The Feminine Holy Spirit: A reinterpretation of the mythical Goddess of Wisdom in “Redimidos”

Abstract

The early movement of Jesus’ followers, much like Christianity today, encompasses a diverse range of ideas, theological positions and traditions, as documented by specialists in the field. The literature from that period that has survived to this day provides the evidence that has enabled us to reconstruct the ideological richness of the first century, beyond the confines of any single religion.

Among the traditions gaining prominence within the Primitive Movement is the concept of a female deity: Wisdom; a figure with whom the Holy Spirit came to be identified. This mythological entity, which had remained largely overlooked but has been revived by feminist theology, has for some years now become the symbolic banner of the “Redimidos” sect. The leader of this Mexican movement, Jonatán Meza, has taken it upon himself to extol this Goddess and even to construct a whole symbolism centred on women, to the extent that she is a fundamental part of the restoration of human beings to their ‘original state’ (before the Fall) ‘for every person who believes in the Christ of Jonatán’, but also in this Goddess’s role in a narrative of the Messiah’s rescue, which functioned as a vicarious sacrifice to save the world. Against this backdrop, this paper presents an analysis of the symbolism attributed by Meza to the Holy Spirit and its role in the plan of salvation proposed by the Redimidos sect, as well as the differences between this stance and its early precursors.