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On the tenth day after the Ascension of Jesus Christ during the Jewish feast of
Pentecost, at the third hour, but according to our reckoning at nine o'clock in
the morning, when people usually go to the temple both for offering up a
sacrifice and prayer
[1]
all the disciples were assembled in Jerusalem, in the upper room (Acts 1:13),
which was "on Mount Zion", "and suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a
rushing mighty wind," (as though from an unusually strong wind)." Actually there
was no wind rustling, but the noise was similar as if it were from the strength
of a wind, but without the wind." This noise "filled the whole house where they
were sitting", - not only of the apostles, but, according to the commentary of
St. John Chrysostom, even other believers in Christ (Acts 1:16). In that instant
in the middle of the house in the air appeared many tongues as of fire, being
carried above the heads of the disciples, dropped down and rested on them. They
were not really fiery tongues, but were "as if of fire", i.e. it only had the
appearance of fire; they shone only, but did not burn. Directly behind these, or
even together with these external appearances, the event followed the internal,
completing in the souls of the believers: "all were filled with the Holy Spirit"
[2].
As fast as the Divine Fire flared up in the souls of the believers, they were
filled with holy ecstasy and in reply to the gift of Heaven have lifted up to
Heaven a word of praise and thanksgiving to the Great God for the benefactions
to the human race. And they all "began to speak with other tongues, as the
Spirit gave them utterance": each of these gifted ones began to speak in
whatever language even if the other language was unknown to him, in the language
of a country where he never lived or a language which he never studied; the
knowledge of this language for him was exclusively a gift of the Holy Spirit;
and the power of the Holy Spirit first of all was found out by their ability in
languages, because this ability first of all was necessary for the apostles, so
that they could preach the Gospel message all over the world.
Meanwhile the stormy noise of the breath from Heaven attracted many Jews to the
apostolic quarters. Seeing the people gathering for them, believers with praises
and hymns on their lips they went on the flat roof of a house where they were;
for it is natural to assume that they were filled with holy joy, the desire and
zeal to announce the glory of God revealed in them to other people. They spoke
about "wonderful works of God" (Acts 2:11), which now opened for them in all the
fullness and light; they praised the omnipotence, mercy and wisdom of God, they
magnified the Lord Jesus, they confessed that He is the Christ announced by the
ancient prophets, the Redeemer of our sins, that He is risen and, ascended with
glory into Heaven to the Father, who sent the Holy Spirit, who teaches all
wisdom, and finally, they thanked God for everything that they have received
through grace from Christ. Hearing these words of praise and thanksgiving, all
those gathered in the apostolic quarters were amazed by the new unexpected and
not clear to them revelation: the disciples of Christ, whom the greater part
were Galileans by birth, people who were not learned, were uneducated, from whom
they could not expect any knowledge of any foreign languages, except their
Galilean speech, - each of these people spoke some kind of dialect, so, as the
gathered crowd spoke various languages according their origin, each, however,
heard something which glorified God in the language of his country from any one
among those who spoke about the great works of God. Surprise turned into fear:
for all saw the unusual, heard the wonderful, and no one could explain what they
saw and heard: "they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another,
whatever could this mean" (Acts 2:12)?
But the impious were also found, who began to swear at the God-inspired
preachers
[3].
Then the Holy Apostle Peter raised his voice and delivered his first sermon, in
which he pointed out the glorious events accomplished in this day, the
fulfillment of ancient prophesies and the completion of the great work of
salvation of the people, which was fulfilled on earth by the crucified and
resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. This first Christian sermon was simple and brief,
but since the Holy Spirit spoke through the mouth of the Holy Apostle Peter, his
words penetrated the hearts of the hearers and won over their obstinacy. "Now
when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest
of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?' (Acts 2:37). "Repent",
the Holy Apostle Peter answered them, "and let every one of you be baptized in
the name of Jesus Christ" and you will not only be forgiven; but you shall also
"receive the gift of the Holy Spirit". For the promise of the Holy Spirit is
given not only to us, but also even "to you and to your children, and to all who
are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:38-39).
