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| Master of Sir George Talbot, Holy Spirit From a Book of Hours Flemish (Bruges), c. 1495-1500 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 390, fol. 167v |
“Veni, Sancte Spiritus,
et emitte caelitus
lucis tuae radium.
Veni, pater pauperum,
veni, dator munerum,
veni, lumen cordium.
Consolator optime,
dulcis hospes animae,
dulce refrigerium.
In labore requies,
in aestu temperies,
in fletu solatium.
O lux beatissima,
reple cordis intima
tuorum fidelium.
Sine tuo numine,
nihil est in homine,
nihil est innoxium.
Lava quod est sordidum,
riga quod est aridum,
sana quod est saucium.
Flecte quod est rigidum,
fove quod est frigidum,
rege quod est devium.
Da tuis fidelibus,
in te confidentibus,
sacrum septenarium.
Da virtutis meritum,
da salutis exitum,
da perenne gaudium.”
Latin text of the Sequence
for the Feast of Pentecost *
The great feast of Pentecost draws our attention every year
to the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost in
older terminology). We celebrate the
descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other disciples, including the
Virgin Mary, which marks the true birthday of the Church.
 |
| Pentecost From the Rabbula Gospels Late Antique (Syrian), c. 585 Florence, Laurentian Library MS cod. Plut. I, 56, fol. 14r |
This is the day, following ten days after the
Ascension of Jesus, when the mysterious event which turned a group of people
who had been frightened almost out of their wits just six weeks earlier into
joyful, outgoing, courageous proclaimers of unexpected “Good News”.
 |
| Jean Restout, Pentecost French, 1732 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
The Acts of the Apostles describes this mysterious event in
terms of a “strong, driving wind” and “tongues as of fire” (Acts 2:2-3).1 The wind indeed relates to the word for spirit in most of the languages derived from Latin. It survives for the English-speaking world in words such as "inspire" and "respire". So, in effect, the Holy Spirit is at base a Holy Wind which inspires action. But it was clearly something spiritual, not just a mini hurricane. Whatever did happen, it was clearly something unusual. Whatever it was, the same disciples (and those who came after them) began to call it the Holy Spirit and to include it in the
formula which they very soon established to describe their new experiences of
God. From this group of devout Jews came
the startling announcement that God, while still the one God proclaimed by the
Jews, was somehow made up of three distinct Persons: Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. And, what’s more, they
proclaimed that the Threeness did not do any damage to the Oneness. All Three are God and yet God is One. It’s
been puzzling both believers and non-believers ever since. Presumably when we die we may begin to
understand, but perhaps this mystery will still elude us even then.
 |
| Diagram which attempts to explain the relationships within the Holy Trinity |
In any case, those who live in the temporal world have been
trying to get their heads around this for a very long time and not succeeding
too well. So, just what are we talking
about when we talk about the Holy Spirit?
First of all, the Holy Spirit is biblical. There are many texts in the Old Testament which describe the
spirit of God, which is somehow distinct from but related to the power of
God. Indeed, the very first verses of
the Old Testament, the Book of Genesis, read:
In principio creavit Deus caelum
et terram. Terra autem erat inanis et
vacua, et tenebrae super faciem abyssi, et
spiritus Dei ferebatur super aquas (my emphasis).”2 The New
Testament also makes several specific references to the Holy Spirit before we
even get to Pentecost. For instance, the
Angel Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary that she has been chosen to bring
the Messiah into the world. She very
sensibly asks how this can happen, since she is a virgin.
The answer is “The holy Spirit
will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” (Luke
1:35). Similarly, Joseph is told in a dream not to
fear to make her his wife because “it is
through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.”
