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Biblical Hermeneutics

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Dan Fefferman
Dan Fefferman
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Properly, the issue belongs to theology rather than biblical hermeneutics, but perhaps this will be helpful:

Traditional Christianity understands Jesus to be one person (hypostasis in Greek) of the Trinity, while the Holy Spirit is another person. To affirm Jesus as the same person as the Holy Spirit risks stepping over the line into unorthodox teaching. Modalism is one type of teaching that holds that God appears sometimes as the Son but other times as the Father or the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, it is kosher to say that Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Father all share the same "essence" (ousia).

The OP added that he wants to know if the relationship is like that of Clark Kent and Superman: as long as one is here the other doesn't appear. The answer again is no. Jesus is considered to still be "here" with his followers on earth along with the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel of John, Jesus explains that the gift onof the Holy Spirit will be given only after he offers his life as the sacrificesacrificial "Lamb of God," not that he himself will appear as the Holy Spirit after he dies.

Properly, the issue belongs to theology rather than biblical hermeneutics, but perhaps this will be helpful:

Traditional Christianity understands Jesus to be one person (hypostasis in Greek) of the Trinity, while the Holy Spirit is another person. To affirm Jesus as the same person as the Holy Spirit risks stepping over the line into unorthodox teaching. Modalism is one type of teaching that holds that God appears sometimes as the Son but other times as the Father or the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, it is kosher to say that Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Father all share the same "essence" (ousia).

The OP added that he wants to know if the relationship is like that of Clark Kent and Superman: as long as one is here the other doesn't appear. The answer again is no. Jesus is considered to still be "here" with his followers on earth along with the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel of John, Jesus explains that the gift on the Holy Spirit will be given only after he offers his life as the sacrifice "Lamb of God," not that he himself will appear as the Holy Spirit after he dies.

Properly, the issue belongs to theology rather than biblical hermeneutics, but perhaps this will be helpful:

Traditional Christianity understands Jesus to be one person (hypostasis in Greek) of the Trinity, while the Holy Spirit is another person. To affirm Jesus as the same person as the Holy Spirit risks stepping over the line into unorthodox teaching. Modalism is one type of teaching that holds that God appears sometimes as the Son but other times as the Father or the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, it is kosher to say that Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Father all share the same "essence" (ousia).

The OP added that he wants to know if the relationship is like that of Clark Kent and Superman: as long as one is here the other doesn't appear. The answer again is no. Jesus is considered to still be "here" with his followers on earth along with the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel of John, Jesus explains that the gift of the Holy Spirit will be given only after he offers his life as the sacrificial "Lamb of God," not that he himself will appear as the Holy Spirit after he dies.

Source Link
Dan Fefferman
Dan Fefferman
  • 35.1k
  • 3
  • 37
  • 120

Properly, the issue belongs to theology rather than biblical hermeneutics, but perhaps this will be helpful:

Traditional Christianity understands Jesus to be one person (hypostasis in Greek) of the Trinity, while the Holy Spirit is another person. To affirm Jesus as the same person as the Holy Spirit risks stepping over the line into unorthodox teaching. Modalism is one type of teaching that holds that God appears sometimes as the Son but other times as the Father or the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, it is kosher to say that Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Father all share the same "essence" (ousia).

The OP added that he wants to know if the relationship is like that of Clark Kent and Superman: as long as one is here the other doesn't appear. The answer again is no. Jesus is considered to still be "here" with his followers on earth along with the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel of John, Jesus explains that the gift on the Holy Spirit will be given only after he offers his life as the sacrifice "Lamb of God," not that he himself will appear as the Holy Spirit after he dies.