The story
of the day of Pentecost - Acts 2:1-21 - can go in many directions, depending on
the lenses through which we read it. If we read it alongside of Genesis 11 -
the story of the Tower of Babel - we might attend to the languages and how God
uses differing languages to scatter one people and to gather another. If we
read it alongside of Ezekiel 37 - the valley of dry bones - we might attend to
the spirit/breath that infuses the church, bringing new life. We might connect
it to the 2nd creation story if we go in that direction, when God breathes life
into the lump of clay called Adam.
For this translation, I will read it alongside of the tradition of
Shavuot from Leviticus 23. To do so shows how Pentecost is an empowering event that leads to justice,
which is realized in Acts 2:44-5, "All who believed were together and had
all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and
distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need."
Below is
a rough translation and some initial comments. At the end is a rhyming version of the story that I wrote, which one can offer in the voice of Dr. Seuss, Clement Moore, or Lin-Manuel Miranda. Enjoy.
ACTS 2:1-21
1 Καὶ ἐν τῷ συμπληροῦσθαι τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς πεντηκοστῆς ἦσαν πάντες
ὁμοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό.
And in the fulfilling the day of
the Pentecost, all were together at the same.
συμπληροῦσθαι: PPInf, συμπληρόω, 1) to fill completely 1a) of the hold
of a ship 2) to complete entirely, be fulfilled: of time
ἦσαν: IAI 3p, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be
present
1. The αὐτό (same) is substantive, meaning that it implies ‘the
same … something.’ Most translations see it as implying location, so
they make it “the same place” or “one place.” Since this story continues the
story in c.1, one assumption is that they are in the “same place” as mentioned
in 1:13, “an upstairs room.” That may be a faulty assumption, given that the 11
apostles are named in c.1 as staying in the upstairs room, but v.15 says “In
those days Peter stood and addressed about 120 believers.” Do we picture this
Day of Pentecost story as an upper room with 12 Apostles (after they added
Matthias)? Do we picture an upper room with 120 believers? Do we picture a
house (see v.2 below) with 12 or a large house with 120 persons? The story
itself is inconclusive. (And while the question is curious, it seems
unimportant, but for the fact that many have grown accustomed to saying that
this is an “upper room” experience.)
2. On the “fulfilling of the Day of Pentecost,” see the comment
below on the origins of this holy day.
3. I am uncomfortable with any interpretation of Luke’s language that
implies that the real meaning of Pentecost in the OT is finally made known with
the ‘birth’ of the Christian church. That seems to be yet another form of supersessionism
that only sees value in the God’s relationship with Israel if we can speak of
it as unfulfilled until the Christian church came along. As an alternative, I
suggest that Luke is one of many voices – including Jews, Jewish Christians,
and others over long ages – who are in a continual conversation or argument
over true meaning of the story of God and God’s people. If we join that
conversation, the process is more circular than linear: We can interpret this
“Day of Pentecost” story through the original story and re-interpret the
original story through this story.
2 καὶ ἐγένετο ἄφνω ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἦχος ὥσπερ φερομένης πνοῆς βιαίας καὶ ἐπλήρωσεν ὅλον τὸν οἶκον οὗ ἦσαν καθήμενοι:
And there began/came suddenly out
of the heaven a sound like a gusting, violent wind (or windy violence) and filled all the house where they were seating
themselves.
ἐπλήρωσεν: AAI 3s, πληρόω, 1) to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the
full 1a) to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally 1a1) I
abound, I am liberally supplied
ἦσαν:
IAI 3p, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present
καθήμενοι: PMPart npm, κάθημαι, 1) to sit down, seat one's self 2) to
sit, be seated, of a place occupied 2a) to have a fixed abode, to
dwell
1. The root of the word “fulfilled” in v.1 and “filled” in v.2 are
the same. Is this just happenstance, or is there a creative tie between the
fulfilling of the Day of Pentecost and the filling of the house? Or, is that
just the right word to explain a tornado-like sound?