"Then those who gladly received his word" that is of the Apostle Peter
immediately repented, believed, and were baptized (Acts 2:41), and the new
Church has grown from 120 (Acts 1:15) to 3000 men. Thus ended the events, now
celebrated, have ended in the complete celebration of the Holy Spirit over the
unbelievers. In memory of this wonderful and glorious event we refer to this day
as the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles
[4]. This feast is still called Trinity
Day; because the appearance of the Holy Spirit has revealed to the people in a
very clear light, how necessary the mystery of the Holy Trinity was for them;
and therefore even for the Holy Church, teaching us "in an Orthodox way" and
piously to confess the All-holy Trinity, for in its prayers and hymns for this
day it honors and praises all three Persons of the Holy Trinity, who
participated in the descent of the Holy Spirit: God the Father, who sent the
Holy Spirit, God the Son Jesus Christ, who entreats the Father to send the Holy
Spirit, and God the Holy Spirit, who descended appearing as fiery tongues.
This feast was named Pentecost because commemorated on this day was an event in
the Old Testament called the feast of Pentecost, and also because this feast
necessarily comes 50 days after the Christian Pascha. Especially important is
the concurrence of the time of the descent of the Holy Spirit with the time of
the Old Testament feast of Pentecost. The descent of the Holy Spirit on the
believers in Christ was the crowning of the redemption and salvation of man by
God. During the time of Pentecost the disciples of the Lord have blossomed and
have grown spiritually; then the fullness of the gifts of the Spirit of God
descended on them, and they became the first fruits of the redemptive work of
Christ. Together with these revelations, the Church of Christ began on earth
[5].
The day of Pentecost was the day, when the Old Testament theocracy which began
on Sinai and ruled the people through the written law, the law of slavery and of
death, was replaced by the New Testament law, where the people are led by the
Spirit of God, the spirit of adoption and freedom (Rom. 8). Thus, as the Pascha
of Christ abolished the Old Testament Pascha, the New Testament Pentecost
replaces the Old Testament one, from which life under the law began.
In the hymns of the church for the day of Pentecost the event, the descent of
the Holy Spirit on the apostles, and the beneficial fruits of this great event
are praised. "Today", - sings the Holy Church, - wondrous things were done
before the face of all peoples "in the city of David, when the Holy Spirit came
down as fiery tongues", upon the disciples of Christ; now "The Spirit of
salvation, purifying the hearts of the apostles"; now, "the apostles clothed
with the power from on high by Christ: for the Comforter revives them"; now, the
Holy Spirit "revealed the unlettered to be orators", the fishermen, "bridling
the mouths of sophists in abundance with a word, and raising from the deep night
unnumbered people"; "they know in three persons One unerring, unapproachable,
timeless Essence; for light has shone, the grace of the Spirit "; "When the
power of the divine Spirit came down, it divinely united in one harmony the
voice divided of old (i.e. the language of the people) of those who had wickedly
agreed together, as to believers it gave understanding of knowledge of the
Trinity, in which we have been established."
[6];
now, "The Holy Spirit gives all things: makes prophecies flow, perfects priests,
taught the unlettered wisdom, revealed fishermen to be theologians, welds
together the whole institution of the Church"; "That which was proclaimed of old
in Law and Prophets has been fulfilled; for today the grace of the Divine Spirit
has been poured out on all believers"; "now the Advocate Spirit has been poured
out on all flesh: for beginning with the choir of the Apostles, from them he has
unfolded grace by participation to the faithful;" "The strength which has come
down today is the good Spirit, Spirit of the Wisdom of God; Spirit proceeding
from the Father and made manifest to us the faithful through the Son; giving
freely to those in whom he dwells of the holiness in which he is perceived by
nature."; "O light-formed children of the Church, receive the Spirit's
fire-breathing dew, a redeeming purification of offences; for now a law has gone
out from Zion, the torch-tongue-formed grace of the Spirit".
Praising the Zion event and showing its fruits, the Holy Church lifts up our
minds and hearts even to the knowledge of God's attributes and actions of the
Heavenly Visitor, the Spirit of God. In the words of St. Gregory the Theologian:
"The Holy Spirit always was, and is, and will be; neither beginning nor coming
to an end, but always ranked and numbered with the Father and the Son"; "He is
the life and creator of life; He is the light and the bestower of light; He is
the pouring out of goodness and source of goodness"; "through Whom the Father is
known and the Son (John 16:14) is glorified, and by all is known"; "He is the
Spirit of wisdom, understanding"; "He is God and deifier." "He distributes the
gifts" (1 Cor. 12:11), "crowns the prophets, apostles and martyrs ".
Glorifying the Holy Spirit, the solemn Worship of the actual day also includes
within itself the thanksgiving glorification of our Lord Jesus Christ, "Who on
this final great and saving day of Pentecost revealed to us the mystery of the
Holy, Consubstantial, Coeternal, Undivided and Uncompounded Trinity", and
"poured out the Comforter upon the disciples, as was promised", and "setting
them as Evangelists of our true faith, revealing them as confessors and heralds
of true theology". "In your courts", exclaims the Holy Church, "I will sing your
praise, as the Savior of the world, and bending the knee I will worship your
invincible power, at evening and morning and midday, and at every moment I will
bless you, O Lord."
