Abstract
This article investigates some biblical essays of Johann Gottfried von Herder in order to demonstrate the emergence of the concept of “spirit” (Geist) in his philosophy and stresses how this conception simultaneously fits in and redefines the Judeo-Christian tradition on the subject. The article analyses the texts Lieder der Liebe, Vom Geist der Ebräischen Poesie and Von der Gabe der Sprachen am ersten christliche Pfingstfest, as starting points in which “spirit” is thought over three decades (from 1778 to 1794) respectively as: popular poetry, social vitality, organicity and culture. In that respect Herder's biblical essays overpass theology, investigating, in a secular way, the specificities of religions, languages, traditions or cultures, whose nuances may discern and question relevant dichotomies, such as: nature-culture, culture-civilization, or even humanity-animality.
Keywords:
Herder; Spirit; Hebrew poetry; Vitalism; Organicity