2. The word “wind” (πνοῆς) has
the same root as the word which is typically translated “spirit” (πνεύματος) below. It could also mean “breath.”
This particular variation of that root only appears one other time in the
Scriptures, in Acts 17:25, which says that God “gives to all mankind life and
breath and everything.”
3 καὶ ὤφθησαν αὐτοῖς
διαμεριζόμεναι γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός, καὶ ἐκάθισεν
ἐφ' ἕνα ἕκαστον αὐτῶν,
And there appeared to them various
languages like fire, and sat on
each one of them,
ὤφθησαν: API 3p, ὁράω, 1) to see with the eyes 2) to see with the
mind, to perceive, know
διαμεριζόμεναι: PMPart npf, διαμερίζω, 1) to cleave asunder, cut in pieces 2)
to be divided into opposing parts, to be at variance, in dissension 3) to
distribute
ἐκάθισεν: AAI 3s, καθίζω, 1) to make to sit down 1a) to set,
appoint, to confer a kingdom on one 2) intransitively 2a) to sit
down
1. The language that Luke uses in vv.2 and 3 is physically
powerful, but the terms are set off with “as” and “like,” which are words of
analogy. It is tempting for Sunday School artists to depict actual flames of
fire on top of each person’s head, while a swirl of wind seems to be engulfing
the room. But, Luke seems to be in that wonderful biblical tradition of using
poetic speech, where words point beyond their literal meaning to describe
significance.
2. The gathered ones sit (v.2) the appearances of fiery divided
languages sit (v.3). Perhaps this just means that whatever was happening is
involving each of them.
4 καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν πάντες πνεύματος ἁγίου, καὶ ἤρξαντο λαλεῖν ἑτέραις
γλώσσαις καθὼς τὸ πνεῦμα ἐδίδου ἀποφθέγγεσθαι αὐτοῖς.
And they were all filled with a
spirit of holiness, and began to speak other languages as the spirit was giving
speaking to them.
ἐπλήσθησαν: API 3p, πίμπλημι, a lengthened form of the theme ΠΛΕΩ, whence
πλέος, πλήρης 1.to fill, fill up. Passive to become
full of, be satisfied, have enough of.
ἐδίδου: IAI 3s, δίδωμι, 1) to give
ἀποφθέγγεσθαι: PMInf, ἀποφθέγγομαι, 1) to speak out, speak forth,
pronounce 1a) not a word of everyday speech but one "belonging to
dignified and elevated discourse"
1. Again we have a word from the ‘filled’ family, to accompany
‘fulfilled’ v.1, and ‘filled’ v.2. The Day of Pentecost was fulfilled; the
house was filled; each of them was filled.
2. The word for ‘tongue,’ (γλώσσαις),
carries the meaning of ‘language’ in Greek and in English.
5 ησαν δὲ εἰς Ἰερουσαλὴμ
κατοικοῦντες Ἰουδαῖοι, ἄνδρες εὐλαβεῖς ἀπὸ
παντὸς ἔθνους τῶν ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν:
And there were dwelling in
Jerusalem Jews/Judeans, men devout from every nation/ethnicity which is under
the heaven;
κατοικοῦντες: PAPart, npm, κατοικέω, 1) to dwell, settle 1a) metaph. divine
powers, influences, etc., are said to dwell in his soul, to pervade,
prompt, govern it
1. The Jews from other nations were “dwelling in” (κατοικέω) in
Jerusalem because of the feast of Pentecost. As a friend (who knows far more
about these things than I) pointed out to me, κατοικέω is not indicative of
‘pilgrimage’ as much as ‘dwelling,’ and Jerusalem was a very cosmopolitan city
- suggesting that these folks are residents and not simply pilgrims visiting
Jerusalem on the occasion of the feast.
