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"Behold,
I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice
and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with
him, and he with Me."
Rev. 3: 20
Coming
of the Holy Spirit
Peter's Sermon;
the Coming of the Holy Spirit
When the Day of Pentecost had fully
come, they were all with one accord in one place. And
suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing
mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were
sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as
of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all
filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The Crowd's Response
And there were dwelling in
Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under
heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came
together, and were confused, because everyone heard them
speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and
marveled, saying to one another, "Look, are not all these
who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in
our own language in which we were born? Parthians and
Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea
and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors
from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs--we
hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works
of God." So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to
one another, "Whatever could this mean?"
Others
mocking said, "They are full of new wine."
Peter's Sermon
But Peter, standing up with
the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of
Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to
you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you
suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But
this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, says
God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of
the LORD.
And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the LORD
Shall be saved.'
"Men of Israel, hear these
words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by
miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in
your midst, as you yourselves also know-- Him, being
delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of
God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and
put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains
of death, because it was not possible that He should be
held by it. For David says concerning Him:
"I foresaw the LORD always before my face,
For He is at my right hand, that I may not be
shaken.
Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was
glad;
Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
For You will not leave my soul in Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of joy in Your presence.'
"Men and brethren, let me
speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is
both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn
with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body,
according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to
sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning
the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left
in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God
has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore
being exalted to the right hand of God, and having
received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit,
He poured out this which you now see and hear.
"For
David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says
himself:
"The LORD said to my Lord,
"Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'
"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that
God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and
Christ."
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?"
Then
Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39For the promise is to you
and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many
as the Lord our God will call."
A Vital Church Grows
And with many other words he
testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this
perverse generation." Then those who gladly received his
word were baptized; and that day about three thousand
souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly
in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking
of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul,
and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
Now all who believed were together, and had all things in
common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided
them among all, as anyone had need.
So
continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and
breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food
with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and
having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to
the church daily those who were being saved.
(Acts 2:1-47)
يوم الخمسين "العنصرة"
( 1 ) في العهد القديم :
كان اليهود يحتفلون بالعيد الثاني من أعيادهم القومية ، في
يوم الخمسين أي بعد سبعة أسابيع من عيد الفصح ، ولذلك سمي في
العهد القديم " عيد الأسابيع " ( خر 22:34 ) و "حينئذ أصعد
سليمان محرقات للرب ... حسب وصية موسى في الثبوت والأهلة
والمواسم ثلاث مرات في السنة في عيد الفطير وعيد الأسابيع
وعيد المظال " ( 2 أخ 12:8 و 13 ) . ويتضح من ذلك أن هذه
الأعياد الثلاثة الكبرى كانت معروفة جيداً في ذلك الوقت حسب
شريعة موسى ، فقد وصف العيد وطقوسه بدقة في الشريعة ، فقد
كان مطلوباً من كل ذكر في إسرائيل أن يظهر أمام السيد الرب
في هذه الأعياد الثلاثة ( خر 17:23 ، 22:34 ) .
وكان " عيد الأسابيع " أول العيدين الذراعيين
لإسرائيل احتفالا بإتمام حصاد الشعير الذي كان يبدأ حصاده
عند تقديم حزمة الترديد ( لا 10:23 و11 ) " سبعة أسابيع تحسب
لك من ابتداء المنجل في الزرع تبتدئ أن تحسب سبعة أسابيع
وتعمل عيد أسابيع للرب إلهك ..." (تث 9:16 و10 انظر أيضاً
لاويين 15:23 و16 ) ، فكان عيد الخمسين أو عيد الأسابيع يقع
في اليوم الخمسين بعد بدأ حصاد الشعير ، وفي نفس الوقت كان
يبدأ حصاد القمح : " وتصنع لنفسك عيد الأسابيع أبكار حصاد
الحنطة " ( خر 22:34 ) .
وكانت الصورة العامة للعيد هي احتفال عائلي
بالحصاد ، وكان العيد يعتبر " يوم سبت " أي يوم راحة ، توقف
فيه جميع الأعمال ويظهر الشعب أمام الرب ليعبروا عن إمتنانهم
له : " وتنادون في ذلك اليوم عينه محفلاً مقدساً يكون لكم .
