healings, visions, prophetic preaching, in the abundance of moral virtues, in the rapturous fearlessness of the confessors, in inspired prayer, in teaching, in spiritual renewal and regeneration, in all the potentiated consciousness of the Church, in her "life," which she was conscious of as eternal and divine life, as real communion with God in Christ.

Such were the ideas, although it is obviously impossible to speak of any dogmatic ideas or of doctrine: the latter was formed only in the era of the councils. In the apostolic Church, the "Spirit" was not a doctrine or a dogma, but a central fact of religious life, a real force experienced, a phenomenon experienced by the faithful in their sacred enthusiasm. The abundance of this power was revealed not only in the depth of the moral consciousness, in the faith of the regenerated man, but also in the bodily life itself, in all his deeds, in works of mercy and in signs – visions, healings, prophecies and other extraordinary actions and ecstatic states, the reality of which was recognized by all. The very deviations of the religious enthusiasm of the first centuries bear witness to its power, the power which conquered the world and all the "spirits" that dominated it. That such enthusiasm presented the greatest dangers, we see from the first steps of the apostolic preaching, which demanded "discernment of spirits" and struggled with imaginary inspiration, with self-conceit, puffed up with the gifts of the spirit, with the unbridled anarchy of the "people of the spirit," or pneumatics, who exalted themselves with their revelations. Such were the sectarians, the Gnostics, intoxicated with the new wine and pouring it into the old wineskins of the old pneumatology; such were the Montanists afterwards. Ancient Semitic ecstasy with its sensual frenzy comes to life on a new soil and enters into an alliance with Greek mysticism and catharticism, giving rise to many bizarre sects. And although this process reaches full development only later, it is the apostles who are forced to struggle with the deviations of the spiritual life. Paul testifies to the impression made by other religious assemblies of the apostolic age on an outside observer: "If the whole church comes together, and all speak with tongues (λαλῶσι γλώσσαις), and those who do not know or

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Disbelievers, will they not say that you are possessed?" (1 Corinthians 14:23). Inspiration was expressed in ecstatic speech, which sometimes lost all human meaning, and in ecstatic actions. A simulation of ecstasy was possible, there could also be a pathological, sensual frenzy, hysteria induced artificially. Along with the "angelic tongues," "angelic knowledge," or gnosis, soon appeared. All kinds of perversions and abuses could and did penetrate into the early Christian communities through the intermediary of "people of the spirit." For this reason, the Apostles, "without quenching the spirit," were compelled to regulate the spiritual life, exhorting them "not to believe in every spirit," but to "discern spirits" (1 John 4:1 ff.), and the very ability to discern such discernment (διάκρισις τῶν πνευμάτων) was {49} regarded as a special gift (1 Cor. 12:10). Nevertheless, in the Spirit that filled the Church, God lived, Christ lived, which is already true and independently of religious considerations, and not only in the religious sense, but above all in the moral, psychological and historical sense. Therefore, for believers there were also objective criteria for evaluating the spirit that inspired individual pneumatics – the commandments of Christ, the commandments of the apostles, the tradition of Christ, His living word and His image. Hence that amazing combination of the most humble, chaste purity and spiritual sobriety with inspired ecstasy, that inner victory over madness, that great clarity of rational consciousness and subtlety of moral judgment, which is combined with the revelation experienced in the greatest of the Christian bearers of the spirit. We see such a pneumatic first of all in the person of the Apostle Paul, who "spoke with tongues more than anyone else" and in his revelations heard "ineffable speeches" (ἄρρητα ρήματα, 2 K. 13:4). None of the opponents of Christianity will say that these revelations lowered the intellectual and moral energy of the great founder of the Church of the Gentiles, that they puffed him up with madness or spiritual pride. In the "Spirit" was the source of his strength, his humility and love, before which he counted all gifts and signs for nothing.

The source of this power for the apostles was the "Father of Jesus Christ," or Christ Himself. It also served as an objective norm, a criterion of the spirit. Such was the state of affairs

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in the Apostolic Church. How is it explained from the activity of Christ Himself? What is the relation of this new form of spiritual, pneumatic life to the "Author of life" and His historical work?

John the Baptist already speaks of the coming baptism of the Spirit (Mark 1:8), but it is remarkable that this new baptism, which is opposed to John's baptism, is performed only once during Christ's lifetime, and that over Him Himself. Then it appears that although the disciples of Jesus continued to baptize the people (which confused the disciples of the Baptist), Jesus Himself did not baptize (John 3:22; 4:2). Moreover, the disciples themselves were "filled with the Spirit" only after the death of Jesus; and if in the Fourth Gospel Christ makes the sending of the Spirit to His disciples directly dependent on His death (16:7), then the Synoptics also speak of the gift of the Spirit as a future (Matt. 10:20; Mk. 13:11; Lk. 12:12; 24:48). Thus, in the Gospel story, after John's preaching (L. 1:15), the only bearer of the Spirit is Christ Himself (Luke 4:1, 14, 18; Matt. 12:18).

That the "Spirit of God" was not only seen as a moral force is already indicated by the account of the birth of Jesus by Matthew and Luke. He was filled with the Spirit after baptism (Matt. 13:16) and was "led by the Spirit" into the wilderness (4:1). He began his sermon in the synagogue of Nazareth with the words of Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, and has sent me to heal the brokenhearted..." (Isaiah 61:1-2). And He began to say to them, "This day is this scripture fulfilled which you have heard." And all testified to Him (Luke 4:18ff.). "And when they heard, many were amazed, saying, Whence is this to him? And what wisdom is given to Him, and such signs are wrought by His hands" (Mark 6:2). We have already pointed to the apostolic depiction of Christ's activity: "You know... about Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and power, and He walked doing good and healing..." Evangelism and healings in spirit and power are essential features of His ministry. During healings, He "feels in Himself that power proceeds from Him" (Mark 5:30); He acknowledges that He casts out demons "by the Spirit of God," and sees this as an unmistakable sign

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of the approaching kingdom, recognizing as a mortal sin blasphemy against the Spirit by which He does His works.