Speaking in tongues is a charismatic gift (1 Cor. 12; Mk. 16:17-18), as is the interpretation of tongues. The usual understanding of it has been that these gifts involve speaking in an unknown language and understanding an unknown language (Acts 2:4-8). St. Thomas Aquinas states, "As it is written (1 Cor. 12:7), 'the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man unto profit'; and consequently both Paul and the other apostles were divinely instructed in the languages of all nations sufficiently for the requirements of the teaching of the faith." So, the general opinion of theologians in the past, and I believe today, is that the language spoken is an actual language.
Within the charismatic renewal, there seems to be two phenomenon, "tongues" as traditionally understood, and a kind of "babbling" that is not a discernable human language. A friend of mine had a prayer tongue which she used for years, until a Franciscan bible scholar was visiting her parish and attended a prayer group meeting, after which he informed her that she was speaking in Aramaic. In another, not so happy, example, another friend, while still an Episcopalian, attended a Pentecostal meeting out of curiosity with a foreign missionary of his church who spoke a Chinese dialect. While there the missionary suddenly confronted a woman speaking in tongues, telling the Pentecostal pastor that she was cursing God in a Chinese dialect he knew. While one example seems positive, and the other negative, they both illustrate a problem, this gift is faciliated by angels, and both sides of the spiritual battle have the same angelic nature. If the good guys can do it, the bad can, too. Thus, for this kind of speaking in tongues there needs to be an interpreter, if it is to benefit anyone, or if in public (cf. 1 Cor. 14:17-28). Only then can the tongue be discerned as from God or the enemy. In private, a person who has an authentic gift, discerned as such by the community (as my friend's was by this Franciscan), could reasonably assume they are praying, not blaspheming. As for the second phenomenon, renewal theologians, and Pentecostals, point to another verse, 1 Cor. 14:2, "For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to human beings but to God, for no one listens; he utters mysteries in spirit." They say that this is a heavenly language between God and the person. The Church has never approved or condemned this thesis, so it is still an open question. However, the traditional view that it is a language seems to be supported by verses 1 Cor. 14:6-12, especially 10-11, "It happens that there are many different languages in the world, and none is meaningless; but if I do not know the meaning of a language, I shall be a foreigner to one who speaks it, and one who speaks it a foreigner to me." St. Paul is speaking of tongues in the context of real languages. My own opinion is that under the pressure to perform, and I have heard stories of people being urged to try and try and try, sometimes for hours, until they can speak in a "tongue," a human being is able to produce this babbling without any preternatural (i.e. angelic) assistance. It may be very therapeutic, but it is a work of the human spirit, not an angelic spirit, as in a true charismatic gift. It is also probably harmless, unless it leads to pride. God bless. - Colin Donovan
COPYRIGHT 2013 Click
here to send this Question and Answer to a friend |