عملاً من الشغل لا تعملوا " ( لا 21:23 ) . وكانت أهم مظاهر
العيد تقديم " رغيفين من عجين مختمر " ومملحين أمام الرب : "
من مساكنكم تأتون بخبز ترديد رغيفين عشرين يكونان من دقيق
ويخبزان خميراً باكورة للرب " ( لا 17:23 ) . وتحدد الشريعة
أن يكون وزن كل رغيف عشر الإيفة ( أي حوالي 2.3 من اللتر )
من دقيق قمح الحصاد الجديد . ويوضح سفر اللاويين ما كان
يقدم مع الرغيفين : " وتقربون مع الخبز سبعة خراف صحيحة
حولية وثوراً واحداً ابن بقر وكبشين محرقة للرب مع تقدمتها
وسكيبها وقود رائحة سرور للرب " ( لا 18:23 ) ، فكان يوم
بهجة وفرح تقدم فيه تقدمات تطوعية للرب:" وتعمل عيد أسابيع
للرب إلهك على قدر ما تسمح يدك أن تعطي كما يبارك الرب إلهك.
وتفرح أمام الرب إلهك أنت وابنك وابنتك وعبدك وأمتك واللاوي
الذي في أبوابك واليتيم والأرملة الذَّين في وسطك"( تث 16:
10و11). ولعل الوصية الخاصة بلقاط الحقل:" عندما تحصدون حصيد
أرضكم لا يكمل زوايا حقلك في حصادك ولقاط حصيدك لا تلتقط،
للمسكين والغريب تتركه" (لا 23: 22) لها علاقة بذلك.
وكان على بني إسرائيل أن يذكروا عبوديتهم في
ذلك اليوم وأن يكرسوا أنفسهم للرب من جديد: "وتذكر أنك كنت
عبداً في مصر وتحفظ وتعمل هذه الفرائض" (تث 16: 12)، ولكنه
لم يكن يعتبر الحياء لذكرى إحياء الشريعة في سيناء، أو لذكرى
مولد الكيان القومي لهم (خر 19)، بل أن "فيلو" و"يوسيفوس"
والتلمود القديم لم يذكروا هذا المعنى الذي خُلع على ذلك
اليوم في العصور اليهودية المتأخرة. وكان أول من خلع عليه
هذا المعنى هو "ميمونيدس" المعلم اليهودي العظيم، ونقله عنه
بعض الكتَّاب المسيحيين، وهكذا نشأت نظرة جديدة إلى يوم
الخمسين اليهودي تختلف عما هو واضح في العهد القديم.
(2)
في العهد الجديد : اكتسب العيد اليهودي معنى جديداً
عند الكنائس المسيحية بانسكاب الروح القدس الموعود به (يو16:
7و13). وقد ذكرت أحداث هذا اليوم المشهود في تاريخ المسيحية
بطريقة رائعة في الأصحاح الثاني من سفر أعمال الرسل.
وحوادث أول يوم خمسين بعد قيامة المسيح، جعلت
منه عيداً في الكنيسة المسيحية بمعنى جديد. لقد نزل الروح
القدس إتماما للوعد الصريح من الرب المقام : "وفيما هو مجتمع
معهم أوصاهم أن لا يبرحوا من أورشليم بل ينتظرون موعد الآب
الذي سمعتموه مني" (أع 1: 4). و"هؤلاء كلهم كانوا يواظبون
بنفس واحدة على الصلاة والطلبة مع النساء ومريم أم يسوع ومع
إخوته" (أع 1: 14). "ولما حضر يوم الخمسين كان الجميع معاً
بنفس واحدة" فأتى عليهم الروح القدس "كقوة من الأعالي" وأثبت
اللـه الروح القدس - يوم الخمسين - وجوده كأقنوم إلهي،
وتغيرت أفكار الرسل وقلوبهم وحياتهم في ذلك اليوم تغييراً
معجزياً، وأصبحوا - ابتداء من ذلك اليوم - مؤهلين للعمل
الشاق الذي كان أمامهم .