2. However, in v.9 at least some of these folks are identified with
the same word as those who dwell in Mesapotamia
(κατοικοῦντες τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν). Likewise, v.10 speaks of ‘visitors
from Rome’ (οἱ ἐπιδημοῦντες Ῥωμαῖοι),
so it seems to me that some of the crowd may well be visiting instead of
residing in Jerusalem, however cosmopolitan it was.
6 γενομένης δὲ τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης συνῆλθεν τὸ πλῆθος καὶ συνεχύθη, ὅτι
ἤκουον εἷς ἕκαστος τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ λαλούντων αὐτῶν.
And at the appearance of this
sound, the crowd came together and was bewildered, because each one heard in
the idiomatic dialect of their speaking.
γενομένης: AMPart gsf, γίνομαι, 1) to become, i.e. to come into existence,
begin to be, receive being
συνῆλθεν: AAI 3s, συνέρχομαι, 1) to come together 1a) to
assemble
συνεχύθη: API 3s, συγχέω, 1) to pour together, commingle 2) to
disturb the mind of one, to stir up to tumult or outbreak 3) to confound
or bewilder
ἤκουον: IAI 3p, ἀκούω, 1) to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not
deaf 2) to hear
λαλούντων: PAPart gpm, λαλέω, 1) to utter a voice or emit a sound 2) to
speak
1. The word “sound” (φωνῆς) is
different from the word “sound” (ἦχος) that is used in v.2. φωνῆς is most often associated with voices, which
would mean that it was not the sound like the wind (v.2), but the sound of
voices that attracted the crowd. The second half of this verse confirms that
the voices are the matter of interest.
2. Luke uses “idiom” (ἰδίᾳ) and
“dialect” (διαλέκτῳ) here rather than
“language” (γλῶσσαι).
7 ἐξίσταντο δὲ καὶ ἐθαύμαζον λέγοντες, Οὐχ ἰδοὺ ἅπαντες οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ
λαλοῦντες Γαλιλαῖοι;
Yet they were astounded and amazed saying, “Look! Are not all of these who are
speaking Galileans?
ἐξίσταντο: IMI 3p, ἐξίστημι, 1) to throw out of position, displace
1a) to amaze, to astonish, throw into wonderment 1b) to be amazed,
astounded 1c) to be out of one's mind, besides one's self, insane
ἐθαύμαζον: IAI 3p, θαυμάζω, 1) to wonder, wonder at, marvel 2) to be
wondered at, to be had in admiration
λαλοῦντες: PAPart npm, λαλέω, 1) to utter a voice or emit a sound 2) to
speak
8 καὶ πῶς ἡμεῖς
ἀκούομεν ἕκαστος τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ ἡμῶν ἐν ἧ ἐγεννήθημεν;
And how do we hear each in our
idiomatic dialect in which we were born?”
ἀκούομεν: PAI 1p, ἀκούω, 1) to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not
deaf 2) to hear
ἐγεννήθημεν: API 1p, γεννάω, 1) of men who fathered children 1a) to be
born 1b) to be begotten 1b1) of women giving birth to
children
9 Πάρθοι καὶ Μῆδοικαὶ Ἐλαμῖται, καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν,
Ἰουδαίαν τε καὶ Καππαδοκίαν, Πόντον καὶ τὴνἈσίαν,
Parthians and Medes and Elamites,
and those who live in Mesopotamia, and Jews from Cappadocia, and Pontus and
Asia,
10 Φρυγίαν τε καὶ Παμφυλίαν, Αἴγυπτον καὶ τὰ μέρη τῆς Λιβύης τῆς κατὰ
Κυρήνην, καὶ οἱ ἐπιδημοῦντες Ῥωμαῖοι,
Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and
the parts of Libya accorded to Cyrene, and the visitors from Rome,
ἐπιδημοῦντες: PAPart npm, ἐπιδημέω, 1) to be
present among one's people, in one's city or one's native land 2) to be a
sojourner 2a) of a foreign resident, among any people, in any country
11 Ἰουδαῖοί τε καὶ προσήλυτοι, Κρῆτες καὶ Ἄραβες, ἀκούομεν λαλούντων
αὐτῶν ταῖς ἡμετέραις γλώσσαις τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ θεοῦ.
