Whispers of the Divine Wind

Sound Bites from Those the Holy Spirit Used Over the Centuries (Session 1)

Council of Constantinople (A.D. 381):

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and the Life-Giver, who proceeds from the Father [and from the Son], who with the Father and the Son is together worshiped and together glorified, who spoke through the prophets.

Ignatius of Antioch, writing back to the church at Philadelphia after a visit around
A.D. 107:

Now of course I am not infallible! Like everyone else, I can be mistaken. But the Holy Spirit cant be deceived or mistaken, because he comes from God, and God is infallible. Let me give you an example. When I visited your church at Philadelphia there was a faction in the church that was undermining the authority of the churchs leadership and questioning their decisions. Now God is my witness that I knew nothing about this at all. No one had told me about it, and no rumor of it had reached my ears. So when I stood up to prophesy, and shouted in a loud voice, Give more respect to your bishop, your elders and your deacons! it was the Holy Spirit in me who was speaking. Although I know some of you think I had been told in advance of the divisions at Philadelphia, and spoke from knowledge, the absolute truth is that this was the voice of God alone. So remember and obey the other things I said as well: Keep your bodies as temples of God. Love unity. Shun divisions. Follow Jesus Christ, as he followed his Father.

Justin Martyr, trying to convince the emperor in A.D. 153 that Christians were not so
bad. For numberless demoniacs throughout the whole world, and in your city, many of our Christian men exorcising them in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, have healed and do heal, rendering helpless and driving the possessing devils out of the men, though they could not be cured by all the other exorcists, and those who used incantations and drugs. Also Justin Martyr, in dialogue with an intellectual Jew named Trypho: For the prophetical gifts remain among us, even to the present time. And hence you ought to understand that [the gifts] formerly among your nation have been transferred to us.

Irenaeus (approx. A.D. 130202), bishop of Lyon

In like manner do we also hear many brethren in the Church who possess prophetic gifts, and who through the Spirit speak all kinds of languages, and bring to light for the general benefit the hidden things of men and declare the mysteries of God, whom also the apostles term spiritual.

Student Handout B, Session 1