God or gods are a central feature of many religions. These religions have a range of views regarding the gender of their divinities. This article is about the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... Gender in common usage refers to the sexual distinction between male and female. ...

Hinduism

Main article: Hindu views on God and gender

Rigveda

The oldest of the Hindu scriptures is the Rigveda (2nd millennium BC). The first word of the Rigveda is the name Agni, the god of fire, to whom many of the vedic hymns are addressed, along with Indra the warrior. Agni and Indra are both male divinities. In Hinduism there are diverse approaches to the understanding of God, of Brahman, which is reflected in the gender by which God is addressed or described. ... Download high resolution version (1161x1125, 419 KB)Rigveda MS in Sanskrit on paper, India, early 19th c. ... Download high resolution version (1161x1125, 419 KB)Rigveda MS in Sanskrit on paper, India, early 19th c. ... Rig veda is the oldest text in the world. ... Chinese (Wu Xing) Japanese (Godai) Earth (地) | Water (水) | Fire (火) | Air / Wind (風) | Void / Sky / Heaven (空) Hinduism (Tattva) and Buddhism (Mahābhūta) Vayu / Pavan — Air / Wind Agni / Tejas — Fire Akasha — Aether Prithvi / Bhumi — Earth Ap / Jala — Water Bön New Zealand Agni is a Hindu and Vedic deity. ... For other uses, see Indra (disambiguation). ...

The Rigveda refers to a creator (Hiranyagarbha or Prajapati), distinct from Agni and Indra. This creator is identified with Brahma, first of the gods, in later scriptures. Hiranyagarbha and Prajapati are male divinities, as is Brahma (who has a female consort, Saraswati). According to an account of the Hindu mythology, Hiranyagarbha, meaning the golden womb, is the source of the creation of the universe. ... In Hinduism, Prajapati is Lord of Creatures, thought to be depicted on ancient Harappan seals, sitting in yogic posture, with an erection and what appear to be bison horns. ... This article is about the Hindu god of creation. ... For the Vedic river, see Saraswati River. ...

There are many other gods in the Rigveda.^[1] They are "not simple forces of nature" and possess "complex character and their own mythology".^[1] They include goddesses of water (Āpaḥ) and dawn (Uṣas), and the complementary pairing of Father Heaven and Mother Earth.^[1] However, they are all "subservient to the abstract, but active positive 'force of truth'" (Rta), "which pervades the universe and all actions of the gods and humans."^[1] This force is sometimes mediated or represented by moral gods (Āditya such as Varuṇa) or even Indra.^[1] The Āditya are male and Rta is personified as masculine in later scriptures (see also Dharma). RTA is a TLA that could mean: Chicagos Regional Transportation Authority (AAR reporting mark RTA) Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Road Traffic Accident, see car accident Roads and Traffic Authority, in New South Wales, Australia Renal Tubular Acidosis Riverside Transit Agency, in Riverside County, California Rewriting Techniques and Applications... In Hinduism, the s are a group of solar deities, sons of Aditi and Kashyapa. ... In Vedic religion, Varuna (Devanagari:वरुण, IAST:) is a god of the sky, of rain and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld. ... For other uses, see Dharma (disambiguation). ...

There are some Hindu sects, such as Shakta and Tantra, that have a well-developed philosophy of a mother goddess, and literature that harmonizes this to greater or lesser extents with vedic and other traditions. In these traditions, Shiva is often conceived of as the consort of Shakti, rather than vice versa. A Shakta, pronounced shaakt, is a follower of a sect of Hinduism which worships the Mother Goddess, or Shakti, in any of her various manifestations. ... This article is an overview of Tantra and an in-depth look at the Tantra of Hinduism. ... For other uses, see Shiva (disambiguation). ... This page includes English translations of several Latin phrases and abbreviations such as . ...

In some Hindu philosophical traditions, Brahma is depersonalized (and demasculinized) as Brahman, the fundamental life force of the universe. This article is about the Hindu god of creation. ... Brahman (nominative ) is a concept of Hinduism. ...

