Why do many Christians claim the Spirit of God is a Holy ‘Ghost’?

[Soapy]

The Dictionary definition of a ‘GHOST’ is:

• ‘An apparition of a dead person which is believed to appear or become manifest to the living, typically as a nebulous image.’

How does this definition apply to what is called, ‘The Third Person’ of the trinity?

Take into account that a Ghost is ‘of a DEAD’ person - yet the Spirit of God is a ‘LIFE GIVING’ entity.

Is the term, Holy Ghost, just an example of malicious thinking and teaching, or is it just to be taken as ignorance in innocence thinking and preaching?

 

[SalixIncendium]

How does this definition apply to what is called, ‘The Third Person’ of the trinity?

It doesn't. Try another definition. There are many to choose from and there is one that fits.

It's bad form to definition-mine (and deliberately select one that doesn't apply) to form an argument.

 

[Soapy]

It doesn't. Try another definition. There are many to choose from and there is one that fits.

It's bad form to definition-mine (and deliberately select one that doesn't apply) to form an argument.

Please provide one (or MORE) definitions of your own sources.

It’s an open question. It seems like you are hurt from learning something and want to claim against it….

If you dispute the definition I gave then please say why in a more explanatory way, provide your view, and ANSWER the rest of the post, also.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Please provide one (or MORE) definitions of your own sources.

1: the seat of life or intelligence : SOUL

Definition of GHOST

the seat of life or intelligence : soul; a disembodied soul; especially : the soul of a dead person believed to be an inhabitant of the unseen world or to appear to the living in bodily likeness; spirit, demon… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

No reason to answer any question in the OP given that negates the whole "a Ghost is ‘of a DEAD’ person" and the Holy Ghost being "just an example of malicious thinking and teaching, or is it just to be taken as ignorance in innocence thinking and preaching" argument.

 

[Kenny]

The Dictionary definition of a ‘GHOST’ is:

• ‘An apparition of a dead person which is believed to appear or become manifest to the living, typically as a nebulous image.’

How does this definition apply to what is called, ‘The Third Person’ of the trinity?

Take into account that a Ghost is ‘of a DEAD’ person - yet the Spirit of God is a ‘LIFE GIVING’ entity.

Is the term, Holy Ghost, just an example of malicious thinking and teaching, or is it just to be taken as ignorance in innocence thinking and preaching?

Why do you think they used the word Ghost in the English translations?

Holy Ghost​

noun​

: the third person of the Trinity : HOLY SPIRIT

It would be better if we would define “ghost” in its proper context.

 

[Soapy]

Why do you think they used the word Ghost in the English translations?

Holy Ghost​

noun​

: the third person of the Trinity : HOLY SPIRIT

It would be better if we would define “ghost” in its proper context.

We, Kenny… like Brian2… Always posting nonsense … uneducated clap trap…

I gave you a definition of ‘GHOST’ and you added a ‘Optimistic’ emoji to SalixImcedium’s post.

You don’t post an opinion but rather pointlessly post that there needs to be a definition of ‘GHOST’…. Kind of rhetorical, eh??

It seems you have no idea what you are speaking of and just want to get a post in…!!

‘Third person of the trinity’?…THAT is not a DEFINITION… There is no information in that claim…

Tell me, what did those people of the Middle Ages and later call, a ‘Ghost’?

Do they say they saw the ‘Holy Spirit, Third person of the trinity’. That the Holy Spirit was haunting the house they lived in or they were scared off from a misty riverside in the mornings when a wisp of mist swirled up and te reeds rustled and the wind howled around them?

Nothing concerning a ‘Ghost’, a ‘DISEMBODIED SOUL’ is of a positive nature… always bad news:

• Fear and dread can over Thomas in the upper room on seeing Jesus Christ alive and present. But Jesus told him: ‘Thomas, touch me, see that I am NOT A [Disembodied] Soul (a Spirit)…’ (or you would say, ‘Ghost’!!)

No, Kenny. The DEFINITION is given in mine AND SalixImcedium’s posts, which says that a ‘GHOST’ is a DISEMBODIED SOUL.

SalixImcedium doesn’t seem to understand that his definition from Merriam-Webster is exactly the same as I posted from another dictionary … kinda makes his post a nonsense where he say that the one I gave was ‘not the only definition’. Yet what he posted was exactly the same. And then YOU come along and say: ‘It would be good to have a definition of GHOST’…

Yikes, it’s no wonder you guys can’t understand spiritual matters if a simple mistaken term (there’s no such thing as a ‘Disembodied Soul’ that pervades the world of the living!!) And FOR SURE, the SPIRIT OF GOD is not a ‘Disembodied Soul’…. ‘The Soul of a DEAD PERSON’ says Merriam-Webster - Really??!! What is a ‘SOUL’?

