Who was present at Pentecost?

[Kristina_P]

I want to make it clear up front that I do not support the ordination of women into the priesthood. Now that that’s out of the way…

I’ve heard many times that no women were present at Pentecost in Acts, and that this is one of the reasons women are not ordained. In order to support this claim, people state that only the 12 apostles were present at Pentecost. I had always interpreted the passage to say that all the disciples, both the apostles and the other followers of Christ, were gathered together. If the absence of women suggested anything to me, it would suggest that women can’t receive the Holy Spirit at all, not that they just can’t be priests. I don’t think any orthodox Catholic would argue that women can’t receive the Holy Spirit, as by Biblical standards, this would exclude them from eternal life. Can someone please help me understand the Catholic position here?

 

[puzzleannie]

the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples at Pentecost was their sacrament of Confirmation. The sacrament of ordination for the apostles had already been accomplished by Jesus Christ himself, as had his appointment of Peter as head of the Church. So the issue of women’s ordination does not arise.

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[Kristina_P]

puzzleannie:

the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples at Pentecost was their sacrament of Confirmation. The sacrament of ordination for the apostles had already been accomplished by Jesus Christ himself, as had his appointment of Peter as head of the Church. So the issue of women’s ordination does not arise.

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That’s always been my view of it as well. I’m just puzzled as to why some insist that there were no women being “confirmed” at Pentecost and was wondering whether there was something I was missing in my interpretation of events. (As I go through the process of entering the Church, I want to make sure my beliefs are in line with Church teaching. In order to do that, I have to find out what the Church actually teaches. That’s why I sometimes ask such weird questions here.)

 

[puzzleannie]

Kristina P.:

That’s always been my view of it as well. I’m just puzzled as to why some insist that there were no women being “confirmed” at Pentecost .)

since I never heard this claim, and you give no source, I can’t say, other than suggest you read and pray with the account in Acts. Certainly Our Lady is always depicted in icons and traditional artistic renderings of the event.

 

[mercygate]

Kristina P.:

That’s always been my view of it as well. I’m just puzzled as to why some insist that there were no women being “confirmed” at Pentecost and was wondering whether there was something I was missing in my interpretation of events. (As I go through the process of entering the Church, I want to make sure my beliefs are in line with Church teaching. In order to do that, I have to find out what the Church actually teaches. That’s why I sometimes ask such weird questions here.)

That is the weirdest thing I have ever heard. When they were all together with one mind in constant prayer with Mary . . . “about one-hundred and twenty persons . . .” (duh). (My personal question about this passage is wondering how many rooms there were in Jerusalem that would accommodate 120 people.)

 

[johnshelby]

i thought there were women at Pentecost…

 

[thistle]

mercygate:

That is the weirdest thing I have ever heard. When they were all together with one mind in constant prayer with Mary . . . “about one-hundred and twenty persons . . .” (duh). (My personal question about this passage is wondering how many rooms there were in Jerusalem that would accommodate 120 people.)

Acts 1:13-14 doesn’t mention the 120 but names the people, apostles, Mary, relatives and other women who were praying **in the ** upper room.

Acts 1:15-26 stands up in the midst of the brothers (no women mentioned here) and 120 is stated as being in the one place (not the upper room or one room). Maybe it refers to the house as a whole which is mentioned when the Spirit comes.

Acts 2:1-4 states they were all in one place and the wind filled **the entire house ** when the tongues of fire appeared.

I don’t think these three events took place on one day but on different days so it is not exactly clear who received the Holy Spirit, although it can probably be assumed that all the foregoing persons mentioned were present if they were staying in that house.