Pentecost

2023 Anno Domini

A blessed and fruitful feast of Pentecost to you all. በዓል ኃምሳ (beal hamsa or be3l 5amsa) fifty days after Passover and Easter and the resurrection of Joshua of Nazareth from the dead, unto power and future judgment of the quick and the dead, by God the Father.

Pentecostal should be a superlative compliment. But, in the Amharic lexicon, during the 20th Century (and the term is from the 1st Century), it has sadly gained the notorious strict and loose connotations of either direct spiritual descendants of the Azusa Street Revival of 1906, or generic Protestant including Lutherans and Seventh-Day Adventists. The proper connotation to hold on to steadfastly, in the eyes of our heart, is being God-breathed dusty groundlings walking and moving along the path that he has prepared for us, forever and ever.

Even a broken clock is right twice a day. If infidels were to make the sign of the cross, would you stop making the sign of the cross? If heretics were to begin fasting, would you cease to fast? If apostates were to give to the poor and the needy, would you stop giving to the poor and the needy? God forbid.

Pentecost is the coming down of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles, moving them to preach Christ crucified and resurrected, via the Hebrew bible in multiple tongues to multiple tribes of men. This story is found in the Acts of the Apostles chapter 2, which I have placed below in its entirety. Later on in Acts, we hear that an audience of St. Paul (who is last of all called and yet paradoxically first or the greatest of all apostles) hears him ever more attentively when he speaks to them in the Hebrew tongue (Acts 22:1,2). Probably a dialect of Aramaic, because Hebrew had been frozen as a liturgical and scriptural tongue, as it was before the 20th Century’s concoction of Modern Hebrew, and as Ge’ez is today.

And when the day of Pentecost was 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 all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

v.1-13

The apostles had come together. The Lord loves table-fellowship amongst brethren. The Psalmist compares this to oil that drips off of the beard of Aaron, and dew of Mt. Hermon (Psalm 132/133). His Spirit is functional and flexible; a tornado that wrecks havoc in a town, or a cool-breeze that soothes your face on a hot Summer day, or the spark that transforms your minor religious sect into the major religion on the face of the earth. Fire, another element, is also functional and flexible. It can scorch two cities (Sodom and Gomorra), or it can cook your beef up to well-done, or give you the gift of gab. God can and sometimes does use opportune moments to reflect his glory. Jews from all over the diaspora are given first dibs to the good news.

v.14-41

The biblical way of counting the hours of the day is the same way we count time in Amharic. The 3rd hours is 9 a.m. “It is 5 o’clock somewhere” is an exception and not the rule. St. Peter prefaces his homily before his mixed-crowd of locals and visiting diaspora by making sure they all understand his words to be sober. He starts with the story of Joel which is a part of the Scroll of the Twelve Minor Prophets which is a part of The Prophets which is a part of the Hebrew Bible. The great and glorious day of the Lord, which is coming, is judgment day. How do we get and stay ready? Trusting superlatively in Joshua the Anointed One’s resurrection from the dead, turn to God by admitting wrongdoing and stopping wrongdoing.

v.42-end

Devote yourself to the apostolic teaching, found in scripture and patristics (especially Syriac and Ge’ez but h/t Greek for retaining so much St. John Chrysostom), and to liturgical rubrics and more importantly the sacramental and mysterious life of participating in liturgy. The level of trust they had let them share all of their possessions. Strive to be at this level with your local beloved community. This includes your greatest possession, time! Church is not just an once a week ordeal you have to check off as you go through. It is a way of life. Meet as often as you can, as you are being saved.