personal identity

i learnt during a bioethics lecture today that a 'person' may either be a 'human being' or a 'philosophical concept' (or both).

the Holy Spirit is not a 'person' in the sense that the Holy Spirit is not a 'human being', while the Holy Spirit is a 'person' in the sense that the Holy Spirit is a 'philosophical concept'.

that God is one being in three 'persons' does not mean that God is one being who has revealed Himself in three 'human beings'. rather, that God is one being in three 'persons' means that God is one being who has revealed Himself in three 'philosophical concepts', one of whom further 'became flesh and made his dwelling among us' (John 1:14, NIV).