the Spirit of God
וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים
ruach Elohim
In the beginning when God created* the heavens and the earth, 2the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God* swept over the face of the waters. 3Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. (NRSV)
I object. In my miserable ignorance and prejudice, I object. No scholar in any wise of any subject whatsoever, most especially Hebrew, I nevertheless object. The Hebrew word pronounced ruach is variously translated into English as wind, breath, spirit. In the beloved and classical King James Version of the Bible (and some other English versions as well) at Genesis 1:2, the word ruach is translated “spirit,” or “Spirit.” In the Septuagint, the second century BCE translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, the Hebrew word is translated πνεῦμα which is commonly translated into English as “spirit.” In the online Hebrew-English translation of the Masoretic Text, the Hebrew scholars translate ruach as “spirit.” The Revised Standard Version of the Bible renders it “spirit.” But the New Revised Standard Version gives us “a wind from God.” God help us. Why? Because the NRSV scholars went overboard to make sure there would be no -- misunderstandings.
The now traditional rendering of ruach as “spirit” permits Christians to perceive today’s Old Testament reading as Trinitarian, which I do. That is to say, in the beginning God (FATHER) created heaven and earth. And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the ruach (SPIRIT) of God moved over the face of the waters. And God SAID (Logos, Word, SON) “let there be light.” That of course is not what the ancient Hebrews meant, nor is it what modern Jewish scholars see, mean, or perceive. but it’s what I perceive this Sunday morning, Epiphany One. It’s my epiphany, and I’m sticking with it.
וְרוּח אֱלֹהִים,ַ
1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (KJV)
We thank you, Almighty God, for the gift of water.
Over it the Holy Spirit moved in the beginning of creation.
Through it you led the children of Israel out of their bondage
in Egypt into the land of promise. In it your Son Jesus
received the baptism of John and was anointed by the Holy
Spirit as the Messiah, the Christ, to lead us, through his death
and resurrection, from the bondage of sin into everlasting life.
Through it you led the children of Israel out of their bondage
in Egypt into the land of promise. In it your Son Jesus
received the baptism of John and was anointed by the Holy
Spirit as the Messiah, the Christ, to lead us, through his death
and resurrection, from the bondage of sin into everlasting life.
We thank you, Father, for the water of Baptism. In it we are
buried with Christ in his death. By it we share in his
resurrection. Through it we are reborn by the Holy Spirit.
Therefore in joyful obedience to your Son, we bring into his fellowship those who come to him in faith, baptizing them in
the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
buried with Christ in his death. By it we share in his
resurrection. Through it we are reborn by the Holy Spirit.
Therefore in joyful obedience to your Son, we bring into his fellowship those who come to him in faith, baptizing them in
the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
TW+