smb@ulysses.UUCP (12/09/83)
Jewish lore speaks of the "Shechinah" -- the Presence of G-d -- in the feminine form. The Shechinah was believed permeate the Temple in Jerusalem; after its destruction, there are references to the Shechinah being present in synagogues as well. The Kabbalists in particular often personified the Shechinah, often in the feminine from. There is some evidence that the Christian concept of the Holy Ghost was derived from the Shechinah. --Steve Bellovin