What is the Holy Ghost?

Answer 1

The Holy Spirit is simply God’s active force. It’s what he uses to give people life (Psalms 146:4, Ecclesiastes 12:7), give people knowledge (Exodus 31:3-4), use prophets in writing the scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16) and help people get through difficult situations (Acts 7:55-56).

The ‘trinity doctrine’ was started in the year 325 at the Council of Nicaea, implies that Jesus and God are actually the same, and the Holy Spirit was brought into this concept in the year 381 during the second Council of Nicaea. This is just something that people came up with, and not in the Bible. Most people will quote John 1:1, but this has been slightly mistranslated, and should read:

’In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god’

Even without a discussion on the ancient Greek language, it fit’s in to the context of the verse better and indeed the rest of the Bible. Especially when you read it together with Proverbs 8:22-31 and John 8:58.




Psalms 146:4
His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground;
In that day his thoughts do perish.

Ecclesiastes 12:7
Then the dust returns to the earth just as it happened to be and the spirit itself returns to the [true] God who gave it.

Exodus 31:3-4
And I shall fill him with the spirit of God in wisdom and in understanding and in knowledge and in every kind of craftsmanship, for designing devices, for working in gold and silver and copper,

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness,

Acts 7:55-56
But he, being full of holy spirit, gazed into heaven and caught sight of God’s glory and of Jesus standing at God’s right hand, and he said: “Look! I behold the heavens opened up and the Son of man standing at God’s right hand.”

Proverbs 8:22-31
22 “Jehovah himself produced me as the beginning of his way, the earliest of his achievements of long ago. 23 From time indefinite I was installed, from the start, from times earlier than the earth. 24 When there were no watery deeps I was brought forth as with labor pains, when there were no springs heavily charged with water. 25 Before the mountains themselves had been settled down, ahead of the hills, I was brought forth as with labor pains, 26 when as yet he had not made the earth and the open spaces and the first part of the dust masses of the productive land. 27 When he prepared the heavens I was there; when he decreed a circle upon the face of the watery deep, 28 when he made firm the cloud masses above, when he caused the fountains of the watery deep to be strong, 29 when he set for the sea his decree that the waters themselves should not pass beyond his order, when he decreed the foundations of the earth, 30 then I came to be beside him as a master worker, and I came to be the one he was specially fond of day by day, I being glad before him all the time, 31 being glad at the productive land of his earth, and the things I was fond of were with the sons of men.

John 8:58
Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to YOU, Before Abraham came into existence, I have been

Answer 2

Many have been taught to believe that the term : "Holy Ghost" is a/the name for God's holy spirit. However, regarding the words:

“in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (KJ) --1 John 5:7

... a footnote in The Jerusalem Bible, (a Catholic translation), says regarding them:

“not in any of the early Greek MSS [manuscripts], or any of the early translations, or in the best MSS of the Vulg[ate] itself.”

A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, by Bruce Metzger, traces the history of this spurious passage, in detail, stating that the passage is 1st found in a treatise of the 4th century, by the title: 'Liber Apologeticus', & that it also appears in Old Latin & Vulgate manuscripts of the Scriptures, starting in the 6th century.

Due to recognizing their spurious nature, both Protestant & Catholic Modern translations --as a whole-- don't include them in the main body of their texts.--NAB, NE, RS. Neither do: WEB; & BBE/BEB. Nor does the NWT.
http://watchtower.org/bible/1jo/chapter_005.htm?bk=1jo;chp=5;vs=7;citation#bk7

1 John 5:7 being the only place in the Bible where the term: "Holy Ghost" ever occured --and, since it has been shown to be spurious-- the "Holy Ghost" is a 'sham'.

The "Holy Spirit" --however-- is *another story*...
http://watchtower.org/library/ti/article_07.htm

Answer 3

Holy means this is of God or by God.
Ghost is the old English equivalent of the German Word "geist" which is spirit or essence. (Today's English -gist)

So the Holy Ghost is the essence/presence/spirit of God Almighty.

Some Christian denominations call the Holy Spirit a distinct person. This is either one member of the Trinity or part of the Godhead.

Others simple think of the Holy Spirit as the "active force" or "hand" of God.

Now we can see the the translators of the KJV relied on previous German translations. Germans had a mythology similar to Norse mythology that had to do with ancestral ghosts or spirits and these if friendly were guests.

So the word guest, ghost, and gist have the same origin.

In Greek this is "Paraclete(s)": Intercessor, Comforter, Consoler.

Answer 4

The Holy Ghost is various things in different religions. Some believe that the Holy Ghost is also the spirit of god. The LDS religion believes that it is more of the messenger to God.
Basically the Holy Ghost is what you want it to be. Supposedly if you believe in God the Holy Ghost is with you always and will guide you through life's trials and hardships.
:]

Answer 5

No, (so far as i do know) I have noticeable the Holy Ghost named that and Holy Spirit. Different models of the bible will reference this as both. But as with every devout subject, it's open to interpretation.

Answer 6

Another word for Holy Spirit

Answer 7

'holy ghost' is an alternate translation for 'holy spirit'. Stemming from one of the roman councils that created the definitons for christianity. 381CE First Council of Constantinople drew up a dogmatic statement on the Trinity and defined Holy Spirit as having the same divinity expressed for the Son by the Council of Nicaea 56 years earlier.

Answer 8

Holy Ghost was the common name for the Holy Spirit in English prior to the 20th century. It is the name used in the Book of Common Prayer and the King James Version of the Bible, and is still used by those who prefer more traditional language, or whose religious vocabulary is largely derived from the King James Version.

Answer 9

Taken from EWTN webpage:
Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is God and the third Person of the Blessed Trinity.

(a) The Holy Spirit is also called the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete, the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of Love.



From whom does the Holy Spirit proceed?

The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.

(a) The Holy Spirit does not proceed from the Father and the Son by spiritual generation. Only the Son proceeds from the Father by generation. This is one of the mysterious truths that we know only from revelation.



Is the Holy Spirit equal to the Father and the Son?

The Holy Spirit is equal to the Father and the Son, because He is God.

(a) Because of the oneness of nature in the Blessed Trinity, the Father is entirely in the Son and in the Holy Spirit; the Son is entirely in the Father and in the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is entirely in the Father and in the Son. No one of the three divine Persons is outside the other, for none precedes the other in eternity, nor surpasses the other in power, nor exceeds the other in any way. This indwelling of one divine Person in the others is called circumincession.


What does the Holy Spirit do for the salvation of mankind?

The Holy Spirit dwells in the Church as the source of its life and sanctifies souls through the gift of grace.

(a) Although the sanctification of mankind, like all other outward works of God, is performed by all three Persons of the Blessed Trinity, it is attributed to the Holy Spirit, the third Person. The sanctification of mankind is attributed to the Holy Spirit because He is the love of the Father and the Son and because the sanctification of man by grace shows forth God's boundless love.

Answer 10

Wrong question...

"WHO is the Holy Spirit?" is correct.

HE is God,
The Third Person of the Holy Trinity.

The Gospel of John reveals the Holy Spirit to be a person, as evidenced by the use of "HE," a personal pronoun.