12 “Charism” in the Bible Biblical scholars unanimously agree that St. Paul used the term “charism” precisely the same way we’re doing it today: to defi ne the gifts, which the Holy Spirit gave to men so they may serve God in the community of the faithful. This term is almost completely absent from the classic Greek or the mystery religions of the Hellenistic societies and its sporadic appearance is unrelated to the topic. In the biblical Greek, this word was used 17 times in the New Testament: 16 times by St. Paul and just once by St. Peter in his First Letter (4:10). Admittedly, the word “charism” does not appear in the Old Testament, but we fi nd many passages speaking about the presence of the Holy Spirit in persons carrying out special functions in the history of salvation and the special gifts imparted to such people. There is Moses who passed on the Divine Spirit by laying hands on Joshua; there are the judges Othniel, Gideon, Jephthah, the kings Saul and David, and the prophets called “men of the spirit” (Hos 9:7). In St. Paul’s letters, we fi nd four listings of 20 different charisms (1 Cor 12:8-10; 1 Cor 12:28-30; Rom 12:6-8; Eph 4:11). However, it seems as if the Apostle to the Nations claimed the right to making a complete list of the Spirit’s gifts which God had offered the faithful. Describing the charisms present in the Corinthian community, St. Paul divides them into four groups: gifts of grace (charismata), to which he attributes all phenomena mentioned in this listing (1 Cor 12:4-31); spiritual gifts (pneumata), which are a special manifestation of the Holy Spirit: the wisdom of speech, knowledge, and faith (1 Cor 12:1; 14:1); gifts of service (deacon’s), which are strictly defi ned, permanent functions and tasks to be performed (1 Cor 12:5; 2 Cor 9:12); gifts of various manners of action (energemata), in which the power of God is particularly manifested (1 Cor 12:6). In these charisms, the Apostle to the Nations sees the effectiveness of the action of Divine grace offered by the same Spirit to the individual faithful, regardless of their offi ces and functions in the Church. Charisms are granted in an individual and diversifi ed manner, in order to enable the faithful to carry out a special mission or a special service essential for the life and growth of the entire Mystical Body (cf. 1 Cor 14:12; 1 Cor 12:4-11.12-27.28-31). Saint Paul strongly emphasizes the fact that charisms, although granted as personal gifts to particular individuals, are not for their exclusive personal use: they are not to benefi t the recipient alone. Charisms fulfi ll a social function: they are given with the communal good in mind, to enrich the community and to stimulate • • • •
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