وهناك بعض الاختلافات في وجهات النظر حول
مدلول يوم الخمسين للكنيسة، ويكاد الإجماع ينعقد - بين
اللاهوتيين والمفسرين - على اعتبار يوم الخمسين هو يوم تأسيس
الكنيسة المسيحية، فهو الحد الفاصل بين خدمة الرب يسوع على
الأرض، وخدمة الروح القدس .
ومهما يكن من أمر، فإن يوم الخمسين قد غيَّر
الرسل تغييراً كلياً، وقد منحهم الروح القدس - بسكناه فيهم -
القدرة لأن يكونوا شهوداً لقيامة المسيح كحقيقة أساسية في
المسيحية وامتداد الكنيسة طبقاً لوصية المسيح. ويقارن
"جيروم" في فقرة رائعة له، بين يوم الخمسين وبين بدء تاريخ
اليهود القومي فوق جبل سيناء، فيقول:" هناك سيناء وهنا
(علّية) صهيون ... هناك الجبل المتزلزل وهنا البيت المهتز،
هناك الجبل المتقد بالنار وهنا الألسنة من نار ... هناك
الرعد الصاخب وهنا أصوات ألسنة كثيرة ... هناك رنين الأبواق
وهنا نغمات بوق الإنجيل".
وهناك ثلاث إشارات إلى يوم الخمسين في العهد
الجديد:
(أ) بعد صعود المسيح حل الروح القدس ليسكن في
الكنيسة (أع 2: 1) تحقيقاً لوعد الرب للتلاميذ (يو 16: 7و13،
أع 1: 4و14) فهو يوم مولد الكنيسة ولا علاقة ليوم الخمسين
الموصوف في الأصحاح الثاني من سفر الأعمال بالتقليد اليهودي
الذي يربط يوم الخمسين بإعطاء الشريعة على جبل سيناء.
(ب) كان الرسول بولس يزمع أن يسرع في مغادرة
أسيا" ليكون في أورشليم في يوم الخمسين" (أع 20: 16).
(ج) عزم الرسول بولس على أن يمكث في أفسس إلى
يوم الخمسين "لأنه قد انفتح لي باب عظيم فعال ويوجد معاندون
كثيرون" (1كو 16: 8).
وفي كلتا الحالتين كان الرسول بولس يستخدم
التقويم اليهودي.
(3) يوم الخمسين في التقليد الكنسي :
في العصور التي تلت عصر الرسل، أصبح يوم الخمسين يعتبر عيداً
من الرب، وليس من ترتيب الكنيسة كسائر الأعياد التي ظهرت
فيما بعد، فإلى أواخر القرن الرابع الميلادي لم يكن هناك أثر
للاحتفال بعيد الميلاد الذي بدأ في الظهور في نحو عام 360م.
وكانوا يعتبرون أن عيد القيامة الذي هو بداية فترة الخمسين
يوماً، ينهي فترة الصوم الكبير التي تتميز بإنكار الذات
وإذلال النفس، أما فترة الخمسين فتتميز بالفرح والشركة
اليومية، وعدم الصيام، وإقامة الصلوات ... ويبلغ الفرح القمة
في عيد الصعود ـ اليوم الأربعين من هذه الفترة ـ ويصل إلى
الذروة في يوم الخمسين. وكان موضع تقدير الآباء حتى إن يوحنا
فم الذهب يدعوه "أعظم الأعياد"، ويدعوه غريغوريوس النازنيزي
"يوم الروح". وهكذا الكثيرون من الآباء فهموا تماماً ـ مع
الكنيسة في كل العصور ـ أنه في ذلك اليوم بدأ عصر الروح
القدس، وهو عصر أعظم امتيازات، وأوسع أفقاً، واكبر قوة من أي
عصر سابق.