Judaism

The first words of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh or Old Testament) are B'reshit bara Elohim — "In the beginning God created."^[2] The verb bara (he created) suggests a masculine subject. Elohim is also masculine in form. The most common phrases in the Tanakh are vayomer Elohim and vayomer YHWH — "and God said" (hundreds of occurrences). Again, the verb vayomer (he said) is masculine; it is never vatomer, the feminine of the same verb form. The personal name of God, YHWH, is presented in Exodus 3 as if the Y (Hebrew yod) is the masculine subjective prefix to the verb to be This article is about the term Hebrew Bible. For the Jewish scriptures see Tanakh. ... For the musical collective, see Tanakh (band). ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Note: Judaism... This article is about the second book in the Torah. ...

Main article: I am that I am

In Isaiah 62:5, God is compared to the bridegroom, and his people to the bride. I am that I am (Hebrew: אהיה אשר אהיה, pronounced Ehyeh asher ehyeh) is one English translation of the response God used in the Bible when Moses asked for his name (Exodus 3:14). ... Isaiah the Prophet in Hebrew Scriptures was depicted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo. ...

• "For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee."

Most Orthodox Jews and many Conservative Jews hold that it is wrong to use English female pronouns for God. However, feminine characterisation of God is found in a feminist siddur (Jewish prayerbook). Reconstructionist Jewish Rabbi Rebecca Alpert (Reform Judaism, Winter 1991) comments: This article is about the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... Orthodox Judaism is the formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonised in the Talmudic texts (Oral Torah) and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim. ... This article is about Conservative (Masorti) Judaism in the United States. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A siddur (Hebrew: סידור; plural siddurim) is a Jewish prayer book, containing a set order of daily prayers. ... Reconstructionist Judaism is a modern American-based Jewish movement, based on the ideas of the late Mordecai Kaplan, that views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization. ... For the town in Italy, see Rabbi, Italy. ...

Within Judaism, this statement is controversial. Many traditional rabbinic commentators, such as Maimonides, view any such beliefs as avodah zarah - idolatry. Secondary male sexual characteristics are attributed to God in some piyuttim (religious poems). These include a description of the beard of God Shir Hakavod, "The Hymn of Glory", and similar poetic imagery in the midrash Song of the Seas Rabbah. Traditional meforshim (rabbinic commentators) hold that these descriptions are metaphorical. Commonly used image indicating one artists conception of Maimonidess appearance Maimonides (March 30, 1135 or 1138–December 13, 1204) was a Jewish rabbi, physician, and philosopher in Spain, Morocco and Egypt during the Middle Ages. ... Judaism strongly prohibits any form of idolatry. ... Midrash (Hebrew: מדרש; plural midrashim) is a Hebrew word referring to a method of exegesis of a Biblical text. ... Meforshim is a Hebrew word meaning commentators (or roughly meaning exegetes), and is used as a substitute for the correct word perushim which means commentaries. In Judaism this term refers to commentaries by the commentators on the Torah (five books of Moses), Hebrew Bible, the Mishnah, the Talmud, responsa, even...

Christianity

The Creation of Man, Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michelangelo.

In Christianity, the New Testament is the primary source of beliefs about God. Perhaps the two most significant debates in Christian history sought to understand what the New Testament implied regarding: God creates Adam by Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel, Vatican City. ... God creates Adam by Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel, Vatican City. ... The iconic image of the Hand of God giving life to Adam. ... For other uses, see Michelangelo (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Christian scriptures. ...

• Jesus as divine as well as human (see Christology), and
• God as three persons in unity — the Trinity.

