{"author":null,"canonical_references":[],"database_sha256":"8cfbe7284c6936871d57c02dc6aa63ebbdfd4722422d539dd9f716e46e91112e","date_end":null,"date_start":null,"edition_year":null,"id":"sermonindex-ecf-2802","native_reference":{"book_number":510,"chapter_from":2,"chapter_to":2,"system":"MyBible module coordinates (mapping unverified)","verse_from":4,"verse_to":4},"public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"verse-keyed-module-record","review_required":["English edition and exact text","author/work attribution","dating","verse mapping and citation kind","reuse and attribution","split author quotations and deduplicate"],"review_status":"unreviewed","source_html":"<p><b>Augustine of Hippo</b>: Now, amidst this admirable correspondence, there is at least this very considerable diversity in the cases, in that the people in the earlier instance were deterred by a horrible dread from approaching the place where the law was given; whereas in the other case the Holy Ghost came upon them who were gathered together in expectation of His promised gift. There it was on tables of stone that the finger of God operated; here it was on the hearts of men. There the law was given outwardly, so that the unrighteous might be terrified; here it was given inwardly, so that they might be justified. For this, \"Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment,\"—such, of course, as was written on those tables,—\"it is briefly comprehended,\" says he, \"in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.\" Now this was not written on the tables of stone, but \"is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us.\" God's law, therefore, is love. \"To it the carnal mind is not subject, neither indeed can be;\" but when the works of love are written on tables to alarm the carnal mind, there arises the law of works and \"the letter which killeth\" the transgressor; but when love itself is shed abroad in the hearts of believers, then we have the law of faith, and the spirit which gives life to him that loves.<br/><i>— ON THE SPIRIT AND THE LETTER 17.29</i></p><p><b>Augustine of Hippo</b>: For that same manifest bestowal of the Holy Spirit the Lord made, not once, but on two separate occasions. For close on the back of His resurrection from the dead He breathed on them and said, \"Receive ye the Holy Spirit.\" And because He then gave [the Spirit], did He on that account fail in afterwards sending Him according to His promise? Or was it not the very same Spirit who was both then breathed upon them by Himself, and afterwards sent by Him from heaven? And so, why that same giving on His part which took place publicly, also took place twice, is another question: for it may be that this twofold bestowal of His in a public way took place because of the two Commandments of love, that is, to our neighbor and to God, in order that love might be impressively intimated as pertaining to the Holy Spirit. And if any other reason is to be sought for, we cannot at present allow our discourse to be improperly prolonged by such an inquiry: provided, however, it be admitted that, without the Holy Spirit, we can neither love Christ nor keep His commandments; while the less experience we have of His presence, the less also can we do so; and the fuller our experience, so much the greater our ability. Accordingly, the promise is no vain one, either to him who has not [the Holy Spirit], or to him who has. For it is made to him who has not, in order that he may have; and to him who has, that he may have more abundantly. For were it not that He was possessed by some in smaller measure than by others, St. Elisha would not have said to St. Elijah, \"Let the spirit that is in thee be in a twofold measure in me.\"<br/><i>— TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF John 74.2.2-3</i></p><p><b>Bede</b>: And they began to speak with various tongues. The unity of tongues that the pride of Babel had dispersed, the humility of the Church gathers together again. Spiritually, however, the variety of tongues signifies the gifts of various graces. But it is not inconsiderate to understand that the Holy Spirit is therefore first understood to have given the gift of tongues to men, by whom human wisdom is learned and taught from the outside, as a sign that by the wisdom of God, which is internal to them, He could easily make them wise.<br/><i>— Commentary on Acts</i></p><p><b>Bede</b>: And they began to speak in various tongues, as the Holy Spirit gave them to speak. But there were in Jerusalem Jews dwelling, religious men from every nation, etc. In Greek it does not say at this place \"in various tongues,\" but \"in other tongues.\" For Isaiah had said: With other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people, and even so they will not hear me, says the Lord. Indeed, Blessed Luke, noting that this prophecy was fulfilled by this gift of the Spirit, took care also to place the same word which he saw in the prophecy in this sacred history.<br/><i>— Retractions on Acts</i></p><p><b>Cassiodorus</b>: \"He heard a tongue which he knew not.\" We must interpret tongue here as the precepts of the New Testament, for if you understand it as \"language,\" how did the Jewish people hear a tongue that they did not know, when we are sure that the Lord Christ spoke in Hebrew? So the passage means that in the gospel they heard a tongue or precepts that their earlier knowledge did not embrace; alternatively it refers to the time when the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in unknown and varied tongues.<br/><i>— EXPOSITION OF THE Psalms 80.6</i></p><p><b>Cyril of Jerusalem</b>: The Galilean Peter or Andrew spoke Persian or Median. John and the other apostles spoke all the tongues of various nations, for the thronging of multitudes of strangers from all parts is not something new in Jerusalem, but this was true in apostolic times. What teacher can be found so proficient as to teach people in a moment what they have not learned? So many years are required through grammar and other arts merely to speak Greek well; and all do not speak it equally well. The rhetorician may succeed in speaking it well, the grammarian sometimes less well; and one who is skilled in grammar is ignorant of philosophical studies. But the Spirit taught them at once many languages, which they do not know in a whole lifetime. This is truly lofty wisdom. This is divine power. What a contrast between their long ignorance in the past and this sudden, comprehensive, varied and unaccustomed use of languages. The multitude of those listening was confounded; it was a second confusion, in contrast to the first evil confusion at Babylon. In that former confusion of tongues there was a division of purpose, for the intention was impious. Here there was a restoration and union of minds, since the object of their zeal was righteous. Through what occasioned the fall came the recovery.