Introduction
Just as the Jewish festival of Passover commemorated the Israelites’ escape from slavery in Egypt, so the Feast of Weeks fifty days later commemorated the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. St Bede explains how these two feasts are taken up in the Christian year as Easter and Whit Sunday or Pentecost.
See also The Story of Pentecost.
THE children of Israel, delivered from slavery in Egypt at the sacrifice of a lamb,* set out across the desert towards the Promised Land, and came to Mount Sinai.
There, fifty days after Passover, the Lord descended upon the summit amid the sound of trumpets, and thunderclaps and lightning flashes, and laid down the Ten Commandments.*
Our Passover sacrifice is Christ, the true lamb that taketh away the sins of the world, who redeems us from sin at the price of his blood, setting in his resurrection a precedent for our hope of life and never-ending liberty.*
And today, on the fiftieth day after our redeemer’s resurrection, the grace of the Holy Spirit is given to the disciples gathered in the upper room,* appearing on the outside as fire, but invisibly irradiating their breast with the light of knowledge, and kindling deep down with the ardour of inextinguishable love.*
See Exodus 12:21-41. A lamb was sacrificed and its blood smeared on the lintels of Israelites living in Egypt. The Angel of Death sent to slay the firstborn of the Egyptians ‘passed over’ these houses. The Israelites ate a hasty meal of unleavened bread, and at once left Egypt for the desert to the east.
See Exodus 19:16-20:18.
See Titus 3:3-7. Bede uses the word ‘exemplum’ in its sense of a legal precedent: the resurrection is not merely an example or demonstration to a spectator, but a promise to an adopted heir.
See The Story of Pentecost, and Acts 2:1-21.
On the relationship of knowledge to love (‘charity’), see 1 Corinthians 13.
Archive
Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 End. Out. Ten.
2 Commandment. Ending. Grace.
3 Deep. Deliver. Give.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Confusables Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Homonyms Find in Think and Speak
Each of the words below has more than one possible meaning. Compose your own sentences to show what those different meanings are.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Fire. 2. Saw. 3. Set. 4. Mount. 5. Desert. 6. Down. 7. See. 8. Light.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
gnt (6)
agent. gaunt. gent. giant. gnat. ignite.