And Jews and proselytes, Cretes
and Arabs, we hear their speaking in our own languages the mighty acts of God.
λαλούντων: PAPart gpm, λαλέω, 1) to utter a voice or emit a sound 2) to
speak
1. “the mighty acts of God,” is the first indication of what the
disciples were speaking and what the crowd was hearing. This verse makes it
clear that the “Pentecostal Experience” was not a kind of personal prayer
glossolalia, but a way of communicating the mighty acts of God inter-culturally
via many languages.
12 ἐξίσταντο δὲ πάντες καὶ διηπόρουν, ἄλλος πρὸς ἄλλον λέγοντες, Τί θέλει
τοῦτο εἶναι;
And all were astounded and perplexed, saying one to another, “What does this wish/intend
to be?”
ἐξίσταντο: IMI 3p, ἐξίστημι, 1) to throw out of position, displace
1a) to amaze, to astonish, throw into wonderment
λέγοντες: PAPart npm, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak 1a) affirm over,
maintain
θέλει: PAI 3s, θέλω, 1) to will, have in mind, intend 1a) to be
resolved or determined, to purpose
εἶναι: PAInf εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist,
to happen, to be present
1. “astounded” – This is repetition of
the claim in v.7. So far, Luke describes the crowd as gathered, bewildered,
astounded (2x), and amazed. What if these were required words for every
church’s mission statement?
2. “What does this wish to be?” is not
the way that anyone translates the question of v.12, but it is as close to a
word-for-word rendering as I can get. While this translation needs refining to
make sense, I worry that “What does this mean?” (NRSV, NIV, ESV) misses the
intentionality of the verb θέλω.
13 ἕτεροι δὲ διαχλευάζοντες ἔλεγον ὅτι Γλεύκους μεμεστωμένοι εἰσίν.
And others mocking said “They have
been filled with sweet wine.”
διαχλευάζοντες: PAPart npm, δια-χλευάζω; to
deride, scoff, mock,
ἔλεγον: IAI 3p, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak 1a) affirm over,
maintain
μεμεστωμένοι: PerfPPart, npm, μεστόω, 1) to fill, be full
εἰσίν: PAI 3p, εἰμί, 1) to be, to
exist, to happen, to be present
1. The note that some folks likened this occasion to a drunken
exhibition is either ridiculous on the face of it or it makes it much more
lively than simply a story of inter-cultural communication. I don’t know if
this comment reflects more on the actions of the believers or of the ones
scoffing at them.
14 Σταθεὶς δὲ ὁ Πέτρος σὺν τοῖς ἕνδεκα ἐπῆρεν τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ
ἀπεφθέγξατο αὐτοῖς, Ἄνδρες
Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες Ἰερουσαλὴμ
πάντες, τοῦτο ὑμῖν γνωστὸν ἔστω καὶ ἐνωτίσασθε τὰ ῥήματά
μου.
But standing with the twelve,
Peter raised his voice and expounded
to them, “Men of Judea and all those dwelling in Jerusalem: Let this be known
to you and attend to my words.
Σταθεὶς: APPart nsm, στημι, 1) to cause or
make to stand, to place, put, set 1a) to bid to stand by.
ἐπῆρεν: AAI 3s, ἐπαίρω, 1) to lift up,
raise up, raise on high 2) metaph. to be lifted up with pride, to exalt
one's self
ἀπεφθέγξατο 1) to
speak out, speak forth, pronounce 1a) not a word of everyday speech but
one "belonging to dignified and elevated discourse"
κατοικοῦντες: PAPart, npm, κατοικέω, 1) to dwell, settle 1a) metaph. divine
powers, influences, etc., are said to dwell in his soul, to pervade,
prompt, govern it
ἔστω: PAImpv 3s, εἰμί, 1) to be, to
exist, to happen, to be present
ἐνωτίσασθε: AMImpv 2p, ἐνωτίζομαι, 1) to receive into
the ear, to give ear to, listen
1. I’m appreciating the difference between the ones who were
“mocking” (διαχλευάζοντες) in v.13 and Peter using ἀπεφθέγξατο, defined in some
lexicons as a kind of discourse that is “dignified and elevated.” Perhaps part
of the Spirit’s empowerment is – in addition to the content and language – the
tone of the message.