وكان الاحتفال بالعيد يستمر أسبوعاً كاملاً
وذلك ابتداء من القرن الثامن الميلادي
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1. In the Old Testament:
As the
name indicates (pentekoste
penthkosth),
this second of the great Jewish national festivals was
observed on the 50th day, or 7 weeks, from the Paschal
Feast, and therefore in the Old Testament it was called
"the feast of weeks." It is but once mentioned in the
historical books of the Old Testament (2Ch 8:12-13), from
which reference it is plain, however, that the people of
Israel, in Solomon's day, were perfectly familiar with it:
"offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the
sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts,
three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened
bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of
tabernacles." The requirements of the three great
festivals were then well understood at this time, and
their authority was founded in the Mosaic Law and
unquestioned. The festival and its ritual were minutely
described in this Law. Every male in Israel was on that
day required to appear before the Lord at the sanctuary
(Ex 34:22-23). It was the first of the two agrarian
festivals of Israel and signified the completion of the
barley-harvest (Le 23:15-16; De 16:9-10), which had begun
at the time of the waving of the first ripe sheaf of the
first-fruits (Le 23:11). Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks,
therefore fell on the 50th day after this occurrence. The
wheat was then also nearly everywhere harvested (Ex 23:16;
34:22; Nu 28:26), and the general character of the
festival was that of a harvest-home celebration. The day
was observed as a Sabbath day, all labor was suspended,
and the people appeared before Yahweh to express their
gratitude (Le 23:21; Nu 28:26). The central feature of the
day was the presentation of two loaves of leavened, salted
bread unto the Lord (Le 23:17,20; Ex 34:22; Nu 28:26; De
16:10). The size of each loaf was fixed by law. It must
contain the tenth of an ephah, about three quarts and a
half, of the finest wheat flour of the new harvest (Le
23:17). Later Jewish writers are very minute in their
description of the preparation of these two loaves
(Josephus, Ant, III, x, 6). According to the Mishna (Menachoth,
xi.4), the length of the loaf was 7 handbreadths, its
width 4, its depth 7 fingers. Le 23:18 describes the
additional sacrifices required on this occasion. It was a
festival of good cheer, a day of joy. Free-will offerings
were to be made to the Lord (De 16:10), and it was to be
marked by a liberal spirit toward the Levite, the
stranger, and orphans and widows (De 16:11,14). Perhaps
the command against gleaning harvest-fields has a bearing
on this custom (Le 23:22).
The Old
Testament does not give it the historical significance
which later Jewish writers have ascribed to it. The
Israelites were admonished to remember their bondage on
that day and to reconsecrate themselves to the Lord (De
16:12), but it does not yet commemorate the giving of the
Law at Sinai or the birth of the national existence, in
the Old Testament conception (Ex 19:1-25). Philo,
Josephus, and the earlier Talmud are all ignorant of this
new meaning which was given to the day in later Jewish
history. It originated with the great Jewish rabbi
Maimonides and has been copied by Christian writers. And
thus a view of the Jewish Pentecost has been originated,
which is wholly foreign to the scope of the ancient
institution.
2. In the New Testament:
The old
Jewish festival obtained a new significance, for the
Christian church, by the promised outpouring of the Holy
Spirit (Joh 16:7,13). The incidents of that memorable day,
in the history of Christianity, are told in a marvelously
vivid and dramatic way in the Acts of the Apostles. The
old rendering of sumplerousthai (Ac 2:1) by "was fully
come" was taken by Lightfoot (Her. Heb.) to signify that
the Christian Pentecost did not coincide with the Jewish,
just as Christ's last meal with His disciples was
considered not to have coincided with the Jewish Passover,
on Nisan (April) 14. The bearing of the one on the other is
obvious; they stand and fall together. The tradition of the
ancient church placed the first Christian Pentecost on a
Sunday. According to John, the Passover that year occurred
on Friday, Nisan 14 (18:28). But according to Matthew,
Mark, and Luke, the Passover that year occurred on
Thursday, Nisan 14, and hence, Pentecost fell on Saturday.