(Matthew 1:20). And, when Jesus is
baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist we learn that “After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened, and he
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice
came from the heavens, saying, “This is
my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17) Also, in
John’s recordings of Jesus’ talk at the Last Supper, there is frequent mention
of another Advocate, the Spirit of Truth “which
the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it,
because it remains with you, and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) and again
“The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the
Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all
that I told you.” (John 14:26). Or
again, “When the Advocate comes whom I
will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the
Father, he will testify to me.” (John 15:26). In one of his final appearances after
the Resurrection, Jesus breathed on them and said “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and
whose sins you retain are retained.” (John 20:22-23) ". Further, the Evangelist Matthew ends his Gospel with the words of the so-called Great Commission “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
Consequently, when the mysterious event of Pentecost
occurred, they knew that what had happened must have been the coming of the
Advocate whom Jesus had told them to expect.
And, shortly thereafter, they began to use the formula which we still
use today when baptizing, when beginning prayer with the sign of the cross,
when thinking about God, “the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”. By the middle years of the first century,
within living memory of Jesus, the writer of 1 Peter, whether Peter himself, a
secretary, or another person close to him, was able to begin his letter to the
churches of the Eastern Mediterranean with the words “in the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification by the
Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ: may grace
and peace be yours in abundance.” (1 Peter 2).
But how to think of this mysterious Person. And, even more so, how to depict “Him” when
creating Christian art? There have been
many answers, but one in particular has proved to be the most prolific over the
longest time and this is the one I will examine today.
The Dove
Probably the image that most easily comes to mind when attempting
to depict the Holy Spirit is the dove.
And, it’s a good one. For one
thing it has solid Biblical grounding.
All four of the Evangelists mention that, at the baptism of Jesus the
Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22;
John 1:32). And, consequently, the dove
is the most commonly used representation for the Holy Spirit.
 |
| Giovanni di Benedetto and Workshop, The Holy Spirit From a Missal Italian (Milan), c. 1385-1390 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 757, fol. 241v |
 |
| Willem Vralant, The Holy Spirit Historiated Initial from Hours of Catherine of Aragon Flemish, c. 1460 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS KB 76 F 7, fol. 51v |
 |
| The Holy Spirit From the Hours of Francois II French, 1555 Paris,Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Nouvelle acquisition latine 104, fol. 120v |
 |
| Anselm Kiefer, Send Forth Your Spirit, Inspire the artist German, 1974 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art © Anselm Kiefer |
Other possible images, such as a third,
identical human figure as part of the Trinity or alone are very infrequent.
 |
| The Holy Trinity From Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1350-1375 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 161, fol. 1 |
 |
| Master of James IV of Scotland and Collaborators, The Holy Trinity From the Spinola Hours Flemish (Bruges), c. 1510-1520 Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum MS Ludwig IX 18, Leaf |
 |
| Follower of Jean Pichore, The Holy Spirit From a Book of Hours French (Paris), c. 1510-1520 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS 286, fol. 92r |
Eucharistic Doves
One of the early (and to modern eyes surprising) uses of the
dove form were metal doves, made of precious metals, such as gold and silver,
or highly decorated base metals. They
were suspended above the altars of churches from about the end of the fourth
century until well into the Middle Ages.
They initially served the symbolic role of representing the Holy Spirit,
whom the Eucharistic prayers invoke to bless the sacrificial offerings (the
bread and wine to be consecrated), and, later in time, as receptacles, known as peristeria, for reservation
of the consecrated Host, intensifying their own identity in the process.3
 |
| Silver Dove from the Attarouthi Treasure Byzantine, c. 500-650 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
 |
| Eucharistic Dove French (Limoges),, Enameled and Gilded Copper, c. 1215-1235 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
 |
| Eucharistic Dove French (Limoges), Enameled and Gilded Copper, First Half of the 13th Century Paris, Musée du Louvre, Departement des Arts Decoratifs |
The Baptism of Christ
The dove was, of course, most frequently seen in images of
the Baptism of Christ. Following the
Evangelists, the dove is most frequently seen hovering over the head of Jesus,
or between Jesus and John, in scenes of the Baptism.
 |
| Giusto de' Menabuoi, Baptism of Christ Italian, c. 1378 Padua, Baptistry |
 |
| Guido Reni. Baptism of Christ Italian, c. 1623 Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum |
However, the dove appears in many other contexts as
well. As the references in the sequence
cited at the beginning of this article suggest the Spirit acts in many ways
through the life of the Church and of the individual Christian. So we have images that depict these many ways.