The three persons of the Trinity are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The masculinity of the Father and the Son is clear from their names, which are derived from the New Testament. In the case of the Son, masculinity is reinforced by the belief in his incarnation as the man, Jesus of Nazareth. The New Testament also refers to the Holy Spirit as masculine in number of places, most clearly in the Gospel of John 14-16.^[3] John reports Jesus referring to the Holy Spirit as Comforter (masculine in Greek), and uses grammatically necessary masculine forms of the Greek pronoun autos.^[4] Grammatical gender, on its own, says nothing about natural gender. However, when John reports Jesus speaking of the Holy Spirit as Spirit, grammatically neuter in Greek,^[5] he uses the masculine form of the demonstrative pronoun ekeinos ("that male one").^[6] This breaking of the grammatical agreement, expected by native language readers, is an indication of the authorial intention to convey the personhood of the Holy Spirit, and also the Spirit's masculinity.^[7] Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Christology is a field of study... This article is about the Christian Trinity. ... In many religions, the supreme God is given the title and attributions of Father. ... This 11th-century portrait is one of many images of Jesus in which a halo with a cross is used. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      In mainstream... Look up incarnation, incarnate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Gospel of John (disambiguation). ... In linguistics, grammatical gender is a morphological category associated with the expression of gender through inflection or agreement. ... Gender in common usage refers to the sexual distinction between male and female. ...

These texts were particularly significant when Christians were debating whether the New Testament teaches that the Holy Spirit is a full divine person, or just a "force". All major English Bible translations have retained the masculine pronoun for the Spirit.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "God transcends the human distinction between the sexes. He is neither man nor woman: he is God."^[8] This makes it clear that God has masculine gender role, rather than male biological sex; as indicated by the pronoun He in the official English translation of Ille in the Latin original.^[9][10] God is also referred to as masculine in Catholic teaching and practice. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, or CCC, is an official exposition of the teachings of the Catholic Church, first published in French in 1992 by the authority of Pope John Paul II.[1] Subsequently, in 1997, a Latin text was issued which is now the official text of reference... A bagpiper in Scottish military clan-uniform. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

On the other hand, use of "feminine" imagery (like the personification of divine wisdom in Proverbs) has been expanded upon by some Christian writers. In Syriac Christianity, the grammatically feminine ruah (Spirit), and the occasionally associated "hovering" and "dove" imagery of the Bible, led some 4th century theologians, such as Aphrahat and Ephraim, to use explicitly maternal language for the Spirit.^[11] The 2nd century Syriac Odes of Solomon use imagery for the Spirit, that some consider to be feminine. Similar imagery is used for the Father. Eastern Orthodox theologian Susan Ashbrook Harvey considers grammatical gender itself to be significant in early Syrian Christianity: "It seems clear that for the Syrians, the cue from grammar — ruah as a feminine noun — was not entirely gratuitous. There was real meaning in calling the Spirit 'She.'"^[12] As a means of recording the passage of time, the 4th century was that century which lasted from 301 to 400. ... Aphrahat ( 270–345; Syriac: — ; also Greek , and Latin Aphraates) was a Syriac-Christian author of the fourth century from Persia, , who composed a series of twenty-three expositions or homilies on points of Christian doctrine and practice. ... Ephrem the Syrian (Syriac: , ; Greek: ; Latin: Ephraem Syrus; ca. ... The 2nd century is the period from 101 - 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... The Odes of Solomon is a book containing 42 odes attributed to Solomon. ...

A few recent theologians, while retaining masculine reference to Father and Son, have explored feminine alternatives for the Holy Spirit. Some have related this to perceived maternal functions in Scripture or Christian tradition. These include: Clark H. Pinnock,^[13] Thomas N. Finger,^[14] Jürgen Moltmann,^[15] Yves M.J. Congar,^[16] John J. O'Donnell,^[17] and Donald L. Gelpi.^[18] Clark H. Pinnock(Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 3, 1937) is a Christian theologian, apologist and author. ... Jürgen Moltmann (born April 8, 1926) is a German Protestant theologian. ...