Soul is the interpreted Hebrew word for a ‘Person’. In the New Testament the language was GREEK, and that translated to ‘Persona’, which came to be Latinized to ‘PERSON’…
So, ‘Soul’ and ‘Person’ are interchangeable in use and mean exactly the same:

• ‘The Spirits of dead Souls go to rest with God, who gave it’
• ‘The Spirits of dead People (plural of Person) go to rest with God, who gave it
• ‘The fire service made sure that there was not a single SOUL left in the burning building’
• ‘The fire service made sure that there was not a single PERSON left in the burning building’

Yikes… what are you guys taking for recreational easement???

Oh, What IS the ‘Proper Context’ for the definition of ‘Ghost’?? Why not give it instead of speculating… people do that when they have no idea what they are talking about - it’s called “Pretending to be intelligent by asking what you don’t know about with the hope that people think you do know what you are talking about!”.

 

[Ebionite]

Take into account that a Ghost is ‘of a DEAD’ person - yet the Spirit of God is a ‘LIFE GIVING’ entity.

It's a common theme in Christianity. The books of the Bible are in two groups called the Old and New Testaments. A testament is the written will of the deceased.

Also "God" - the "spirit immanent in a burial mound"

god | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

The online etymology dictionary (etymonline) is the internet's go-to source for quick and reliable accounts of the origin and history of English words, phrases, and idioms. It is professional enough to satisfy academic standards, but accessible enough to be used by anyone.

www.etymonline.com

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
1 Corinthians 11:26

 

[SalixIncendium]

SalixImcedium doesn’t seem to understand that his definition from Merriam-Webster is exactly the same as I posted from another dictionary … kinda makes his post a nonsense where he say that the one I gave was ‘not the only definition’. Yet what he posted was exactly the same. And then YOU come along and say: ‘It would be good to have a definition of GHOST’…

First, if you are going to talk about me (or anyone else for that matter) in the third person, you should be tagging me or at the very least be spelling my name correctly.

Second, please explain to the class how my definition is the same as yours.

Third, with all the unsubstantiated claims that others are posting nonsense, it appears you are merely projecting.

Fourth, I have no horse in the race regarding the veracity of a Trinity, so my contributions in this thread are completely unbiased. Are yours?

Fifth, if you are going to use the forum as a platform to campaign against Trinitarians (which incidentally violates the forum rules), you might consider forming arguments that have some sort of substantial foundation so you don't find yourself forced to resort to misinformation, misrepresentation, and insults to save face.

 

[Kenny]

We, Kenny… like Brian2… Always posting nonsense … uneducated clap trap…

I gave you a definition of ‘GHOST’ and you added a ‘Optimistic’ emoji to SalixImcedium’s post.

You don’t post an opinion but rather pointlessly post that there needs to be a definition of ‘GHOST’…. Kind of rhetorical, eh??

It seems you have no idea what you are speaking of and just want to get a post in…!!

‘Third person of the trinity’?…THAT is not a DEFINITION… There is no information in that claim…

Tell me, what did those people of the Middle Ages and later call, a ‘Ghost’?

Do they say they saw the ‘Holy Spirit, Third person of the trinity’. That the Holy Spirit was haunting the house they lived in or they were scared off from a misty riverside in the mornings when a wisp of mist swirled up and te reeds rustled and the wind howled around them?

Nothing concerning a ‘Ghost’, a ‘DISEMBODIED SOUL’ is of a positive nature… always bad news:

• Fear and dread can over Thomas in the upper room on seeing Jesus Christ alive and present. But Jesus told him: ‘Thomas, touch me, see that I am NOT A [Disembodied] Soul (a Spirit)…’ (or you would say, ‘Ghost’!!)

No, Kenny. The DEFINITION is given in mine AND SalixImcedium’s posts, which says that a ‘GHOST’ is a DISEMBODIED SOUL.

SalixImcedium doesn’t seem to understand that his definition from Merriam-Webster is exactly the same as I posted from another dictionary … kinda makes his post a nonsense where he say that the one I gave was ‘not the only definition’. Yet what he posted was exactly the same. And then YOU come along and say: ‘It would be good to have a definition of GHOST’…

Yikes, it’s no wonder you guys can’t understand spiritual matters if a simple mistaken term (there’s no such thing as a ‘Disembodied Soul’ that pervades the world of the living!!) And FOR SURE, the SPIRIT OF GOD is not a ‘Disembodied Soul’…. ‘The Soul of a DEAD PERSON’ says Merriam-Webster - Really??!! What is a ‘SOUL’?

