Have there ever been any paintings of the Holy Spirit as a person?

[muriel_volestrangler]

Just a thought brought on by a discussion of the 2nd Commandment. There are loads of depictions of Jesus in Christian art, of course, and some (typically the 'old bearded man' variety) of God v1.0; but all I can think of for the Holy Spirit/Ghost/Paraclete etc. is a very symbolic dove - I don't think that anyone really suggests you see a dove when the Holy Spirit is at work; it's akin to a lamb in the place of Jesus. If this is so, why has this one part of the Trinity been subjected to the 'no graven images' rule, while the others get drawn?

[MADem]

1. Who knows? Maybe because it isn't a person? Or maybe it is female!!!

Can't have dames running the show, now, could they??????

[Glorfindel]

2. I'd never thought of that before...VERY interesting question

How WOULD one represent a "spirit" or "ghost" artistically? I'm off to do a Google search. Thanks for the inspiration!O8)

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. I did a google search

and found one, a relatively recent artistic rendtion, and I'm not sure whether the individual is the Holy Spirit or if it is merely the Light.



but most of the others showed the Holy Spirit as either a dove, a heart, or light.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. With a Google search, I've turned up a definite one as a person

modern, again:

The icon of the "The Holy Spirit overshadowing the Mother of God" was commissioned by another Jesuit friend for the chapel of the Holy Spirit at Weston School of Theology, again in Cambridge, Massachusetts

http://puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/andre/advent_03.html

So it's not a universal custom to avoid drawing it as a person.

[TexasProgresive]

4. First the Holy Spirit is a person but--

I suppose that you mean as a human being. The images we have of the other two persons of the Trinity are ones that lend themselves to human forms. We all have a father and we can all image a son. And since Christians believe that God the Son was incarnated as Jesus the son of Mary and of God then it is easy to picture him as a baby, child and a man.

The Holy Spirit is not so easy. The images we have from the scriptures are of fire and the dove. It was the Holy Spirit that was the fire that did not consume the bush and communicated with Moses. It was the Holy Spirit that was the burning ember place on the lips of a reluctant prophet (Isaiah).

Then in the life of Jesus the Holy Spirit as a dove at his baptism. John the Baptizer saying that the one to follow him (Jesus) would baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit. The fledgling church received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in the form of fire.

So the overarching image of the Holy Spirit is a fire that purifies but does not consume, a dove that reveals the truth and a fire that enlivens the spirit of humanity.

[msongs]

5. gods are created in the image of man, not vice versa, maybe it looks like james brown?

just like the mythical jesus character was more likely to have looked like yasser arafat than brad pitt.

Msongs
www.msongs.com
batik & digital art

[Joe Chi Minh]

6. I'm not sure you are right about that, Muriel.

As regards art, there is a painting of the Holy Spirit, I believe in dove-form, which appeared to the Carthusian martyrs, prior to their arrest and martyrdom at Tyburn, after being dragged naked through the streets on hurdles. I believe it can be seen at the Carthusian monastery in Parkminster, Sussex.

But, I'm pretty sure that there would be many paintings of the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove at Jesus' baptism in the Jordan seen by John the Baptist, and the divine sign by which he would be able to recognise the Christ.

Also, I suspect there would be other paintings in which the Holy Spirit is depicted in the form of flame above the head of each of the disciples at Pentecost.

[MistressOverdone]

8. I've usually seen it in

the form of a dove or a flame. But a smiley would be a nice touch.

[toddaa]

9. The one on the far right

The Great Dane.

[knitter4democracy]

10. The only one I know is Rubliov's Old Testament Trinity icon.

http://www.comeandseeicons.com/svp05.htm

That's the only one I can think of in which the Holy Spirit is depicted as a man, but that is based on the Old Testament story of three strangers visiting Abraham and Sarah.

It's not that there are no images, it's that iconographers are to stick to known images of God. We know of the Holy Spirit as a dove (descending onto Jesus at baptism), as a fire (at Pentecost), and as one of three men to visit Abraham. Other than that, it's not something we can draw.

[bananas]

11. Artists draw it the way mystics describe it

I'm glad to see a discussion of religious art and iconography here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost

[Silent3]

12. I thought the Holy Spirit...

...looked kinda like Mohammad. Look for one of those pictures. ;)

[immoderate]

13. Many. This is just one.

--IMM

[trotsky]

14. !!!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: