Holy Pentecost is the Feast of the descent, with tongues of uncreated fire, of the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father to abide in the Son, fulfilling the promises of the New Covenant. It is the Spirit’s function to initiate and complete the revelation of the Holy Trinity through deification, theosis, by way turning, metanoia and seeing, theoria, transforming spiritual blindness into wisdom, vainglory into glorification. The Holy Spirit regenerates, renews and restores creation with uncreated grace, revealing Holy Trinity with uncreated power and glory.
Pentecost presents its regenerative mysteries with the icon of the Holt Trinity, whereas the Day of the Holy Spirit is Monday of Pentecost, marked with the icon of the descent of the Spirit. The Theophany of the Oak was revered as the revelation of Holy Trinity, three angels by the ancient oak of Mambre, representing the three divine persons, each of whom reveals the ineffable completeness of God. Pentecost is the theophany of divine completeness which Saint Andre Rublev depicted as a theophanic circle of three angels seated round the table of hallowing communion.
The theophanic circle of ineffable completeness remains the icon of comprehensive Co-inherence for Holy Orthodoxy to this day, reminding us that Pentecost is the revelation of the ultimate mystery of deifying glorification. The joy of translucent stillness shines from Rublev’s icon, perhaps the quintessential icon of Orthodox Hesychasm, inspiring countless Orthodox icons of the Holy Trinity. Transcending dogmatism, it ineffably communicates the mysteries that Christ came to reveal, including the mystery of Christ himself, revealed in Holy Trinity, unveiling the completeness of God that completes our incompleteness.
Feast of Holy Pentecost