The Holy Church uplifts also the general doxology to the Most Holy Trinity and
inspires us, that we, "bending the knee of souls and body", praise you "the
Father without beginning, and the Son, likewise without beginning, and
Co-eternal and All Holy Spirit", "the Trinity One in Essence", "Identical in
power and Coeternal". "Come, you people," the Church appeals to its children,
"let us worship the Godhead in three persons, the Son in the Father, with the
Holy Spirit; for the Father timelessly begot the Son, co-eternal and
co-reigning, and the Holy Spirit was in the Father, glorified with the Son; one
power, one essence, one Godhead."
But that our glorifications do not remain fruitless, the Holy Church often
appeals to the very Spirit Comforter with the prayer: "O Heavenly King, the
Comforter, the Spirit of Truth who art everywhere and fillest all things.
Treasury of Blessings, and Giver of life: Come and abide in us, and cleanse us
from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One."(1967 OCA translation).
(Liturgical texts above mostly from Archimandrite Ephrem (c) 10 Feb. 2001)
NOTES
1.
Pentecost for the Jews was one of the three great annual feasts (Exodus. 23:14,
16, 17; Deut. 16:16). By the day of Pentecost the Jews had finished the harvest,
which began with the feast of Pascha, according to that the fiftieth day after
the first day of Pascha was actually the feast of the ending of the harvest, in
which under the law they should offer to God a thanksgiving sacrifice from
fruits of the earth. (Exodus. 23:16; Num. 28:26). Over time this feast began to
incorporate and commemorate the giving of the Sinai law received by the Hebrews
within 50 days after their exodus from Egypt. For the Jews this feast was solemn
and joyful (Deut. 16:11), and for this feast they flocked to Jerusalem in great
numbers. Each of them considered it a sacred duty to visit the Holy City, in
order to bring in gratitude to God the sacrifice from the gathered harvest,
established by the law, (Lev. 23:17, 30), and it was considered obligatory not
only for Palestinian Jews, but also for those outside of Palestine living in
countries all over in the then known world. Therefore in Jerusalem for the feast
of Pentecost it was possible to meet those arrived from Rome, Egypt, Crete,
Mesopotamia, from all areas of Asia Minor and Western Asia, from "all of the
people under Heaven", not only Jews, but also proselytes, i.e. those converted
from paganism (Acts 2:5, 9:11, 20:16).
2.
The mighty wind was closest to the prophecy, and the appearance of fiery tongues
was seen as the sign of the coming of the Holy Spirit. The mighty wind and
vision of fiery tongues proceeded not for long, maybe for a moment; but the Holy
Spirit has always poured himself out into the souls and hearts of the believer.
Being most pure and bodiless, the Holy Spirit has selected a physical sign to
more perceptively manifest His presence. "For", reasoned St. Gregory the
Theologian, "as the Son of God was seen to be visible on earth, it also was
necessary for the Holy Spirit to be seen to be visible. But "yes who will not
think", teaches St. Leo the Great, "that what was visible with physical eyes was
the most Divine essence of the Holy Spirit." "That which actually belongs to His
essence is hidden in His Divinity, because human sight, as it cannot see the
Father and Son, also cannot see the Holy Spirit". "According to His nature the
Holy Spirit is invisible, similar to the Father and Son; at His descent only the
attribute is revealed in His service and action in such signs, as He Himself
wishes." And He without any special purpose has now selected these, rather than
other signs: by logic nothing happens without a purpose. Instead of the darkness
and thunder at the giving of the Law on Sinai, here was heard "a sound from
heaven like the rush of a mighty wind", that openly was that same Holy Spirit,
then and now who gives the law, who sanctifies it and who fulfills it. The
strong sound signified that a mighty power was transferred to the apostles; the
movement from the Heaven signified that this wondrous power proceeded from the
One who ten days before these events ascended to heaven. The filling of the
whole house by the noise and the blessing of the assembly through the fiery
tongues signified that all of them were washed and baptized by the Holy Spirit
and by the abundance of gifts received from Him. The fire expressed the
revitalizing power of the words of the Gospel, which should cleanse the hearts
of the people, and expressed the light of faith, the warmth of love, both in the
ardent zeal of the preachers and the devoted attention of the hearers of the
Gospel. Fiery tongues lay on the heads, because the head of man is the noblest
and main part of the body. The meekness of the fire, which lay on the heads,
signified the mercy and grace of God. The tongues signified the gift of words
and the knowledge of many foreign languages, which up to that time were unknown
to them, that were bestowed on them for the preaching of the Gospel throughout
the world. The divided tongues signified that the Gospel would be preached in
different countries and to various peoples. The Holy Spirit descended on them
after the passing of ten days, instead of immediately after the Ascension, so
that those who accepted Him would be made most ardent. The Holy Spirit descended
within fifty days after Pascha as a reminder of the old law, for Israel received
the Ten Commandments after the passing of 50 days after crossing the Red Sea. At
the third hour, on this one day the Lord God granted the grace to inspire us to
honor the three Persons in one essence. On the feast the descent of the Holy
Spirit takes place in order that the many who have gathered has carried the
message about this event everywhere, and so that those present at the feast of
Pascha and former eyewitnesses of events with Christ may understand their
extraordinary significance. On Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended, because in
that time before the law was given, it was necessary at the same time to pour
out much grace of the Spirit. (Synaxarion on Monday of Pentecost; 2nd Canon, 7th
Ode, 3-rd troparion; Church Messenger 1888, 23; 1895, 20.).
