIRIT.
England, January 22nd, 1852.
Dear Brother:
Without wishing you to enter further into the question of the personality or impersonality of the Holy Spirit, I shall esteem it a favour if you will inform me whether the Greek pronouns represented in the English version by the masculine personal “he,” and relative “whom,” standing for the antecedent “Comforter,” and “Spirit of Truth,” in John 14: 16-17, 26; 15: 26; 16: 7, 13; and Acts 8: 15-16, indicate personality? Is not the gender of the Greek nouns like that of those of the Latin, and other languages, arbitrary—used irrespective of actual sex? If so, will not the use of a masculine pronoun in the original aid us in ascertaining whether its antecedent be a person, a conscious agent, or no; but the Greek relative answering to “whom” in some of the passages cited, may show this.
Trusting you will, being conversant with the original, kindly give this an early consideration in the “Herald,”
I remain, dear brother,
Your affectionate sister in Christ,
APPHIA.
REPLY TO APPHIA.
In reply to the beloved Apphia we would remark, that the pronoun “he” is not expressed in John 14: 16. The nominative to the verb meneei “may abide” is the phrase allon parakleeton “another comforter.” Parakleetos, one sent to assist another, is masculine; so that it is grammatically correct to translate hina meneei “that he may abide,” meth’ hymoon eis ton aioona, “with you for the age,” that is, during what remains of the Mosaic Age—“to the end of the age.”
But while we judge thus of the masculinity of the verb’s nominative from that verse, the next would seem to lead us to the conclusion that the “he” ought to be “it”—the third person neuter gender. It is true, the donated parakleetos is masculine; but what is to be sent as a gift? The answer in the seventeenth verse is to Pneuma tees aleetheias “the Spirit of the truth,” ho “whom the world cannot receive, because it discerneth auto it not, neither knoweth auto it; but ye know auto it, because menei it abides with you, and shall be in you.” Here the article to, the accusative relative ho, and the personal auto, are all neuter; hence the nominative to meneei of the former verse, is neuter, and should be literally “it dwelleth” or abides, and not “he” as in the English version. James’ translators have evidently rendered ho, auto, and menei, without regard to etymology, but so as to harmonise with the masculinity of parakleetos in the verse before. They have also disregarded the idiom of the Greeks in ho kosmos ou theoorei, which they rendered to suit ours. They have it, “the world * * * it seeth not,” though kosmos is masculine, and therefore literally, “the world, he seeth not:” but this though good Greek, would be bad English, because with us “world” is neuter.
In the twenty-sixth verse the diversity of gender in the verses before us, is combined in the phrase, ho parakleetos, to Pneuma to hagion, ho, “the assistant, the Holy Spirit, which.” Here parakleetos is masculine, and pneuma, neuter.
In the twenty-sixth verse of the fifteenth chapter both genders occur again. Thus, “When the instructor (ho parakleetos) is come, whom (hon, acc. masc.) I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of the truth (to Pneuma, neut.) which (ho, acc. neut.) proceedeth from the Father, that (ekeinos, masc. supply parakleetos) shall testify concerning me.”
In John 16: 7, the word is parakleetos, and therefore requires the pronoun in the masculine; as, “If I depart, I will send him (auton) to you;” but if the word used had been Pneuma, Jesus would have said, “I will send it (auto.”)
In the thirteenth verse, the first “he” is ekeinos agreeing with parakleetos the subject of discourse understood, and stands as the nominative of the verbs “is come,” “guide,” “speak,” and “show.” The neuter phrase, however, is interjected as expletive of the demonstrative; as, “Hotan eltheei ekeinos, to Pneuma tees aleethias, hodeegeesei hymas, &c.”—literally, “When that there is come, the Spirit of the truth, shall guide you, &c.”
In Acts, the eighth chapter, fifteenth and sixteenth verses, the subject is the prayer for the Holy Spirit. The phrase is Pneuma hagion without the article to preplaced. Peter and John prayed that the baptised Samaritans “might receive holy Spirit.” The English version then reads, “For as yet he was fallen upon none of them.” This is not correct. The original is, oupoo gar een ep’ oudeni autoon epipeptookos. This word epipeptookos is the perfect participle neuter to agree with Pneuma, which is the nominative to the verb een. Hence the rendering should be, “For as yet it was fallen upon none of them.”
The evidence before us, as far as the import of words and phrases is concerned, seems to indicate the neuter personality of the Spirit, the masculine words having relation to something else that is affirmed of it, and being masculine from the custom of the language. Though the word Pneuma be neuter, the gender of the spirit might be masculine or feminine. Psuchee, soul, is feminine; but a man’s soul is not therefore a female. The Spirit is a procedure from the Father; an emanation sent forth wheresoever He pleaseth. It is that by which he establishes a relationship, or connexion, between Himself and every thing animate and inanimate in the Universe. It is his power, neither masculine nor feminine, but grammatically neuter, and inseparable from Himself; for “He is spirit,” and by his spirit every where existent. There is no personality of the Spirit distinct from the personality of the Father. The Father, he conceives, wills, commands; the Spirit, it executes, &c. The Father sends it, bestows it, directs it, so that what is does is done of God. These things being premised the known astuteness of the beloved Apphia will supply the rest.
EDITOR.
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