Source of Inspiration
The dove has often been shown hovering over the heads of
preachers or whispering in the ear of theologians.
 |
| Saint Gregory the Great Inspired by the Holy Spirit Ivory Book Cover Plaque German, c. 850-1000 Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum |
 |
| Saint Augustine Writing Under the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit From Enarrationes in Psalmos by Saint Augustine of Hippo French (South West), 11th-12th Century Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 1987, fol. 43 |
 |
| Saint Matthew From a Bible Byzantine, 13th Century Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Supplement grec 104, fol. 10v |
 |
| Mahiet, Saint John the Evangelist From Bible historiale complétée by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1325-1350 London, British Library MS Royal 18 D VIII, fol. 162v |
 |
| Jean Bandol and Workshop, Saint James the Great Preaching From Grande Bible Historiale Complétée by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1371-1372 The Hague, Meermano Museum MS RMMW 10 B 23, f569r |
 |
| Peter and John in Samaria From a Book of Hours Flemish (Tournai), c. 1465-1475 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 316, fol. 18v |
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| Master of Charles V, Saint Peter Preaching_ From Charles V Hours Flemish (Brussels), 1533 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 491, fol. 131r |
Comforter
Occasionally the dove will appear near a saint who is
undergoing torture or martyrdom.
 |
| Mahiet and Workshop, Martyrdom of Saint Eulalia_ From French (Paris), c. 1335 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Arsenal 5080, fol. 262v |
Indwelling in the Church
The dove is seen to hover above members of the Church as
they participate in liturgies or meet in prayer outside of a formal liturgy.
 |
| Saint Peter Baptising From a Book of Hours French (Therouanne), c. 1295-1305 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 60, fol. 50v |
 |
| Celebration of Mass From a Treatise on the Mass English, c. 1300-1325 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 13342, fol. 48 |
 |
| Master of Morgan 453, Holy Spirit Descending on Converts From a Book of Hours French, c. 1415-1425 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 1000, fol. 156r |
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| Attributed to the Dunois Master, Baptism From a Book of Hours French (Paris), c. 1440-1450 London, British Library MS Egerton 2019, fol. 135 |
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| ean le Tavernier and Workshop, Celebration of Mass Flemish (Oudenaarde), c.1450-1460 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS KB 76 F 2, fol. 76r |
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| The Faithful Praying to the Holy Spirit From a Book of Hours Flemish (Bruges), c. 1465-1475 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 285, fol. 150r |
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| The Holy Spirit Acts Through the Church From a Book of Hours Flemish (Bruges), c. 1465-1475 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 285, fol. 149r |
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| Master of Charles V, An Apostle Bringing Down the Holy Spirit on Converts From Hours of Charles V Flemish (Brussels), 1533 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 491, fol. 132r |
The dove almost always appears in medieval depictions of an
important event in the history of the Church in France, the baptism of Clovis,
the first of the Frankish kings to convert to Christianity. Legend insists that at his baptism, a dove
actually flew down with an ampule of holy oil in its beak, an oil which was
used to anoint Clovis as a Christian king and which was carefully guarded by
the kings of France and never depleted.
It was used for the coronation of every king of France down to the very
last. The oil did exist, but how it was
originally delivered and maintained one can only guess.
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| Master of the Roman de Fauvel, Baptism of Clovis From Vie de Saint Denis French (Paris), c. 1300-1350 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 13502, fol. 53 |
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| Baptism of Clovis From Grandes chronicques de France French (Paris), c. 1375-1380 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 2813, fol. 12v |
Adoration
The dove symbol of the Holy Spirit may appear in
images which stress the adoration due to the Third Person of the Holy Trinity
independently of the two other Persons.
