I have sometimes been asked are the Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost the same person?
You will often hear people say the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost in the church. Depending on the translation you use you will see both words. The KJV uses Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit interchangeably, more recent translations tend only to use Holy Spirit.
Are The Holy Spirit And Holy Ghost The Same Person?
We see an example of this in Acts 2:4. The KJV says "filled with the Holy Ghost" while other translations say "filled with the Holy Spirit". Both are correct and are describing the same person.
First, when the Bible mentions Holy Ghost, it is not talking about a ghost as in what we think of a ghost. It is not talking about something that has been depicted as a ghost, such as in a movie.
The English word "ghost" comes from the old Anglo-Saxon word "gast - goost" and means "spirit." When the KJV translation was formed, they used the best word available. Again looking at Acts 2:4, the original word in Greek is "Pneuma," and it means breath or spirit. So the translators used the best available English word at the time. Over time language evolves, so translations today use a more relevant word. Ghost, while still correct, puts a different picture in our mind because of the context in which it is used today; the word "Spirit" gives a more precise understanding to the reader.
The bottom line is whether it be Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost, both are correct and accurate.
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