(Ruach HaKodesh, Session 3b)   This session of the Ruach HaKodesh series gives a brief survey of the history of ideas in Judaism regarding the Holy Spirit. In part one we looked primarily at the Second Temple Era. This episode, part 2, explores rabbinic literature, the Medieval era, and the Chasidic movement. We will see some attitudes of the rabbis toward the Holy Spirit, as well as some fascinating parallels between Chasidic Judaism and Charismatic Christianity. The following is a condensed version of the audio teaching, including the text of sources cited. You can also subscribe to this podcast here.   Rabbinic Judaism The main rabbinic works include: * Mishnah (ca. 200 CE) * Tosefta (ca. 300) * Jerusalem Talmud (ca. 425) * Babylonian Talmud (ca. 525) * Various midrashic works Rabbinic literature is different from previous literature in that Judaism considers rabbinic literature to be authoritative. The Mishna and the Babylonian Talmud have carried most of the weight of authority. Rabbinic Literature is not monolithic or systematic. It is varied, immense, and often self-contradictory. One of the difficulties involved with studying rabbinic writings is the immense volume of literature involved. We won’t even scratch the surface in this brief session. We are going to focus on two main uses of Ruach Hakodesh in rabbinic literature: * Power of prophecy * Personification of God and His Word[1]Julie Hilton Danan, “The Divine Voice in Scripture: Ruah ha-Kodesh in Rabbinic Literature” (PhD Diss. University of Texas at Austin, ...continue jQuery("#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2144_1").tooltip({ tip: "#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2144_1", tipClass: "footnote_tooltip", effect: "fade", fadeOutSpeed: 100, predelay: 400, position: "top right", relative: true, offset: [10, 10] });   Power of Prophecy As before, rabbinic literature often equates the Holy Spirit and the spirit of prophecy: In rabbinic thought [the Holy Spirit] is the spirit of prophecy which comes from God, a divine inspiration giving man an insight into the future and into the will of God. Traditionally the Pentateuch was given directly by God to Moses, but the other canonical writings were all produced under the inspiration of Ru’ah ha-Kodesh.[2]Unterman and Horwitz, “Ru’ah Ha-Kodesh” in EJ, 364-365. jQuery("#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2144_2").tooltip({ tip: "#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2144_2", tipClass: "footnote_tooltip", effect: "fade", fadeOutSpeed: 100, predelay: 400, position: "top right", relative: true, offset: [10, 10] }); So, for example, King David composed his psalms under inspiration of the Holy Spirit (b.Brachot 4b; cf. Mark 12:36). Indeed, all the Scriptures were written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit (b.Megillah 7a; cf. 2Tim 3:16). Now, a logical extension of all this is to affirm that such prophecy has ceased (since the canon is closed). Hence we see that doctrine of the cessation of prophecy come up again: After the later prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi had died, the Holy Spirit departed from Israel, but they still availed themselves of the Bath Kol. (b.Yoma 9b; cf. b.Sotah 48b) In five things the first Sanctuary differed from the second: in the ark, the ark-cover, the Cherubim, the fire, the Shechinah, the Holy Spirit [of Prophecy], and the Urim-we-Thummim [the Oracle Plate]. (b.Yoma 21b) When the Temple was destroyed and Israel went into exile, the Holy Spirit returned to heaven; this is indicated in Eccl. xii.