Thank you so much for all that information. In your estimation, would you say that Shekinah/Shekhinah is a name for the Holy Spirit? Might there be other OT or Rabbinical names for the Holy Spirit?
Some information from the Sages and rabbins re the Shekinah brother.
The Concept of Shekinah in Rabbinic Literature and in Matthew’s Gospel
The Etymology and Origin of Shekinah
The etymology of shekinah is straightforward. The noun is derived from the Hebrew verb škn (pronounced “shakan”) which means “to dwell, abide, settle, rest.”
Shekinah and the related Aramaic noun shekinta share the same verbal root. The Hebrew word for “tabernacle” (mishkan) is also derived from škn.
Shekinah/ shekinta does not occur in the Hebrew Bible and there is no evidence of the word in pre-rabbinic literature or in the Qumran texts (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but it is common in rabbinic literature and the Aramaic Targums.[3]
Martin McNamara notes that shekinah/ shekinta “is a central term and concept in rabbinic literature expressing God’s presence in the Temple and with his people.”[4]
Rabbis used the word in verses that refer to God’s presence in the Israelite’s camp, the tabernacle, or temple (e.g., Exod. 19:16–18; 40:34-38; 1 Kings 6:13; 2 Chron. 7:1), and on mountains (e.g., Exod. 19:18; Psa. 68.16–18; Joel 3:17 cf. the Transfiguration).
In the Bible, God’s shekinah appeared as a cloud (Exod. 24:16–18; 33:9; 34:5; 40:34–38; Num. 9:15; 11:25; 14:14; 16:42; 1 Kings 8:10–13), as a pillar of smoke and a pillar of fire (Exod. 13:21–22), as a burning bush (Exod. 3:2), and as a wall of fire (Zech. 2:5).
Avoiding Anthropomorphism
In rabbinic texts, shekinah/ shekinta is sometimes synonymous with the Holy Spirit. However, the word is employed in the Targums as an indirect way to refer to God.
It is used instead of the Hebrew word Elohim (“God”) and God’s name YHWH, and also instead of “face” and “presence” when used of the divine. This is especially the case in Bible verses where God is depicted as going somewhere or as doing something that humans might do. The rabbis who wrote the Targums wanted to avoid attributing human characteristics directly to God.[5]
The New Testament authors did not have the same concern about anthropomorphism. They tell us the astonishing story that God came in human form and did human things. Moreover, the God-man Jesus even took on the form of a slave and allowed himself to be executed in a humiliating and barbaric way on a cross (Phil. 2:6–8 cf. 1 Cor. 1:18). It is no wonder the cross was a stumbling block to some Jewish people (1 Cor. 1:23–24).
The Divine Presence in Gatherings
Shekinah occurs twice in the Mishnah, the most ancient part of the Talmud. These two occurrences are in statements made by two second-century CE rabbis and they resonate with Jesus’s words recorded in Matthew 18:20.
“If two sit together and words between them are of the Torah, then the Shekinah is in their midst” (Mishnah Avot 3:3).
“If ten men sit together and occupy themselves with the Law, the Shekinah rests among them” (Mishnah Avot 3:6).[6]
“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them” (Matt. 18:20).
McNamara suggests that the author of Matthew’s Gospel molded current rabbinic theology and terminology on the shekinah in keeping with New Testament Christology.[7]
The shekinah as the “glory of the Lord” had dwelt in the tabernacle and then the temple (e.g., Exod 40:35; 2 Chron. 7:1). Christians believe that since Pentecost,
--the Holy Spirit dwells among God’s people wherever they are, wherever they gather, and that God’s people together constitute a new temple (1 Cor. 3:16 NIV; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:19–22 cf. 1 Pet. 2:5).
What does “shekinah” mean for Christians? Is this concept in the Bible? What, if anything, does “shekinah” tell us about God’s gender?
margmowczko.com
Interesting study-if you have time brother.
Shalom
Johann.