Soul is the interpreted Hebrew word for a ‘Person’. In the New Testament the language was GREEK, and that translated to ‘Persona’, which came to be Latinized to ‘PERSON’…
So, ‘Soul’ and ‘Person’ are interchangeable in use and mean exactly the same:

• ‘The Spirits of dead Souls go to rest with God, who gave it’
• ‘The Spirits of dead People (plural of Person) go to rest with God, who gave it
• ‘The fire service made sure that there was not a single SOUL left in the burning building’
• ‘The fire service made sure that there was not a single PERSON left in the burning building’

Yikes… what are you guys taking for recreational easement???

Oh, What IS the ‘Proper Context’ for the definition of ‘Ghost’?? Why not give it instead of speculating… people do that when they have no idea what they are talking about - it’s called “Pretending to be intelligent by asking what you don’t know about with the hope that people think you do know what you are talking about!”.

As always, straining at a gnat while you swallow a camel.

And didn’t even answer my question

 

[SalixIncendium]

As always, straining at a gnat while you swallow a camel.

I scratched my head for a moment when I read this as "straining at a gnat while you swallow a caramel."

 

[Soapy]

First, if you are going to talk about me (or anyone else for that matter) in the third person, you should be tagging me or at the very least be spelling my name correctly.

Second, please explain to the class how my definition is the same as yours.

Third, with all the unsubstantiated claims that others are posting nonsense, it appears you are merely projecting.

Fourth, I have no horse in the race regarding the veracity of a Trinity, so my contributions in this thread are completely unbiased. Are yours?

Fifth, if you are going to use the forum as a platform to campaign against Trinitarians (which incidentally violates the forum rules), you might consider forming arguments that have some sort of substantial foundation so you don't find yourself forced to resort to misinformation, misrepresentation, and insults to save face.

SalixIncendium … it was a typo!!

Which part of what I said and quoted were ‘misinformation, misrepresentation’?

Again, you don’t say what you are alluding to just like Kenny…

It seems both of you are from the same camp of ‘misinformation, [and] misrepresentation’.

A ‘Ghost’ is a disembodied soul… Nothing more.
It was coined in the Middle Ages and was frequently used to scare people into think they had seen an apparition of a dead person (known or unknown, to them).

Also, ‘Ghosts’ are always associated in a negative context… Thomas was frightened because he thought that Jesus Christ was a ‘GHOST’ (interpreted as so for your sake!!). But Jesus told him that he ‘WAS NOT A SPIRIT’!!

So where do you get the idea of what a ‘GHOST’ is, seeing that there is no actual entity?? And I mean, by the word, since clearly there are SPIRITS… but a SPIRIT is not a ‘GHOST’.

A Spirit of a DEAD SOUL cannot communicate in the physical world…

and, a ‘GHOST’ is a malevolent spirit…

But you say that The SPIRIT OF GOD is the HOLY GHOST?? Isn’t that counter intuitive to reason? How can a malevolent Spirit be ‘HOLY’?? Are malevolent Spirits not called, ‘Demons’?

 

[Soapy]

As always, straining at a gnat while you swallow a camel.

And didn’t even answer my question

That’s because you didn’t ask a valid question… If you had posted a valid question then I would have responded to it.

No one is compelled to respond to inane jibber jabber as your post showed.

You made a STATEMENT that a proper definition should be given in context ….

THAT IS NOT A QUESTION…

 

[Rival]

Ghost is the Saxon translation of spirit.

Sick of this anti Saxon nonsense.

 

[Kenny]

That’s because you didn’t ask a valid question… If you had posted a valid question then I would have responded to it.

No one is compelled to respond to inane jibber jabber as your post showed.

You made a STATEMENT that a proper definition should be given in context ….

THAT IS NOT A QUESTION…

LOL.. Not a valid question as to why they used “Ghost”? It IS the subject matter

 

[SalixIncendium]

Which part of what I said and quoted were ‘misinformation, misrepresentation’?

Using a definition that does not apply to a concept when there is clearly one that is more applicable.

But you say that The SPIRIT OF GOD is the HOLY GHOST??

I do? Where?

a ‘GHOST’ is a malevolent spirit…

[citation needed]

 

[Rival]

The Dictionary definition of a ‘GHOST’ is:

• ‘An apparition of a dead person which is believed to appear or become manifest to the living, typically as a nebulous image.’

How does this definition apply to what is called, ‘The Third Person’ of the trinity?

