Sacred Roots Workshop

132 Sacred Roots Workshop: Retr ieving the Great Tradi t ion in the Contemporary Church

6. Tertullian: as early as the 2nd century, Easter season was extended into a “most joyous season” of fifty days, till Pentecost.

a. During these seven weeks (called Eastertide ), Christians did not kneel for prayer but rather stood in order to mark the heavenly location of believers in the risen and exalted Christ.

b. During this season they did not fast, for they sought to display and enjoy a foretaste of the heavenly banquet with the Bridegroom.

c. Called “the season of the Alleluia,” a hopeful sign of the time when “we shall do nothing but praise God”(Augustine).

d. In some of our oldest findings on the practices of the ancient church, this fifty-day season concentrated on the Gospel of John, Acts, and the Book of Revelation (with a distinct emphasis of rejoicing in the gift of the Holy Spirit).

C. Historical observances of Pentecost, Trinity Sunday

1. Pentecost is the 50th day of Easter.

2. The 4th century provides first evidence of a Pentecostal season observance (rooted in Acts 2.1ff. on the coming of the Spirit to the 120).

3. The oldest historical testimony links the Church observance of the Holy Spirit’s descent to Christ’s ascension (preaching of the period made this connection explicit).