15 οὐ γὰρ ὡς ὑμεῖς ὑπολαμβάνετε οὗτοι μεθύουσιν, ἔστιν γὰρ ὥρα τρίτη τῆς
ἡμέρας,
For these are not drunk as you
suppose, for it is the third hour of the day,
ὑπολαμβάνετε: PAI 2p, ὑπολαμβάνω, 1) to take up in order to raise ... 4) to take up in the mind 4a)
to assume, suppose
16 ἀλλὰ τοῦτόἐστιν τὸ εἰρημένον διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἰωήλ,
But this is what has been said
through the prophet Joel,
εἰρημένον: PerfPPart nsm, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak 1a) affirm over,
maintain
17 Καὶ ἔσται ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις, λέγει ὁ θεός, ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ
πνεύματός μου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα, καὶ προφητεύσουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν καὶ αἱ
θυγατέρες ὑμῶν, καὶ οἱνεανίσκοι ὑμῶν ὁράσεις ὄψονται, καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι
ὑμῶν ἐνυπνίοις ἐνυπνιασθήσονται:
And it will be in the last days,
says God, I will pour out of/from my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, and your young shall see visions, and your
elders shall dream dreams;
ἔσται: FMI 3s, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist,
to happen, to be present
λέγει: PAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to
speak 1a) affirm over, maintain
ἐκχεῶ: FAI 1s, ἐκχέω, 1) to pour out, shed forth 2) metaph. to
bestow or distribute largely
προφητεύσουσιν: FAI 3p, προφητεύω prophesy, to
speak forth, in declaration, warning, or exhortation, as directed by the Spirit
of God
ὄψονται: FMI 3p, ὁράω, 1) to see with the eyes 2) to see with the
mind, to perceive, know
ἐνυπνιασθήσονται: FPI 3p, ἐνυπνιάζομαι, 1) to dream (divinely suggested)
dreams
1. The NRSV, NIV, and ESV suggest that “my spirit” is the object of
the verb “I will pour out.” But, “my spirit” is in the genitive case and is the
object of the preposition ἀπὸ. As such, it seems to read “I will pour out from my spirit” instead of “I will pour
out my spirit.” What is poured out is not given. I’m not sure if this
observation matters greatly in a practical sense, but at the level of
translation it is quite different from what we customarily hear. It could be
that the implied object of the verb ‘pour out’ is ‘myself’ or ‘drunkenness’ or
‘fire,’ etc.
18 καί γε ἐπὶ τοὺς
δούλους μου καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς δούλας μου ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις
ἐκείναις ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου, καὶ προφητεύσουσιν.
And even upon my male and upon my female
slaves in the last days I will pour out from my spirit, and they shall
prophesy.
ἐκχεῶ: FAI 1s, ἐκχέω, 1) to pour out, shed forth 2) metaph. to
bestow or distribute largely
προφητεύσουσιν: FAI 3p, προφητεύω prophesy
[verb] -ieth, -ied, -ing
1. Again the phrase is “I will pour out of/from my spirit,” not “I
will pour out my spirit.” Whatever is being poured out, it enables prophesying.
19 καὶ δώσω τέρατα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω καὶ σημεῖα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κάτω, αἷμα
καὶ πῦρ καὶ
ἀτμίδα καπνοῦ:
And I will give portents in the
heaven above and signs on the earth below and blood and fire and vaporous
smoke;
δώσω: FAI 1s, δίδωμι, 1) to give 2) to
give something to someone
20 ὁ ἥλιος μεταστραφήσεται εἰς σκότος καὶ ἡ σελήνη εἰς αἷμα πρὶν ἐλθεῖν
ἡμέραν κυρίου
τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἐπιφανῆ.