Take into account that a Ghost is ‘of a DEAD’ person - yet the Spirit of God is a ‘LIFE GIVING’ entity.

Is the term, Holy Ghost, just an example of malicious thinking and teaching, or is it just to be taken as ignorance in innocence thinking and preaching?

Did you do any research at all before posting this?

Ghost is the spirit of a dead person. It's the spirit.

We don't need Latin to make words make sense.

The word is recorded from Old English (in form gāst) in the sense 'spirit, soul', and is of Germanic origin; the gh- spelling occurs first in Caxton, and was probably influenced by Flemish gheest.

 

[SalixIncendium]

That’s because you didn’t ask a valid question… If you had posted a valid question then I would have responded to it.

How was the question not valid? Because you didn't want to answer?

valid - 2: well-grounded or justifiable : being at once relevant and meaningful

Definition of VALID

having legal efficacy or force; especially : executed with the proper legal authority and formalities; well-grounded or justifiable : being at once relevant and meaningful; logically correct… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

Seemed perfectly valid to me.

But I suppose you'll pick a definition that isn't applicable for this as well.

 

[Rival]

MiddleEnglishDictionary

gōst n.

Entry Info​

Forms	gōst n. Also gast, (early) gæst, (late) ghoste, (error) ȝast.
Etymology	OE gāst, gǣst.

(a) The soul of a dead person; also, the spirit of Christ descending into hell; (b) a damned soul, whether in hell or returned to earth; also fig. an emaciated or tortured person; (c) a dead body.

gōstlī adj.

(a) Of things or creatures: consisting of spirit, not material; ~ thing, a spiritual creature, immortal being; (b) of conditions, qualities, emotions, knowledge, visions, etc.: of spiritual origin, derived from the spirit, belonging to spirit rather than matter; supernatural; ~ sight, a supernatural vision; (c) of actions, conditions, emotions, sins, etc.: affecting the spirit, concerned with spirit; ~ god, a spiritual good or benefit; ~ harm (qued), harm or injury to the soul; ~ thing, a spiritual matter; (d) ~ mocioun, living motion, the movements of a living creature.

Middle English

The Book of Spiritual Grace.

 

[Soapy]

Ghost is the Saxon translation of spirit.

Sick of this anti Saxon nonsense.

And what is the definition of the Saxon ‘Ghost’?

What was a ‘Ghost’ to a barbarian?

Aren’t ‘Ghosts’ suppose to haunt their victims… and be virtually harbingers of misery?

The Witch of Endor ‘brought up’ a ‘Ghost’ of Samuel… what was the reaction of Saul?

Is there every a ‘GOOD’ Ghost? Please show….!

 

[Soapy]

MiddleEnglishDictionary

gōst n.

Entry Info​

Forms	gōst n. Also gast, (early) gæst, (late) ghoste, (error) ȝast.
Etymology	OE gāst, gǣst.

(a) The soul of a dead person; also, the spirit of Christ descending into hell; (b) a damned soul, whether in hell or returned to earth; also fig. an emaciated or tortured person; (c) a dead body.

gōstlī adj.

(a) Of things or creatures: consisting of spirit, not material; ~ thing, a spiritual creature, immortal being; (b) of conditions, qualities, emotions, knowledge, visions, etc.: of spiritual origin, derived from the spirit, belonging to spirit rather than matter; supernatural; ~ sight, a supernatural vision; (c) of actions, conditions, emotions, sins, etc.: affecting the spirit, concerned with spirit; ~ god, a spiritual good or benefit; ~ harm (qued), harm or injury to the soul; ~ thing, a spiritual matter; (d) ~ mocioun, living motion, the movements of a living creature.

Middle English

The Book of Spiritual Grace.

View attachment 92295​

I saw your post late…

But nonetheless, you quoted:

The soul of a dead person; also, the spirit of Christ descending into hell; (b) a damned soul, whether in hell or returned to earth; also fig. an emaciated or tortured person; (c) a dead body.

A Ghost is the SOUL (?) of a DEAD PERSON??

But ‘Soul’ means ‘Person’ … just different language, like ‘Messiah’ and ‘Christ’. So the sentence you quoted is saying:

• ‘The person of a dead Person…’

However, the very next sentence says, “The ‘SPIRIT’ of Christ”.

Why didn’t it say, ‘The GHOST of Christ’?

Perhaps the writer understood that Christ HAD a Spirit, but dead people’s Spirits RESTS with God and do not, cannot, pervade the world of the living!! So I’m order to fulfil their pagan beliefs, they invented a term to explain what they called Hauntings and malevolent ‘Spirits’ (a Ghost is always malevolent!)