This is unusual, but not unheard of.
 |
| Hans Bol, Adoration of the Holy Spirit From a Prayerbook Flemish (Antwerp), 1582 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 10564, fol. 4v |
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| Giovanni Battista Merano, Holy Spirit Surrounded by a Wreath of Flowers Held Up by Infant Angels Italian, c. 1660-1698 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Jacinto Gomez Pastor, Holy Spirit Adored by Angels Spanish, c.1797 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
Spirit of the Divine
Finally, one of the most powerful images of the Holy Spirit
as dove that was ever imagined by a human is the dramatic image in different colored
panes of alabaster that was incorporated by Gianlorenzo Bernini into the
Cathedra Petri (the Chair of Peter) which is the final statement of Saint Peter’s
Basilica.
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| Gianlorenzo Bernini, The Holy Spirit, center of the Cathedra Petri Italian, 1656-1666 Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica Photo: Saint Peter's Basilica |
This glowing image, set into
the end wall of the basilica nave amid an adoring throng of gilded bronze and
stucco angels, seems to blast right through the stone walls of the building with
the force of divine life, just as it blew over the waters of the abyss or through
the house in Jerusalem on the first Pentecost day.
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| Gianlorenzo Bernini, Cathedra Petri Itialian, 1656-1666 Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica Photo: Jari Kurittu |
© M. Duffy, 2020
The traditional Gregorian chant setting for the Sequence, Veni Sancte Spiritus, can be heard here. My apologies for any advertising content that may appear beforehand. Please click Skip to get past it, if it appears.
* English Translation by Edward Caswell
Holy Spirit, Lord of light,
From Thy clear celestial height
Thy pure beaming radiance give.
Come, Thou Father of the poor,
Come with treasures which endure,
Come, Thou Light of all that live.
Thou, of all consolers best,
Thou, the soul’s delightsome Guest,
Dost refreshing peace bestow.
Thou in toil art comfort sweet,
Pleasant coolness in the heat,
Solace in the midst of woe.
Light immortal, Light divine,
Visit Thou these hearts of Thine,
And our inmost being fill.
If Thou take Thy grace away,
Nothing pure in man will stay;
All his good is turned to ill.
Heal our wounds; our strength renew;
On our dryness pour Thy dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away.
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
Thou, on those who evermore
Thee confess and Thee adore,
In Thy sevenfold gifts descend.
Give them comfort when they die,
Give them life with Thee on high;
Give them joys that never end.
1. See also Acts,
Chapter 1 which is full of references to the Holy Spirit.
2. Latin Vulgate Genesis 1:1-2. I made the translation myself, with a little
help from Google Translate for the words “inanis et vacua” and “ferebatur”, to
avoid any wrangling over which official English translation to use. It reads “In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth. And the earth was a formless void, and darkness
was over the face of the deep, and the
spirit of God moved over the waters. "
3. For the history of
Eucharistic reservation and of doves in particular see: King, Archdale A. Eucharistic Reservation in the Western
Church, New York, Sheed and Ward, 1965, pp. 42-45. See also: Gauthier, Marie-Madeleine, Bernadette
Barriere, Dom Jean Becquet, Elisabeth Taburet-Delahaye, Barbara Drake Boehm,
Michel Pastoureau, Beatrice de Chancel-Bardelot, Isabelle Biron, Pete Dandridge
and Mark T. Wypyski, Enamels of Limoges, 1100–1350; New York, The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1996, pp. 318-320.
Excerpts from the
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America,
second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of
Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights
reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without
permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Scripture texts in this
work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986,
1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by
permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New
American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from
the copyright owner.
Quotations in Latin are
taken from the Latin Vulgate of Saint Jerome, which is available online at: a) https://www.newadvent.org/bible
(also includes the Greek), b) http://www.latinvulgate.com
and c) http://www.vatican.va/archive/bible/nova_vulgata/documents/nova-vulgata_index_lt.html
