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The Blue Letter Bible

Don Stewart :: Is There a Difference between the Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost?

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Don Stewart

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When we read the Bible in the King James Version we find the Spirit of God variously referred to as the "Holy Spirit" and the "Holy Ghost." Is there a reason that these two different designations are used? Is it speaking of two different personalities or is it referring to two different aspects of the one Spirit?

Actually, these verses refer to the one Holy Spirit. There is no theological reason why the Holy Spirit is sometimes referred to as the Holy Ghost. The reason for the difference if found in the story behind the translation of the King James Bible. When the King James Version was translated it was done by different committees. One of the committees consistently translated the Greek words hagion pneuma as "Holy Spirit" while the other committee translated it as "Holy Ghost." When the translation was completed these differences remained. Thus, you have the Spirit of God referred to as both the Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost.

Corrected

Modern translations have corrected this inconsistency and have uniformly translated the phrase hagion pneuma as Holy Spirit.

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