Pentecost

In this scene, the devout Jews from every nation under heaven are already in Jerusalem for the great Jewish pilgrimage feast of Pentecost which occurs fifty days after Passover. The depiction here combines the events of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-13 with the explanation given by Saint Peter in his speech, Acts 2:14-39.

There are many local associations in this illumination. Most visible is the Saint John’s Abbey and University Church emerging from the wall of the golden Jerusalem. At the top of the golden column is the cross as seen in the bell banner of the church. The crowd at the base of the picture stems from the artist’s own recollection of a Saint John’s University football game. The checkered flags fluttering along the ground fly at the Saint John’s campus on graduation day.