The sophisticated narrative of the miracle of the Pentecost cast the beginning of church history as an eschatological reversal of the confusion of languages at the end of the primordial history of Genesis 11. It also had the curious side effect of sanctioning the practice of glossolalia. In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul attests that he himself engaged in this practice more than others, but refrained from it when there was no one to interpret. Glossolalia returned in the beginning of the 20th century, when the modern Pentecostal movement took off in American revivalist congregations, and it has since spread across the globe as one of the fastest growing Christian movements. (See https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/history\/issues\/issue-58\/rise-of-pentecostalism-christian-history-timeline.html<\/a>). In contrast to the reticence of Paul to practice glossolalia in public, contemporary \u201ccharismatic\u201d Christians cultivate this enthusiastic practice as part of their manner of worship.<\/p>\n As a teenage born-again Christian I was persuaded that, in order to complete my initiation into the full scope of Christian faith, I needed to receive the \u201cbaptism with the Holy Spirit.\u201d Without it, my Christian life would be incomplete, or so I was told by members of a family that was leading retreats popular among some fellow-believers in my hometown and across the region. I already had a rich Christian life. In addition to the local Protestant church where I was active as a Sunday school instructor, I had discovered a world of private gatherings for the purpose of Bible study, prayer, and mutual edification. We formed prayer-circles (Gebetskreise) that met before or during school, and we attended retreats (Freizeiten), where we forged connections with believers elsewhere. This made us discover that believers are everywhere. We gave, and enjoyed one another\u2019s, home hospitality and experienced what it means to be part of an interconnected international intentional community. I gained status in those circles by the fact that I liked to sing and play the guitar. This made me a leader. Every time I introduced myself to a new group or a visiting pastor, I gave testimony of how I had accepted Christ as my personal savior and what my life was like before. Whenever I mentioned that my mother was Jewish I was told that this made me \u201ca son of Abraham according to the flesh,\u201d in addition to being \u201ca son of Abraham according to the spirit\u201d by virtue of my faith. This made me feel special.<\/p>\n And yet, I was told, my life as a Christian was incomplete without the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I had been baptized as a child into the local Protestant church. At some point I also underwent an adult baptism as an expression of faith (Glaubenstaufe), something I knew full well was considered a heresy by my church. It taught me that when it comes to God\u2019s command, one must obey it even if it means going against human conventions. Acts like this have certain social and psychological effects. In social terms, one loosens one\u2019s ties with one\u2019s community of birth and ties oneself closer to a secretive circle of initiates. Because it is a joint transgression of those who baptize and those who receive baptism, it forms a serious bond between hierophant and novice. In psychological terms, this type of secretive ritual heightens one\u2019s sense of self importance. It does not make a person humble but it instills an intense pride in having achieved a kind of spiritual peak. The same is true of the baptism with the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n In order to receive the Holy Spirit someone else who already received the Holy Spirit must pray with you while laying his or her hands on your head or shoulders. God willing, the Holy Spirit will enter you like a warm stream that fills you with an extraordinary sensation and a feeling of elation. The sign that the Spirit has entered you may or may not be that you will henceforth be able to speak in tongues. I chose the time and the people I trusted the most in order to receive the Spirit, a married couple who exuded an extraordinary aura of holiness, calm, and mutual love. They were the same people the sister in Christ whom I loved and trusted the most had chosen for the same purpose. Following our baptism with the Holy Spirit, we were both able to be in a communion of prayer that was unlike anything we experienced with other people. At least that\u2019s what it was like for me.<\/p>\n Looking at paintings depicting the miracle of the Pentecost, I am struck to see a woman at the center of the scene. The Virgin Mary is mentioned in Acts 1:14 as being among the apostles and the brothers of Jesus. She is not explicitly mentioned in connection with the Pentecost, but later tradition must have placed her there or she would not have been painted into those depictions. In fact, where the mother of Christ is included, she occupies center stage and she, too, receives the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
![\"RabulaGospelsFolio14vPentecost\"](\"\/mzank\/files\/2018\/12\/RabulaGospelsFolio14vPentecost-255x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n