the Holy, the Lordly, the Life-giving One

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of Life

Interestingly, the Creed formulated at Nicea in 325 ended abruptly with the phrase "and in the Holy Spirit." The original Greek had three words for "the Holy Spirit" (to hagion pneuma). When in 381 at Constantinople they expanded the Holy Spirit section to emphasize his being and ministry as the same as the Father and the Son, they formulated it as "to pneuma to hagion" which is another Greek way of saying "the Holy Spirit" but literally reads "the spirit the holy". But it is interesting that they changed the phrasing and rhythm of it.

Jaraslov Pelikan, one of the most respected theologians regarding the development of doctrine interprets this whole phrase of the Creed as "the Spirit, the Holy, the Lordly, the Life-giving One" (in his book "Credo").

There is no life apart from the Life-giving One. No breath. No heartbeat. No cellular interaction or multiplication, or whatever actually goes on at the cellular level. Nothing. And there is no being alive to God without the Life-Giver. No love toward God, no trust in God, no thankfulness to God.

Blessed be God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!