Islam

Main article: God in Islam

The oneness of God is of primary importance in the Qur'an and Islam. In AL-Qur'an, Allah is most often referred to with the pronouns Hu or Huwa, and although these are commonly translated as him they can also be translated gender-neutrally, as it. This is also true of the feminine equivalent, Hiya. Allah is neither male nor female, and is said to transcend gender. It is considered blasphemy for Allah to be placed in a human or animal sexual gender category. "...Hu births not nor is Hu born, there is none like unto Hu" Surah 112 AL-Qur'an. Other references include the first person pronoun, and the relative pronoun ma (that which), as in the phrase "the heavens and that which created them" (surah Shams (91), verse 5). Islam reveres the one God, who is considered the only Creator and Lord of the Universe. The main fundamental creed (shahadah) of Islam is There is but (one) God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God. The Arabic word for The God is Allah (الله); Muslims consider him the same deity... The Qur’ān [1] (Arabic: , literally the recitation; also sometimes transliterated as Quran, Koran, or Al-Quran) is the central religious text of Islam. ... A poprelative pronoun is a pronoun that marks a relative clause within a larger sentence. ...

Sikhism

Main article: God in Sikhism

In Sikhism, God has traditionally been referred to by using masculine pronouns. However, in Sikhism this is due to grammatical conventions, rather than implying actual gender. Sikhism is based on the teaching of the Sikh Scriptures. These were originally composed in many different languages. Overall, they are ambivalent regarding God's gender. The Guru Granth Sahib refers to God as Mother and Father: The fundamental belief of Sikhism is that God exists, not merely as an idea or concept, but as a Real Entity, indescribable yet knowable and perceivable to anyone who is prepare to dedicate the time and energy to become perceptive to His persona. ... Sikhism (IPA: or ; Punjabi: , , IPA: ), founded on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and nine successive gurus in fifteenth century Northern India, is the fifth-largest religion in the world. ... In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun or noun phrase with or without a determiner, such as you and they in English. ... Sikhism (IPA: or ; Punjabi: , , IPA: ), founded on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and nine successive gurus in fifteenth century Northern India, is the fifth-largest religion in the world. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Guru Granth Sahib. ... The Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Punjabi: , ), or Guru Granth Sahib, is the holy book, or scriptures, of the Sikhs. ...

• "You are my Father, and You are my Mother... You are my Protector everywhere; why should I feel any fear or anxiety? ||1||" Page 103
• "You are our mother and father; we are Your children." Page 268.

In some places, God is referred to as Mother, Father or Husband:

• "O my wandering mind, you are like a camel - how will you meet the Lord, your Mother?" page 234
• "O Father, I do not know - How can I know Your Way?" page 51
• "You are the Husband Lord, and I am the soul-bride. ||3||" page 484.

Mormonism

Main article: Godhead (Latter Day Saints)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon, teaches that both God the Father and Jesus have distinct, perfect, immortal male bodies. Mormons consider the empty tomb proof that God the Son has a body, transformed by the resurrection to power, glory and immortality. They teach that the Son, though glorified, was able to show his body to humans, eat with them, drink with them, and allow them to touch him as a witness that he had taken his body up, a body with which he later ascended to heaven, a body that he has never again laid aside. The Holy Spirit has a spirit body, not a physical body, and is also considered to be male. There is evidence that Mormons believe there to be more divine beings than just those of the Trinity. In particular, at least one Mormon hymn refers to a Heavenly Mother, partnered to the Father.^[19] The official doctrine of the Church is that prayers should be directed to the Father in the name of the Son by the power of the Spirit. The Heavenly Mother is not worshipped. Mormonism, depending on era and denomination within the Latter Day Saint movement, has accommodated a diverse range of views of the concept of the Christian Godhead including forms of modalism, binitarianism, tritheism, henotheism, and trinitarianism. ... For more general information about religious denominations that follow the teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... In many religions, the supreme God is given the title and attributions of Father. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      In mainstream... In some religions, Heavenly Mother (also referred to as Mother in Heaven) is the wife and feminine counterpart of God the Father. ...

• See also Mormonism and Christianity.

Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Since the...

