Tongues of heaven and earth: the varieties of glossolalic interpretatio
Keywords:
glossolalia, speaking in tongues, diglossia, gift, sign, interpretation of tongues, Holy Spirit.Abstract
Glossolalia, one of the most researched phenomena of the Christian world, can be viewed from three basic perspectives: (1) as a normal expression of known languages, but improper for the occasion, violating the accepted diglossia (naturalistic model), (2) as a supernatural expression of unlearned human languages (miraculous model), and (3) as an enthusiastic expression of inarticulate speech (ecstatic model). The biblical pattern seems to fit better into the miraculous model, but could include elements of the ecstatic model. For both Luke and Paul, the gift of tongues is an inspired intelligible utterance with multiple purposes, revelational/doxological content, and one source/origin (the Spirit). After decades of research, the ambiguity of this phenomenon still remains. However, a few provisional “certainties” can be outlined: (1) the understanding of glossolalia is highly dependent on one’s theological presuppositions; (2) the glossolalic phenomenon is not peculiar to Christian charismatism; (3) glossolalia has multiple possible sources; (4) modern glossolalia can be identified with a learned behavior and bear no intelligible content; (5) glossolalia has a communitarian dimension; (6) glossolalia implies an altered state of consciousness; (7) current psychological research on glossolalia seems more objective; (8) glossolalia should not be taken as a sign of orthodoxy or higher spiritual status; (10) glossolalia in Christian settings should have a minimum of correspondence to the New Testament phenomenon.
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