The Free Woman

Part 8 continues with the biblical, historical and symbolic evidence Yona Tree finds for the motherly attributes of the Holy Spirit.

It begins with early Christian references from Saint Jerome and Origen of Alexandria, who both quote the lost Gospel according to the Hebrews, in which Christ speaks of “My Mother, the Holy Spirit.” It then considers the Aramaic and Old Syriac background of Christ’s words about the Paraclete, where the Spirit is spoken of with feminine forms.

From there the episode moves into Scripture’s imagery: the comforting mother of Isaiah 66:13, the sheltering hen of Luke 13:34, the mothering eagle of Deuteronomy 32:11–12, and the free woman of Galatians 4. Those born only according to the flesh are children of bondage; those born again of the Spirit are children of promise — a freedom purchased by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.