3.
These fools, who dared to explain to one another what they did not at all
understand, "sneering, said" that the apostles "drank sweet wine" (a favorite
morning drink in antiquity)". Thus blasphemous levity always sneers at sacred
inspiration. So they always also are cold to subjects of faith: if they are not
able to understand something, then they make an effort to make fun of anyone who
speaks of higher things. Carnal people do not know of other pleasures, except
for the sensual; they judge from their own experience, and - blaspheme!
4.
Three times, it is spoken in the Synaxarion that Christ gave the Holy Spirit to
the disciples: it is implicit before His suffering (Mt. 10:1,20), it is clearer
after His Resurrection through breathing (John 20:22), and now He has sent Him
in essence; it is better (to say), He Himself has descended, more perfectly
enlightening and illuminating them, and through them converting all the ends of
the world (see the St. Petersburg Theological Messenger, 1886, 19). But we must
not represent this descent of the Holy of Spirit anthropologically. The Holy
Spirit, as God, is omnipresent; He has no place from which to descend and
nowhere to go; He is everywhere and fills all things. To descend, to come may be
only a limiting of the essence, but not of God. All these expressions, as St.
Chrysostom notes, are used about God according to need, for in human language
there are no words for expressing Divine actions in their very essence; all
these expressions mean nothing other than the new appearance of the power of
God, the special revelation of His presence. Where the power of God opens
itself, where He perceptibly appears as His presence, there, according to our
weak understanding and still weaker expression, it is as if God comes. So, the
descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, actually speaking, is not the
descent of the Spirit on them, but the appearance of His power in them, opening
in them His special presence. The Holy Spirit also acted before in human
generation. The Holy Spirit, as the Church wisely sings, "always was, and is,
and will be". He was even in the Old Testament, in the patriarchs, in the
prophets and in any pure soul; without Him no truly good work was ever
accomplished. But the appearance of His power in the apostles was most crucial
and beneficial for the entire human race. In the eternal council of God
concerning the salvation of the race of man it is necessary, that the Son of
God, after the fulfillment of his most magnificent work on earth, has risen to
Heaven and that, according to the departure of the Savior to Heaven, the Holy
Spirit has come to make what was begun by the Savior, to enable the apostles to
preach the Gospel to the whole world, to prepare the hearts of the people for
the acceptance of the Gospel message, to instill in their life service to the
Redeemer, to inform them of a new spiritual force in the fulfillment of a new
law of grace, is briefly: to enable the human race make those Divine Gifts their
own, which they acquired by the suffering of the Son of God (see page 600,
footnote 2). Therefore the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles however is
His solemn entrance to the high post of Consecrator of the sinful human race; it
is a solemn sanctification of a new, worldwide, eternal Church; after this
sanctification the Consecrator already began to visibly and continually act in
it. And by this fact alone it reveals how important and beneficial for the
entire human race is the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. If He did
not descend upon them; the work of our Savior would remain unfinished; the
apostles would not be able to preach about Him to the entire world; the world
would not know their Savior; there would not be a Christian faith in the world
and all of us would remain in the darkness of idol worship. (The Works of
Innocent, Archbishop of Cherson, vol. 1, pages 387-8).
5.
