Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-06-05
PENTECOsT.
iss origin ana AntIquity-Peculiar
ties Of its Observance.

To-day is the day of Pentecost, which,
according to the authorities upon the sub
lject, means the fiftieth and one of the
three principal festivals of the Jews, So
called IN modern languages because it was
celebrated on the 5Oth day after the feast
of the Passover, but originally called the
feast of weeks, because it was celebrated
seven weeks after the 10th day of the first
month of the Mosaic calendar CNisan)
1t was and still is observed by the Jews
(now generally on the day following the
5Oth) as day of public rejoicing and also
in commemoration Of the revelation of the
law on Sinai, which happened on the
same day. The day is also kept as
high festival in 9 the q Christian
Church to commemorate the descent of the
Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, ten days
after Christ's ascension, and the commence
ment of the preaching of the Gospel to the
Gentiies The Apostles, the women and
others, 10 the number in ali Of about 12O,
being gathered together at Jerusalem on
the day of Pentecost, suddenly there came
| a sound from Heaven as OF q rushing,
mighty wind and it filed all the house
whore they were sitting. And there ap-
peared unto them cloven tongues, like as
| of fire, and II sat upon each of them and
they were filed with the Holy Ghost and
began to speak with ether tongues as the
| spirit gave them utterance.s 49,
Now when this was noised abroad the
multitude came together and were
COMPOUNDED, because every man heard them
speak in his own language" Acts ii, 2-61
/ And it is further related that Peter thereup-
on preached to them and about 5000 souls
were converted. The precise nature of the
| gift of tongues, as the power then conferred
by the Holy Ghost is generally called, is
variously explained by commentators.
Some believed that the Apostles were mi
raculously enabled to speak all languages
without having learned them;. others sup
pose the speaking with tongues to have
merely convulsive sort of utterance, fol.
lowed by Ineligible and inspired words.
Other critics hold that the speakers used
either their own native languages or an
ecststic tongue which, by a miracle, sounded
TO each hearer as if it was his OWL
dialect The festival of Pentecost was in
the early ages one of the favorite seasons
for administering baptism; and as those
who received it were clothed in white tc
symbolic the spiritual purity which bap
L oonl SOAiOAo AA4O - eNlNAAV0 ehO W
Whitsunday Whitsuntide. This is the
sixth day Of the month ''Sivan," the third
month in the Hebrew year, in which the
Israelites, according to the Mosaic account
celebrated the festival of Pentecost OIL
feast of weeks" During the time the
Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, a shea
of the first ripe corn was offered up to the
Lord on the sixteenth day of the month
Nisdn which is the second day of Pass
over, and from that day fifty days wert
ordered to be counted until the fest
val of bag haShsha6uOth, Pentecos
or feast of weeks" (See Leviticus xiii
1850 1t is also called in the Bible Cha.
HdkkGtzier, Harvest Feast. (See Exodus
xiii, 1877 Then, in Palestine, the harves
commenced directly after the Passover.
is also called Yon Hd6ecerim, (see Deut.
xviii, 26, the day Of the arst ripe fruits
because ON this day the first fruits wer,
brought as an offering into the Temple.
This is also the memorable day on which
God revealed himself on Mount Sinai anC
gave the Holy Laws, which took place oil
the third month after the departure frod
Egypt. (See Exodus xix