Today marks the feast of Pentecost, my favorite day in the liturgical year. Here is what the New Testament says about this day --
When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
The account continues --
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." (Acts 2:1-11)
Illuminated depictions of this event appear quite frequently in medieval devotional works. Using the Search page for the Huntington Library collection, we find 58 images listed. Of those, I have identified fifteen that most appealed to me --
Pentecost (from HM 48)
Pentecost (from HM 1125) Pentecost (from HM 1130)
Pentecost (from HM 1136) Pentecost (from HM 1137) Pentecost (from HM 1157) (personal favorite)
Pentecost (from HM 1162) Pentecost (from HM 1169) Pentecost (from HM 1171)
Pentecost (from HM 1174) Pentecost (from HM 1179) Pentecost (from HM 1181)
Pentecost (from HM 1126) Pentecost (from HM 1046) Pentecost (from HM 1099)
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