<br/><i>— Catechetical Lecture 17.16-17</i></p><p><b>Gregory the Dialogist</b>: For you have heard that the Holy Spirit appeared upon the disciples in tongues of fire and gave them knowledge of all languages. What indeed was signified by this miracle, except that the holy Church, filled with the same Spirit, would speak with the voice of all nations? Those who attempted to build a tower against God lost the communion of one language, but in these who humbly feared God all languages were united. Here therefore humility merited virtue; there pride earned confusion.<br/><i>— Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 30</i></p><p><b>Gregory the Dialogist</b>: Let us consider what kind of men our holy preachers were when this day found them, and what kind it made them. Certainly those who were sitting in one room out of fear of the Jews knew each one the language of their birth, and yet they did not presume to speak openly of Christ even in that language which they knew. The Spirit came, and in their mouths taught them through the diversity of tongues, while in their minds he strengthened them with authority. They began to speak of Christ in foreign tongues, who before were afraid to speak of him even in their own language. For the inflamed heart despised the torments of the body which it had feared before; it conquered the force of carnal dread through love of the Creator. And those who before had succumbed to their adversaries through fear now surpassed them in authority. He who raised them to the height of such eminence, what else should I say, except that he made the minds of earthly men into heavens?<br/><i>— Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 30</i></p><p><b>John Chrysostom</b>: Was it upon the twelve that it came? Not so; but upon the hundred and twenty. For Peter would not have quoted to no purpose the testimony of the prophet, saying, \"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith the Lord 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 they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.\" For, that the effect may not be to frighten only, therefore is it both \"with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. And began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.\" They receive no other sign, but this first; for it was new to them, and there was no need of any other sign.<br/><i>— Homily on Acts 4</i></p><p><b>John Chrysostom</b>: \"And it sat upon each of them,\" says the writer. Observe now, how there is no longer any occasion for that person to grieve, who was not elected as was Matthias, \"And they were all filled,\" he says; not merely received the grace of the Spirit, but \"were filled. And began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.\" It would not have been said, All, the Apostles also being there present, unless the rest also were partakers. For were it not so having above made mention of the Apostles distinctively and by name, he would not now have put them all in one with the rest. For if, where it was only to be mentioned that they were present, he makes mention of the Apostles apart, much more would he have done so in the case here supposed. Observe, how when one is continuing in prayer, when one is in charity, then it is that the Spirit draws near.<br/><i>— Homily on Acts 4</i></p><p><b>John Chrysostom</b>: But observe how those men also were first shown to be worthy, and then received the Spirit as worthy. Thus, for instance, David: what he did among the sheepfolds, the same he did after his victory and trophy; that it might be shown how simple and absolute was his faith. Again, see Moses despising royalty, and forsaking all, and after forty years taking the lead of the people; and Samuel occupied there in the temple; Elisha leaving all; Ezekiel again, made manifest by what happened thereafter. In this manner, you see, did these also leave all that they had. They learnt also what human infirmity is, by what they suffered; they learnt that it was not in vain they had done these good works. Even Saul, having first obtained witness that he was good, thereafter received the Spirit. But in the same manner as here did none of them receive. Thus Moses was the greatest of the Prophets, yet he, when others were to receive the Spirit, himself suffered diminution. But here it is not so; but just as fire kindles as many flames as it will, so here the largeness of the Spirit was shown, in that each one received a fountain of the Spirit; as indeed He Himself had foretold, that those who believe in Him, should have \"a well of water springing up into everlasting life.\" And good reason that it should be so. For they did not go forth to argue with Pharaoh, but to wrestle with the devil.<br/><i>— Homily on Acts 4</i></p><p><b>Leo the Great</b>: O how swift is the speech of wisdom! Where God is the teacher, how quickly is that learned which is being taught! No interpretation is used in order to understand, no practice is needed in order to use it. No time is needed to study, but, with the \"Spirit\" of truth \"blowing wherever he pleases,\" the particular voices of each distinct people become familiar in the mouth of the church.From this day the trumpet of the gospel teaching resounds. From this day showers of graces and streams of benedictions water all the desert and every wasteland, to \"renew the face of the earth,\" \"God's Spirit hovered over the water.\" To take away the old darkness, beams of new light flash out, when by the splendor of those glowing tongues, the Word of the Lord becomes \"clear\" and \"speech takes fire.\" Both the force of giving light and the power of burning were present for this reason, to create knowledge and to destroy sin.<br/><i>— SERMON 75.2</i></p>","source_html_sha256":"2697793be44ebc5136cc4e401078152572ed37371d0ca00a10a453667eecdc43","source_module":"ECF","source_row_id":2802,"source_url":"https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/ecf/","text_sha256":"767950bed243edbc514a1ec860283d50bf126beb71e2cf59a04eea28c9739463","translator":null,"work":null}