The sun shall be turned into
darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and epiphanic
day of the Lord.
μεταστραφήσεται: FPI 3s, μεταστρέφω, 1) to turn around, turn around
ἐλθεῖν: AAInf, ἔρχομαι, 1) to come 1a) of persons 1a1) to
come from one place to another, and used both of persons arriving and of
those returning
1. The word for “come” is ἐλθεῖν, an aorist infinitive. I’m not
sure how to translate that most accurately.
21 καὶ ἔσται πᾶς ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου σωθήσεται.
And it will be anyone who calls on
the name of the Lord shall be made whole.
ἔσται: FMI 3s, εἰμί, 1) to be, to
exist, to happen, to be present
ἐπικαλέσηται: AMSubj
3s, ἐπικαλέω (καλέω with ἐπί upon, prefixed) to call on, to call to (denoting the object, not the
subject, as προσκαλέω (proskaleō 4341)) to call on any one (by turning
towards and crying to him); in NT middle implying interest and advantage, to
appeal; to call out something to some one, that is to say to name, designate
σωθήσεται: FPI 3s, σῴζω, 1) to save, keep safe and
sound, to rescue from danger or destruction 1a) one (from injury or
peril)
1. The verb σῴζω is very versatile. It is often translated “saved”
here and that is one possibility. I shy away from “saved” because it has taken
on specific ‘religious’ connotations of ‘saved from hell’ or ‘saved into
heaven’ in many peoples’ minds. It could be translated ‘healed’ in many
instances and points to a condition of being whole, not simply avoiding eternal
punishment.
The Festival of Weeks; Shavuot;
Pentecost
Leviticus
23:15-22 reads: “And from the day after
the sabbath, from the day on which you bring the sheaf of the
elevation-offering, you shall count off seven weeks; they shall be complete.
You shall count until the day after the seventh sabbath, fifty days; then
you shall present an offering of new grain to the Lord. The word “Pentecost” is derived from the Greek word for 50, pente.
There is a natural sense of the “day of Pentecost” being fulfilled, since the
original establishment of the celebration encouraged the people to “count”
seven weeks of seven days from Passover until the day after the seventh
Sabbath, or the 50th day.
You shall bring from your
settlements two loaves of bread as an elevation-offering, each made of
two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of choice flour, baked with leaven, as
first fruits to the Lord. You shall present with the bread seven lambs a year
old without blemish, one young bull, and two rams; they shall be a
burnt-offering to the Lord, along with their grain-offering and their
drink-offerings, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the Lord. You shall
also offer one male goat for a sin-offering, and two male lambs a year old as a
sacrifice of well-being. The priest shall raise them with the bread of the
first fruits as an elevation-offering before the Lord, together with the two
lambs; they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. On that same day you
shall make proclamation; you shall hold a holy convocation; you shall not work
at your occupations. This is a statute for ever in all your settlements
throughout your generations.
When you reap the harvest of your
land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the
gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien:
I am the Lord your God.”
Over time, the celebration
of Shavuot was associated with the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. I suspect
that ‘religious’ perspective was a later development of what was, originally, a
more seasonal harvest festival. What I really like is how the Leviticus passage
moves directly from thankfulness to justice, by following the long discussion
of what kind of harvest offering to bring, with the ethical demand not to
harvest the fields to their fullest extent, but to leave the edges for the
poor. As I understand it, the landless would often follow behind the harvesters
in order to pick up what had been dropped or to glean what had been left. Leviticus 23:22 is one of several places
where the landed folk were to leave dropped bundles on the ground, were not to
harvest all the way to the edges, were not to beat olive trees or strip grape
vines completely, because they were once poor and landless and God had given
the land to them. They, therefore, were to consider their land, their
trees, and their vineyards as a means of providing for the poor.