Branch Davidians, some Messianics, and other variations

While being small in number (and not "feminist" in the modern sense), there are some Messianic and Christian groups whose thinking in regards to the gender of the Holy Spirit is, in part, based on the understanding that the Hebrew word for Spirit, ruach, is feminine, and that is then based upon skepticism toward Greek primacy for the New Testament. They are skeptical of the neuter Greek word for "spirit" (Greek pneuma), and the masculine Latin word, because the logos ("oracles" or "words") of God were are said to be given unto the Jews (Rom. 3:1, 2). Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

Foremost among these groups, and the most vocal on the subject are the Branch Davidian, Seventh-day Adventists. In 1977, one of their leaders, Lois Roden, began to formally teach that a feminine Holy Spirit is the heavenly pattern of women. In her many studies and talks she cited numerous scholars and researchers from Jewish, Christian, and other sources. The Branch Davidians are a religious sect which originated from a schism in 1955 from the Davidian Seventh Day Adventists, themselves former members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church who were disfellowshipped during the 1930s. ... The Seventh-day Adventist (abbreviated Adventist[3]) Church is a Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished mainly by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath. ... Lois Roden Lois Irene Scott Roden, was a president of the Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Church, an apocalyptic Christian sect, her husband, Benjamin Roden, began in 1955 as a succession to the Davidian Seventh Day Adventist reform movement that began in 1930 under the leadership of Victor T. Houteff...

They see in the creation of Adam and Eve a literal image and likeness of the invisible Godhead, male and female, who is "clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made" (Rom. 1:20). They take the Oneness of God to mean the "familial" unity which exists between them, which unity is not seen in any other depiction of the Godhead by the various non-Hebrew peoples.

Thus, having a Father and Mother in heaven, they see that the Bible shows that those Parents had a Son born unto them before the creation of the world, by Whom all things were created.^{[20][21][22][23]}.

These concepts are also taught among other groups, to one degree or another.

The B'nai Yashua Synagogues Worldwide^[24] headed by Rabbi Moshe Koniuchowsky, holds to the feminine view of the Holy Spirit.^[25][26]

There are also some scholars associated with more "mainstream" denominations, who while not necessarily indicative of the denominations themselves, have written works explaining a feminine understanding of the third member of the Godhead. For example, R.P. Nettlehorst, professor at the Quartz Hill School of Theology (associated with the Southern Baptist Convention) has written on the subject.^[27][28][29] Evan Randolph, associated with the Episcopal Church, has likewise written on the subject.^[30][31] Quartz Hill is a census-designated place located in Los Angeles County, California. ... The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a United States-based Christian denomination that consists of numerous agencies including six seminaries, two mission boards and a variety of other organizations such as: the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, which can act for the SBC ad interim between annual meetings... -1...

See also

• Feminism
• God
• God (male deity)
• Goddess
• Goddess movement
• The Hebrew Goddess
• Sky father
• Thealogy

Feminists redirects here. ... This article is about the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... God, as a male deity, contrasts with female deities, or goddesses while the term goddess specifically refers to a female deity, words like gods and deities can be applied to all gods collectively, regardless of gender. ... For the 1934 film, see The Goddess (1934 film). ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The Hebrew Goddess by Raphael Patai Series in Jewish Folklore and Anthropology Wayne State University Press ISBN 0-8143-2271-9 The Hebrew Goddess demonstrates that the Jewish religion, far from being pure monotheism, contained from earliest times strong polytheistic elements, chief of which was the cult of the mother... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Thealogy is literally the study of the Goddess (Greek θεά, thea, goddess + λόγος, logos, study). In 1993, Charlotte Carons definition of thealogy as reflection on the divine in feminine and feminist terms appeared, but the term actually originates in the writings of Isaac Bonewits in 1974. ...

References

• Berke, Matthew. 'God and Gender in Judaism'. In First Things, 1996.
• Eller, Vernard. The Language of Canaan and the Grammar of Feminism. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982.
• Dorff, Elliot N. Male and Female God Created Them: Equality with Distinction. University Papers. Los Angeles: University of Judaism, 1984, pp. 13-23.
• Harlow, Jules. 'Feminist Linguistics and Jewish Liturgy'. Conservative Judaism 49 (1997): 3-25.
• Johnson, Elizabeth. 'The Incomprehensibility of God and the Image of God Male and Female'. Theological Studies 45 (1984): 441-465.

