Skip to main content

John 20:22

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

KJV

καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐνεφύσησεν καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· λάβετε πνεῦμα ἅγιον.

Greek NT

Hæc cum dixisset, insufflavit, et dixit eis : Accipite Spiritum Sanctum :

Vulgate

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit:

ASV

When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost.

Douay-Rheims

Open in reader with connections →

In the original Greek

8 distinct Greek words appear in this verse.

αὐτός
autos
pronoun · 5564×
καί
kai
conjunction · 8973×
λέγω
lego
verb · 2256×
λαμβάνω
lambano
verb · 259×
οὗτος
outos
demonstrative · 1380×
πνεῦμα
pneuma
noun · 379×
ἅγιος
agios
adjective · 233×
ἐμφυσάω
emphusao
verb · 1×

Theophany

Historic Christian voices

22 passages from patristic writers, Reformers, and church catechisms citing this verse.

§730At last Jesus' hour arrives:117 he commends his spirit into the Father's hands118 at the very moment when by his death he conquers death, so that, "raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,"119 he might immediately give the Holy Spirit by "breathing" on his disciples.120 From this hour onward, the mission of Christ and the Spirit becomes the mission of the Church: "As th…
§788When his visible presence was taken from them, Jesus did not leave his disciples orphans. He promised to remain with them until the end of time; he sent them his Spirit.218 As a result communion with Jesus has become, in a way, more intense: "By communicating his Spirit, Christ mystically constitutes as his body those brothers of his who are called together from every nation."2…
§976The Apostle's Creed associates faith in the forgiveness of sins not only with faith in the Holy Spirit, but also with faith in the Church and in the communion of saints. It was when he gave the Holy Spirit to his apostles that the risen Christ conferred on them his own divine power to forgive sins: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if …
…and 5 more from this source.
1. They who come to the divine preaching and give heed to the faith, must manifest the desire of thirsty men for water, and kindle in themselves a similar longing; so will they be able also very carefully to retain what is said. For as thirsty men, when they have taken a bowl, eagerly drain it and then desist, so too they who hear the divine oracles if they receive them thirsti…
1. We need everywhere works and actions, not a mere show of words. For to say and to promise is easy for any one, but to act is not equally easy. Why have I made these remarks? Because there are many at this time who say that they fear and love God, but in their works show the contrary; but God requires that love which is shown by works. Wherefore He said to the disciples, If y…
Chapter 24.—How We Must Understand that Breathing of God by Which “The First Man Was Made a Living Soul,” And that Also by Which the Lord Conveyed His Spirit to His Disciples When He Said, “Receive Ye the Holy Ghost.” Some have hastily supposed from the words, “God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul,624624 Gen. ii. 7.” that a soul was…
§56If we examine closely this divine principle of life and power given by Christ, insofar as it constitutes the very source of every gift and created grace, we easily perceive that it is nothing else than the Holy spirit, the Paraclete, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, and who is called in a special way, the "Spirit of Christ" or the "Spirit of the Son."[100] For it was b…
§65For this reason We deplore and condemn the pernicious error of those who dream of an imaginary Church, a kind of society that finds its origin and growth in charity, to which, somewhat contemptuously, they oppose another, which they call juridical. But this distinction which they introduce is false: for they fail to understand that the reason which led our Divine Redeemer to gi…
Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, came Jesus and stood in the midst. Calvin shows the resurrection appearances as demonstrations of Christ's victory over death. Thomas's confession — "My Lord and my God!" — is one of the clearest declarations of Christ's deity in all of Scripture. Christ's breathing upon the disciples and saying "Receive ye the Holy…
1. Concerning Those Who Asked Him to Show Them a Sign from Heaven. And the Sadducees and Pharisees came, and tempting Him kept asking Him to show them a sign from heaven. Matthew 16:1 The Sadducees and Pharisees who disagreed with each other in regard to the most essential truths, — for the Pharisees champion the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, hoping that there will …
Is it befitting to a Divine Person to assume? Is it befitting to the Divine nature? Can the nature abstracted from the Personality assume? Can one Person assume without another? Can each Person assume? Can several Persons assume one individual nature? Can one Person assume two individual natures? Was it more fitting for the Person of the Son of God to assume human nature than f…
If anyone saith that the sacraments of the New Law were not all instituted by Jesus Christ our Lord; or that they are more or less than seven, to wit, Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Order, and Matrimony; or even that any one of these seven is not truly and properly a sacrament — let him be anathema.
Q. What are the keys of the kingdom? A. The preaching of the holy gospel and Christian discipline toward repentance. Both preaching and discipline open the kingdom of heaven to believers and close it to unbelievers.
Gregory argues that as the Word of God is not a mere utterance, so the Spirit of God is not mere breath. The Spirit who moved over the waters at creation and whom Christ breathed upon the disciples is a divine Person with will and power. As the Son is the living Word, the Spirit is the living Breath of God.

Cross-references

  • Acts 1:4 — And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
  • Acts 2:4 — And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
  • Acts 2:4 — And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
  • Acts 2:38 — Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
  • Acts 4:8 — Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
  • Acts 8:15 — Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
  • Acts 10:47 — Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
  • Acts 19:2 — He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
  • Ezek 37:5 — Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
  • Ezek 37:9 — Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
  • Gal 3:2 — This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
  • Gen 2:7 — And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
  • Gen 2:7 — And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
  • Job 33:4 — The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
  • John 7:39 — (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
  • John 7:39 — (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
  • John 14:16 — And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
  • John 14:26 — But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
  • John 15:26 — But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
  • John 16:7 — Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
  • Ps 33:6 — By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
  • Ps 33:6 — By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.