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Spirit as Mother

Data

(1) Gospel of the Hebrews 3

 

Texts

(1) Gospel of the Hebrews 3

(1a) Quoted and explained by Origen (3rd century), Commentary on John:
Those who give credence to the Gospel of the Hebrews, in which the Savior says, "Just now my mother, the holy spirit, took me by one of my hairs and brought me to Tabor, the great mountain," have to face the problem of explaining how it is possible for the "mother" of Christ to be the holy spirit which came into existence through the Logos. But those things are not difficult to explain. For if "whoever does the will of the heavenly father is his brother and sister and mother," and if the name "brother of Christ" applies not only to humans, but also to beings of a more divine rank, there is nothing absurd in the holy spirit being his mother, when anyone who does the will of the heavenly father is called "mother of Christ." [Complete Gospels]

(1b) Quoted by Origen, Homily on Jeremiah 15:
If someone can accept this---"Just now my mother, the holy spirit, took me by one of my hairs and brought me to Tabor, the great mountain"---one can see that she is his mother. [Complete Gospels]

(1c) Quoted and explained by Jerome, Commentary on Micah (commenting on Mic 7:6):
Whoever has read the Song of Songs will understand that the word of God is also the bridegroom of the soul. And whoever gives credence to the gospel circulating under the title "Gospel of the Hebrews," which we recently translated, in which it is said by the Savior himself, "Just now my mother, the holy spirit, took me by one of my hairs," will not hesitate to say that the word of God proceeds from the spirit, and that the soul, which is the bride of the word, has the holy spirit (which in Hebrew is feminine in gender, RUA) as a mother-in-law. [Complete Gospels]

(1d) Quoted and explained by Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah 11 (commentary on Isa 40:9):
In the Gospel of the Hebrews that the Nazarenes read it says, "Just now my mother, the holy spirit, took me." Now no one should be offended by this, because "spirit" in Hebrew is feminine, while in our language (Latin) it is masculine and in Greek it is neuter. In divinity, however, there is no gender. [Complete Gospels]

(1e) Quoted and explained by Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel (commenting on Ezek 16:13):
In the Book of Judges we read "Deborah," which means "bee." Her prophecies are the sweetest honey and refer to the holy spirit, who is called in Hebrew by a feminine noun. In the Gospel of the Hebrews that the Nazarenes read, the Savior indicates this by saying, "Just now my mother, the holy spirit, whisked me away." [Complete Gospels]

 

 

Notes

John Dominic Crossan

Item: 134
Stratum: I (30-60 CE)
Attestation:
Single
Historicity: -

 
 

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