Wm. ... Elliot N. Dorff (born 24 June 1943) is a Conservative rabbi, a professor of Jewish theology at the University of Judaism in California (where he is also Rector), author, and a bio-ethicist. ...

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Michael Witzel, 'Autochthonous Aryans? The Evidence from Old Indian and Iranian Texts', Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies 7 (2001): 1–118.
2. ^ Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1990), p. 1.
3. ^ Nestle and others, Novum Testamentum Graece, 27th ed., (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgeselschaft, 1993).
4. ^ William D Mounce, The Morphology of Biblical Greek, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), p. 241.
5. ^ John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13-14.
6. ^ ibid., p. 242.
7. ^ Grudem, Wayne [1995]. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 232. ISBN 0310286700. 
8. ^ 'Pater per Filium revelatus'. Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae. (Citta del Vaticano: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1993): 1-2-1-1-2 ¶ 239. (link is to official English translation)
9. ^ "Deum humanam sexuum transcendere distinctionem. Ille nec vir est nec femina, Ille est Deus." Ibid.
10. ^ Regarding the masculine sense of ille in Latin, the following classic reference can be consulted. Aureliano Buendía, 'The Original Language of Winnie-the-Pooh', Speculative Grammarian 148 (1998).
11. ^ Susan Ashbrook Harvey, "Feminine Imagery for the Divine: The Holy Spirit, the Odes of Solomon, and Early Syriac Tradition," St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly 37, nos. 2-3 (1993): 111-120.
12. ^ Harvey, "Feminine Imagery," 136.
13. ^ Clark H. Pinnock, "The Role of the Spirit in Creation," Asbury Theological Journal 52 (Spring 1997), 47-54.
14. ^ Thomas N. Finger, Christian Theology:An Eschatological Approach vol. 2 (Scottdale, Penn.:Herald, 1987), 483-490.
15. ^ Jurgen Moltmann, The Spirit of Life: A Universal Affirmation (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992), 157-158.
16. ^ Yves M.J. Congar, I Believe in the Holy Spirit, vol. 3 (New York: Seabury, 1983), 155-164.
17. ^ John J. O'Donnell, The Mystery of the Triune God (London:Sheed & Ward, 1988), 97-99.
18. ^ Donald L. Gelpi, The Divine Mother: A Trinitarian Theology of the Holy Spirit (New York:University Press of America, 1984).
19. ^ Eliza R Snow, 'O My Father', Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints #292, 1985.
20. ^ http://www.the-branch.org/Spirit_Feminine_Mother_Hebrew_Greek_Jesus_Born_Doug_Mitchell
21. ^ http://www.the-branch.org/Holy_Ghost_Daughter_Holy_Spirit_Mother_Eloah_Doug_Mitchell
22. ^ http://www.the-branch.org/She_A_Tree_of_Life_Proverbs_3-18_New_Moons_Doug_Mitchell
23. ^ http://www.the-branch.org/Shelter_From_Storm_HolyGhost_She_Bob_Dylan_Doug_Mitchell
24. ^ http://yourarmstoisrael.org/BYSW/directory/
25. ^ http://yourarmstoisrael.org/Articles_new/notes/index.php?page=what_is
26. ^ http://yourarmstoisrael.org/Articles_new/notes/index.php?page=Who_RuachHaKadosh2
27. ^ http://www.theology.edu/journal/volume3/spirit.htm
28. ^ http://www.theology.edu/pneumato.htm
29. ^ http://www.theology.edu/theology/appen03.htm
30. ^ http://www.geocities.com/kibotos2002/cfhsquotes.html
31. ^ http://www.geocities.com/athens/agora/6776/Findings.htm

The Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, or BHS, is an edition of the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible as preserved in the Leningrad Codex, and supplemented by masoretic and text-critical notes. ... Novum Testamentum Graece is the name (in the Latin language) of the Greek language version of the New Testament. ... Speculative Grammarian is the self-described premier scholarly journal featuring research in the neglected field of satirical linguistics. ...

External links

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God and gender

• God as Mother (A Christian view)
• Feminine images for God
• The Spirit and the Bride
• God and Gender in Judaism