It is my hope that whatever else we have to say about Pentecost
Sunday, we remember these roots – that Pentecost was essentially a celebration
for those who had been lifted out of poverty and slavery to remember that
abundance and freedom obligate us to those who continue to live in poverty and
chains.
Pentecost Story
‘Twas the day of the fiftieth, the Sabbath of Sabbaths
when they were all gathered, an annual habit.
They saw their Lord buried then risen then taken;
they had had their hearts broken but now were awakened!
When all of a sudden there ‘rose such a clatter,
the people in town came to see what’s the matter.
The sound of strong winds, tongues dancing of fire,
the gathered ones filled with their true heart’s desire.
With languages, idioms, dialects empowered,
they each found their tongue and they used it that hour.
And those who had gathered were astonished and wondered,
“What is this strange thing onto which we have blundered?
Are not these folks common, unlearned, unlettered,
how do they speak in the tongues of their betters?
We’ve traveled the world, in Parthia and Rome,
we call Cappadocia and Media our home,
Now these ignorantia are trying to say
that God works in this mysterious way?”
All of them wondered, but some of them thunk,
“These people are babbling because they are drunk!”
Then Peter stood up and had something to say,
“You know we’re not drunk at this time of the day!”
This thing that is happ’ning, that makes us awoke,
is that very thing that the prophet Joel spoke.
‘In days that are lasting, the true God declares,
I’ll make me a people, a people who dare,
We dare to see visions of justice one day.
We dare to have dreams like my man M.L.K.
We dare new equalities, not classes of old,
we’re benders of genders and breakers of codes!
This thing you see here, how we are behavin’,
is God being present in a world that needs savin.’”
Don’t sit there and wonder how commoners babbleth,
wonder instead that this is true Sabbath!
A people on fire, all Spirit-inspired,
living the true path that God has required,
Led by the one who was unjustly killed,
by hands with violence honed and skilled,
but then he was raised, ‘cause death has no might,
to hold down the one who does what is right.
He is the one who is breathing this breath,
whose Spirit’s unleashed and the world is refreshed.
This may be a stupid question, and my Greek is nonexistent, but could the auto in v. 1 imply 'of the same mind/stance'? As in they were all on the 'same page'? Thus implying the good will to come together that is helpful if the Holy Spirit is to come in and really unify people? They were gathered together for the same purpose- love of Christ, but had not yet had the full unity of purpose or capacity to fulfil the commission until the Holy Spirit empowered them. Or am I completely off the mark here? Many thanks for your columns which are always so perceptive and so helpful to my planning and my prayers.
ReplyDeleteBless you. Rosemary
Hi Rosemary,
DeleteThanks for your note. I had written a response earlier, but can't seem to find it anywhere. Oh well.
This is not a stupid question at all. There are two words in play in v.1 pertaining to your question, I think: ὁμοῦ and αὐτό. ὁμοῦ typically means "same" when it is a prefix, but here it is an adverb. In the other 3 instances of ὁμοῦ as an adverb (all in John), it seems consistently to mean "together." The αὐτό is a very common pronoun which seems to be a substantive, "same ..." something. Perhaps influenced by the "together" some translations suggest "same place." But, your suggestion is in keeping with the KJV's "all with one accord in one place" or Young's Literal Translation, "They were all with one accord at the same place."
I think "same page" is a pretty good way to capture "one accord."
Thanks again,
MD
I enjoyed your scholarship here. I minister in a very very diverse congregation where dozens of languages are spoken. this text thrills us and brings home the message of the gospel for everyone and the intent behind the power of God to make it happen...Gal 3:26-29.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! Thanks for giving me a glimpse of your fine ministry.
DeleteMD
You have shared very informative article and also described Pentecost In The Bible. I just want to add on it that Jesus himself is described in the New Testament as the New Temple (e.g., John 2:19-21; cf. Mark 15:38). The in gathering thus takes place as we come to Jesus.
ReplyDelete