In late spring, Jewish people around the world celebrate
Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks, also described in the Hebrew Bible as the
Festival of First Fruits (hag habbikkurim)
and known in Christian circles as Pentecost. The terms “Weeks” and “Pentecost”
reference the seven week (“Weeks”) period between Passover and this Festival of
First Fruits, which occurs on the fiftieth day (Pentecost) following Passover.
According to Jewish reckoning, it was on this day that the Israelites received
the Torah from God on Mt. Sinai. Likewise, in chapter 2 of Acts of the
Apostles, Jesus’ Jewish followers in Jerusalem, where the disciples had
gathering following their leader’s death, received the Holy Spirit in language
reminiscent of the Sinai revelation in chapter 20 of Exodus.
Both of these stories offer gripping accounts of the
establishment of a covenant community through a direct encounter with the
divine. In other words, both stories are myths. Yes, that’s what I’m saying. The
Bible’s account of God’s revelation at Sinai is a myth. This is not to say that
it’s not true. The meaning of the term myth as a synonym for falsehood is a
popular and inaccurate use of the word. So we need to explore some other
meaning of the term myth; a literary understanding—myth as a type of story, a
type of narrative.
