3-038-223 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Pentecost; Stammheim Missal, probably 1170s. Additional Info:A full-page miniature illustrates the Mass for Pentecost. At the top of the page, the Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, flank Christ. They stand as symbols of God's presence at the beginning and end of time. In the center section, five apostles hold books. Bust-length figures in niches above and below gaze up at Christ. The texts below them relate thematically to the descent of the Holy Spirit, which occurred at Pentecost. This unusual representation of Pentecost does not show the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, the most common subject. Instead it depicts Peter, identifiable by his short gray hair and beard, surrounded by the apostles during the sermon he gave on Pentecost.