Glossolalia

Tongues or speaking in tongues, glossolalia (loan word formation from ancient Greek γλῶσσα glōssa, German 'tongue, language' and λαλεῖν lalein, German 'to talk, to chatter, to speak') or language prayer means unintelligible speaking, especially in prayer. According to the New Testament, it is indeed a gift of grace of the Holy Spirit (charism), but it is subordinate to love as the greatest gift of grace (13:1-13 EU) as well as to the other gifts of grace (14:2-19 EU). Today's Pentecostal movement sees tongues as a form of prayer that emphasizes the special immediacy of praying to God.

The ability to speak in foreign languages without knowledge of them, as it is described in the Acts of the Apostles at Pentecost (Acts 2:4 EU), is called xenoglossia. In charismatic literature, however, the two are often not distinguished.

Occurrence

Tongues are mentioned in various places in the New Testament. However, the term "tongues" is a theological neologism following the Luther translation of 1545 in the sense of speaking in a foreign or incomprehensible language. For example, in the Gospel of Mark 16:17: "But the signs which shall follow them that believe are these: In my name they shall cast out evil spirits, speaking with new tongues (= languages) [...]." So originally not only unintelligible speaking is meant here, but speaking and understanding of foreign languages like on the day of Pentecost.

However, due to the openness of translation and a certain lack of clarity as to what exactly Paul is referring to in 1 Corinthians 14:1-40, an independent doctrine and practice of speaking in tongues has developed, which also refers to other scriptural passages: the conversion of Cornelius (Acts 10:44-48) as well as the Ephesian disciples (Acts 19:1-6).

Through the inspiration movement, a branch of radical Pietism, tongues as a modern phenomenon found its way into religious practice towards the end of the 17th century. In today's Christianity, it is practiced especially in the Pentecostal movement and the charismatic renewal, although it is evaluated differently (e.g. speaking in tongues as evidence of a person being filled with the Holy Spirit).

Biblical occurrence

Speaking in tongues is mainly addressed in two New Testament writings, Luke's Acts and the apostle Paul's 1 Corinthians. In addition, Isaiah 28:7-13 ELB is sometimes taken as Old Testament evidence of tongues.

Acts

Speaking in tongues occurs a total of three times in Acts:

"3 And there appeared unto them tongues as of fire, which were scattered abroad; upon each of them one settled. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in foreign languages, as the Spirit inspired them. 5 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 When the roar arose, the crowd flocked together and was completely dismayed, for everyone heard them speaking in his own language." (2:3-11 EU, note!).

"While Peter was still saying this, the Holy Spirit descended on all who heard the word. The Jews who had believed and who had come with Peter could not believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God." (10:44-46 EU).

"Paul laid his hands on them, and the Holy Spirit descended on them; they spoke in tongues and prophesied." (19:6 EU).

1 Corinthians

In chapter 12 Paul mentions tongues as one of many possible gifts of the Holy Spirit:

"There are different gifts of grace, but only one Spirit. ... But to each is given the revelation of the Spirit, that it may profit others. To one is given by the Spirit the gift of imparting wisdom, to another by the same Spirit the gift of imparting knowledge, to a third in the same Spirit power of faith, to another-always in the one Spirit-the gift of healing diseases, to another miraculous powers, to another prophetic speaking, to another the ability to discern the spirits, to another again various kinds of tongues, to another finally the gift of interpreting them." (12:4-11 EU)

In chapter 13, however, all these gifts are subordinated to love as the greatest gift. (13,1-13 EU)

Chapter 14 puts tongues into perspective and subordinates it to the other gifts, especially intelligible speech:

"But strive also for the gifts of the Spirit, especially for prophetic speech! For he that speaketh in tongues speaketh not unto men, but unto God: no man understandeth him. ... He that speaketh in tongues edifieth himself: but he that speaketh prophetically edifieth the church. I wish you all would speak in tongues, but far more, I wish you would speak prophetically. The prophet stands higher than he who speaks in tongues, unless the latter interprets his speaking; then he also builds up the church. What profit is it to you, brethren, if I come and speak in tongues before you, but bring you no revelation, no knowledge, no prophecy, no teaching? ... Since you are striving for spiritual gifts, make every effort that you may contribute thereby first of all to the building up of the church. Therefore let one who speaks in tongues pray that he may also interpret it. For if I pray only in tongues, my spirit prays, but my mind remains unfruitful. ... I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But before the church I would rather speak five words with understanding to instruct others also than stammer ten thousand words in tongues." (14:1-19 EU).

According to this, if a message is passed on in (incomprehensible) languages in a community, it should then be explained in understandable language. The passage has been understood as accepting the practice of speaking in tongues, but at the same time warning against abuses; the lower rank compared to prophetic speech and love was also emphasized.

Occurrence in the Pentecostal Movement

In the early days of Pentecostalism, many took it for granted that people with the gift of tongues could only pray in tongues because of an inspiration. Soon, however, it became accepted that there are different forms of speaking in tongues:

• First, tongues as a personal prayer language without interpretation, which is only for personal prayer or worship of God and edifies the worshipper. In addition, it is often used in intercession. It is intended to enable the pray-er to pray for intentions or persons (largely) unknown to him, and also to prevent the subjectivity of the pray-er from influencing the prayer. This personal prayer language is always available to anyone who has already prayed in tongues. Under this point also falls the singing in the Spirit often practiced in Pentecostal-charismatic services, where all participants sing together in tongues to God's praise.
• Besides this there is the spiritual gift of tongues with interpretation. This serves to pass on a message from God and must be interpreted. Such a message in tongues with interpretation is equal to prophecy.

Speaking in tongues therefore has nothing to do with ecstasy or trance. The person praying is fully conscious and can control the process, for example, begin or end the prayer, pray aloud or quietly. In the Pentecostal movement it is taken as a sign that the person has received the baptism of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. In other parts of the charismatic renewal, however, speaking in tongues has no such significance. They regard it as one of several spiritual gifts that one may or may not have. Speaking in tongues during a worship service or a prayer meeting, however, is also seen as a manifestation of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

In any case, this type of prayer excludes the conscious mind, because the person praying usually does not know what he is praying. Speaking in tongues can be practiced in the context of a worship service or a prayer community, but mostly in private prayer. Speaking in tongues, however, should be practiced in worship in an orderly fashion and not in a jumbled manner. This is especially referred to by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:27 LUT.

Social science research

Psychiatrist Andrew Newberg at the University of Pennsylvania conducted a study in 2006 on what happens in the brain during tongues. He tested five women and measured their brain activity while speaking in tongues and while singing gospel songs. In all five women, activity in the frontal lobe virtually ceased during tongues, indicating a reduction in self-control, while activity in the parietal lobe increased (reversed from meditation). This reduction in self-control is consistent with the statements of people who practice tonguespeaking.

Some psychiatrists in the psychiatric department of the Virovitica Hospital in Croatia studied the phenomenon and concluded that glossolalia temporarily enters a state of regression, which is a possible explanation for the positive, almost psychotherapeutic effect of glossolalia.

In a study written in 1937, the psychoanalyst Karl Motesiczky compared the phenomenon to an orgasm and interpreted it as a form of sexual sublimation.