The Karaites explained the shabbath of Le 23:15 as
pointing to the Sabbath of the paschal week and therefore
always celebrated Pentecost on Sunday. But it is very
uncertain whether the custom existed in Christ's day, and
moreover it would be impossible to prove that the
disciples followed this custom, if it could be proved to
have existed.
The
occurrences of the first Pentecostal day after the
resurrection of Christ set it apart as a Christian
festival and invested it, together with the commemoration
of the resurrection, with a new meaning. The Holy Spirit descended in answer
to the explicit promise of the glorified Lord, and the
disciples had been prayerfully waiting for its fulfillment
(Ac 1:4,14). The Spirit came upon them as "a power from on
high." God the Holy Spirit proved on Pentecost His
personal existence, and the intellects, the hearts, the
lives of the apostles were on that day miraculously
changed. By that day they were fitted for the arduous work
that lay before them. There is some difference of opinion
as to what is the significance of Pentecost for the church
as an institution. The almost universal opinion among
theologians and exegetes is this: that Pentecost marks the
rounding of the Christian church as an institution. This
day is said to mark the dividing line between the ministry
of the Lord and the ministry of the Spirit. The later
Dutch theologians have advanced the idea that the origin
of the church, as an institution, is to be found in the
establishment of the apostolate, in the selection of the
Twelve. Dr. A. Kuyper holds that the church as an
institution was founded when the Master selected the
Twelve, and that these men were "qualified for their
calling by the power of the Holy Spirit." He distinguishes
between the institution and the constitution of the
church. Dr. H. Bavinck says: "Christ gathers a church
about Himself, rules it directly so long as He is on the
earth, and appoints twelve apostles who later on will be
His witnesses. The institution of the apostolate is an
especially strong proof of the institutionary character
which Christ gave to His church on the earth" (Geref. Dogm.,
IV, 64).
Whatever
we may think of this matter, the fact remains that
Pentecost completely changed the apostles, and that the
enduement with the Holy Spirit enabled them to become
witnesses of the resurrection of Christ as the fundamental
fact in historic Christianity, and to extend the church
according to Christ's commandment. Jerome has an
especially elegant passage in which Pentecost is compared
with the beginning of the Jewish national life on Mt.
Sinai (Ad Tabiol, section 7): "There is Sinai, here Sion;
there the trembling mountain, here the trembling house;
there the flaming mountain, here the flaming tongues;
there the noisy thunderings, here the sounds of many
tongues; there the clangor of the ramshorn, here the notes
of the gospel-trumpet." This vivid passage shows the close
analogy between the Jewish and Christian Pentecost.
3. Later
Christian Observance:
In the
post-apostolic Christian church Pentecost belonged to the
so-called "Semestre Domini," as distinct from the "Semestre
Ecclesiae" the church festivals properly so called. As yet
there was no trace of Christmas, which began to appear
about 360 AD. Easter, the beginning of the pentecostal
period, closed the "Quadragesima," or "Lent," the entire
period of which had been marked by self-denial and
humiliation. On the contrary, the entire pentecostal
period, the so-called "Quinquagesima," was marked by
joyfulness, daily communion, absence of fasts, standing in
prayer, etc. Ascension Day, the 40th day of the period,
ushered in the climax of this joyfulness, which burst
forth in its fullest volume on Pentecost. It was highly
esteemed by the Fathers. Chrysostom calls it "the
metropolis of the festivals" (De Pentec., Hom. ii);
Gregory of Nazianzen calls it "the day of the Spirit" (De
Pentec., Orat. 44). All the Fathers sound its praises. For
they fully understood, with the church of the ages, that
on that day the dispensation of the Spirit was begun, a
dispensation of greater privileges and of a broader
horizon and of greater power than had hitherto been
vouchsafed to the church of the living God. The festival
"Octaves," which, in accordance with the Jewish custom,
devoted a whole week to the celebration of the festival,
from the 8th century, gave place to a two days' festival,
a custom still preserved by the Roman church and such
Protestant bodies as follow the ecclesiastical year. The
habit of dressing in white and of seeking baptism on
Pentecost gave it the name "Whitsunday," by which it is
popularly known all over the world.
Henry E. Dosker
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