"Brightly and triumphantly", says His Grace Theophanes, Bishop of Tambov, "the
Holy Church celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles." And how
can she not celebrate? Because the Holy Spirit actually created the Church of
God on the foundation established in the Lord Jesus Christ: He finally reveals
and explains to the Apostles the mysteries of the kingdom and the entire
Christian teaching, by Him all languages are mastered and are given to the
hearers of the faith, He bestows all powers "to those living in godliness, He is
the source of all their rules and institutions for the development,
strengthening and protection of the believers, He from here on keeps whole and
undamaged the pledge of our salvation. Remembering this great work of God, the
Holy Church can exult and praise the great in her.
6.
In this hymn it is pointed out that with the same descent of the Holy Spirit
appeared the gifts of God, there never was punishment for the self-deluded pride
of the people. There never was a time, when "all the earth would speak with one
mouth and with one voice." But the people, who were threatened with dispersion
and slavery, thought, contrary to any definition of God's Providence, by general
consensus and with the ability to fulfill an insane enterprise, began to build a
tower up to Heaven to get glory for them and so not be dispersed over all the
earth. Then God sent down various languages to the unreasonable workers, and it
so divided them that they were not able to finish the work, because of the
differences among the parties. (Gen. 11). Now the division of languages appears
as such a heavenly gift, which up to now divided and separated the
nationalities, is through the preaching of the Gospel brought all together in
one entirety, in one Church of Christ (see the Kontakion for the feast).
The Troparion, Tone 8
Blessed art Thou, O Christ our God,
Who hast revealed the fisherman as most wise
By sending down upon them the Holy Spirit;
Through them Thou didst draw the world into Thy net.
O Lover of Man, Glory to Thee!
(1967 OCA translation)
The Kontakion, Tone 8
When the Most High came down and confused the tongues,
He divided the nations;
But when He distributed the tongues of fire,
He called all to unity.
Therefore, with one voice, we glorify the all-holy Spirit!
(1967 OCA translation)
The Magnification
We magnify Thee,
O Life-giver Christ,
And we honor Thy most Holy Spirit,
Whom Thou didst send from the Father unto Thy disciples.
The Rubrics require that the All-Night Vigil be served on the eve of Trinity Day
[7.].
In Matins for the Magnification the icon stand with an icon, representing either
the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, or the Appearance of the Lord to
Abraham as the three Travelers is placed in the middle of the temple. In the
canon sing the refrain: "All-holy Trinity, our God, glory to Thee".[8.]
At the Liturgy sing the festal antiphons; instead of the Trisagion sing: "As
many as have been baptized into Christ"; instead of "It is truly Meet" sing the
Irmos of the 9th Ode of the Canon: "Rejoice, O Queen".
Readings (1) Num. 11:16,17, 24-29. (2) Joel 2:23-32. (3) Ezek. 36:24-28. Epistle
Acts 2:1-11; sel. 5. Gospel John 7:37-52, 8:12; sel. 27.
7.
The readings from Holy Scripture and the church hymns for this vigil belong to a
great event commemorating the day of the Holy Trinity. In the Vesper readings
the Church changes from a New Testament event to its ancient prototypes and its
promises, indicating those very internal ties between the Old and New
Testaments. In the first reading the narration about the appearance of the
Spirit of God on the 70 Israelite elders during the wandering of the people of
God in the desert is offered. In the second reading are the prophetic words,
with which the Apostle Peter (see Acts 2:4-21) explained to the surprised people
the great mysterious event of Pentecost, i.e. the promise given through the
Prophet Joel about the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on all flesh. In the third
reading the prophecy is pronounced about spiritual absolution by means of water
and the gift of the Spirit of God, to the believer who holds to the preservation
of the commandments of the Lord. These prophecies clearly emphasize the
spiritual renewal and enlightenment of the sons of the New Testament by water
and the Spirit.
8.
In the Rubrics, the Paschal Triodion, and the Irmologion it is not prescribed to
sing any refrain to the Irmos of the 9-th Ode of the Canon, and it is necessary
to sing this Irmos without a refrain. But in the liturgical practice of some
dioceses such a refrain is used in 9-th Ode of the canon: "The Apostles, having
seen the descent of the Comforter, were amazed, how in the vision of the fiery
tongues the Holy Spirit was revealed". Because this refrain is found in the
Obikhod with music (2 parts), published by the Holy Synod in 1798 for use in the
divine services and has managerial importance in the business of church notated
singing, the refrain, placed in it, can be used in liturgical practice (Manual
up to now 1886, 44). Translated by Archpriest Eugene D. Tarris.
