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The Emphatic Mode of Expressing the Masculine Relative
#1
Shlama Akhay,

The word for "Spirit" in Aramaic ('Rukha') is grammatically feminine. In early Aramaic-Christian literature, the Holy Spirit is treated grammatically in the feminine, though later writings typically refer to it in the masculine. The grammatically feminine aspect is strictly an Aramaic feature, it is not the case in Greek. Examples of this early Aramaic literature include the Odes of Solomon, Ephrem (cf., (Hymns on Virginity) and others. ("Feminine Imagery for the Divine: The Holy Spirit, the Odes of Solomon, and Early Syriac Tradition," St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly 37 (1993), pp. 111-139; and "The Odes of Solomon," in Searching the Scriptures, Vol. 2: A Feminist Commentary, edited by Elisabeth Schassler Fiorenza (New York: Crossroad, 1994), pp. 86-98.)

In the 8th Ode to Solomon, we read the Holy Spirit call to her own:

Quote:I fashioned their members, and my own breasts I prepared for them, that they might drink my holy milk and live by it.

In the 19th Ode, we read:

Quote:The Son is the cup, and the Father is He who was milked; and the Holy Spirit is She who milked Him;

When an author is referring to the Holy Spirit in Aramaic in a way that he wishes to convey the masculine, he must use what is called the "emphatic mode" of expressing the Masculine Relative particle. This is done in order to overcome the grammatically feminine nature of the word, Rukha. Let us consider one example in Acts 5:32:

Quote:[font="Estrangelo (V1.1)"]0hl0 Bhyd wh 04dwqd 0xwrw Nylh fmd Nnx 0dhs Nnxw[/font] (wa'khnan sahde khnan de'mele halyn, wa'Rukha de'Qudsha Hu de'Yaheb Alaha....) ("And we are witnesses of these words, and (so is) the Holy Spirit, He Whom God gives...")

Notice that by using the masculine relative particle, "hu", the author overcomes the grammatically feminine aspect of the word "Rukha."

Akhay, let us examine two Greek manuscripts' reading of Acts 5:32

In Codex Bezae, we read:

??????? ????? ????????????? ????? ??????????? ????? ????????????? ??? ????????? (..and the Holy Spirit, (He) whom (masculine) God gives....)

In the Traditional (Byzantine) Text, we read:

??????? ????? ????????????? ????? ??????????? ??? ????????????? ??? ????????? (..and the Holy Spirit, which (neuter) God gives....)

What other reasonable explanation can we give for this variant in the Greek text? Notice that the 5th-century Bezan text preserves the Aramaic Emphatic Mode of expressing the Masculine Particle, whereas the later (more polished) Byzantine family of texts, having no need to overcome any grammatically feminine aspect to Pneuma (spirit), removed the redundant masculine particle in the Greek.
+Shamasha Paul bar-Shimun de'Beth-Younan
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#2
Shalom friend, I remember that the Old Syriac uses the feminine form. Ruach Haqodesh or Rucha de'Qudsha, in hebrew Qodesh is in masculine, and Ruach in feminine. I think there is a mystery, the Ruach Haqodesh is compared many times with a Yona (Dove), and actually it is kind of difficult to know and tell the gender of a dove because they do not have external reproductive organs like some animal.
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#3
Mmm... i think this could be connected:

Genesis 1:26 -So G-d created Adam in His own tzelem (image), in the tzelem Elohim (image of G-d) created He him; zachar (male) and nekevah (female) created He them.... G?nesis 5:2 - Zakhar (male) and nekevah (female) He created them; and blessed them, and called the name of them "Adam".
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