Glossolalia

Glossolalia (from Greek / "tongue" and / "speak") is the ability to speak or pray aloud in a foreign language ( ) totally unknown to the speaker, or a series of incomprehensible syllables but has the appearance of a real language .

For Christians, glossolalia is the speaking in languages ", a phenomenon described in the Acts of the Apostles ( II, 6 ff. ). Sometimes it's the "language of angels "(glossolalia true). St. Paul insists on interpreting languages in the first epistle to the Corinthians .

From a medical standpoint, glossolalia is a language disorder that occurs in some patients suffering from mental illness. It consists in uttering words invented or modify existing words .

Speaking in tongues in the Scriptures

In the Gospels speaking in tongues is mentioned only in the Gospel of Mark :

"And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues, they shall take up serpents and if they drink any deadly thing, it will do them no harm, they impose hands on the sick, and they shall recover. "( Mk 16. 17-18 )

According to the Acts of the New Testament ( Acts 2. 1-4 ), the Holy Spirit descends upon the Pentecost on the disciples gathered, including the apostles. Still according to the Acts of the Apostles , this event is with a noise that attracts the crowds outside. Each member of the crowd hears and worship in their own language.

One might think that Paul of Tarsus refers to glossolalia in First Corinthians:

"

I might be able to speak the language of men and of angels, but if I did not love, my words are nothing more than a drum or a loud bell rings.

"

- Paul of Tarsus ( 1 Corinthians 13. 1 )

Here, the expression language of angels can possibly be interpreted as a language unknown to men.

However, nowadays, this manifestation of speaking in tongues is experienced. In fact, in Christian assemblies and charismatic, you can hear Christians pray in the language and message content in prayer is interpreted, either by themselves or by other Christians.

Description

Glossolalia is, for Christians, a manifestation of the gift that allows the faithful through the power of the Holy Spirit , speaking a language he never learned. (1 Cor 12:7-10) This sometimes occurs in the prayer with "inexpressible groanings" (Romans 8).

It may also, depending on the interpretation of Fulcanelli , maintained a secret language incomprehensible to avoid being detected, like the language of birds , synonymous language of angels.

Often, the subject does not understand himself, and is not included in his entourage. Some movements evangelical Protestants, such as Pentecostal , and charismatic Catholics to follow their attach great importance to this type of event. However Paul of Tarsus , which evokes the phenomenon, defines it as "the smallest of gifts of the Holy Spirit ", although he may rejoice to" speak in languages other than you "(1 Cor 14). This charism is considered the smallest because it is through him that we can open a multitude of others, in effect, it provides the person to be surprised by the Holy Spirit by showing humility and of freedom.

However, the gift of "speaking in tongues" doth not edify the people (church members), but his employer only because the language is not always understood by men. That is why Paul says "For he who speaks in tongues does not speak to men but to God , because nobody understands, and in spirit he speaketh mysteries. "(1 Corinthians 14:2) That is why Paul also said, if the ideas can be translated, and to refrain from speaking in language understood by all.

Interpreting languages

However, this interpretation remains highly questionable. The subject of St. Paul in chapter 14 of the first epistle to the Corinthians is to respect the Church and her kindness. He claims therefore that those who speak in other languages also have the gift of interpretation (which is complementary to the speaking in tongues):

"Therefore he who speaks in a tongue should pray to be able to interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind does not derive any fruit. What then? I will pray with the spirit, but I will pray with the understanding also. I say a hymn to the spirit, but I will say with the understanding also. "(1 Cor 14, 13-15)

It is therefore not a language unknown to men. The element that supports this thesis is that speaking in tongues is used for the evangelization (1 Cor 14, 21), so to speak to other men in current languages.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church , the Holy Spirit is the interpreter of Scripture.

Speaking in tongues in the Charismatic Churches

Today, the charismatic churches highlight the gifts of the Holy Spirit especially with speaking in tongues, and sometimes without these languages are real languages known. This causes a real debate because no one can verify if the gift is real or just a desire to have talent supernatural from God.

However, Paul asked the assembly to verify the sayings of prophets (1Co14: 29), but this becomes impossible when one claims to speak in an unknown language. Therefore, Paul asks those who speak in the language of silence if there is no interpretation (1Co14: 28).

Speaking in tongues in the Pentecostal

The Pentecostals distinguish three functions in tongues:

1. as the initial evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4, 10:46, 19:6) 2. developed as a language of prayer in daily prayer to God (1 Corinthians 14:2,4,18) 3. as a message in public monitoring of its interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:6,27)

Pentecostals believe that all Christians can get the baptism in the Holy Spirit if they are at least repentant and they have applied to God. Indeed, the promise "and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" in Acts 2:38-39 shows repentance and baptism by water as the normal prerequisites for receiving the Spirit is promised to each believer. The Pentecostals believe in public gatherings, a person with the gift of speaking in tongues is speaking in tongues during a church service for all to hear. They believe that God will give to another Christian present the gift of interpretation and that the Christian with the gift of interpretation is entitled to repeat the language of the audience that the first person said so that everyone can understand what has been said and be edified. They believe that not all are called to speak in tongues in public and to interpret the language, while all are called to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit and develop a language of prayer with God. That is what was mentioned by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12-14.

Yet another view is heard:

• Cessationists the claim that "speaking in tongues is not a sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit."

They are based on Biblical references: 1 Corinthians Chapter 12 and Chapter 10 verse 7-13 and 28-30.

Pentecostals respond that these passages speak of the exercise of speaking in tongues "in the assembly" for the edification of the church. Clearly, Peter has acknowledged speaking in tongues as a sign that the house of Cornelius had received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 10:44-46.

Speaking in tongues among the Mormons

The founder Joseph Smith ( 1805 - 1 844 ) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believed to glossolalia.

Speaking in tongues in Spiritualism

According to spiritualism , there exists another dimension inhabited by spirits, some of which are the spirits of the dead. These spirits, without a material body would be able to demonstrate using an individual voluntary bodies, called medium. When the bodies temporarily loaned by the medium are the organs of voice, it is a speaking medium . Where the spirit manifested in the vocal organs speak a language totally unknown to the medium (Russian or Greek for example), it is a multilingual medium . For followers of Spiritualism , the phenomenon of "speaking in tongues proves that the words spoken by the medium derived from a foreign intelligence to the medium . Spiritualists use the term glossolalia bit and instead use the term psychophonies to mention the same phenomenon .

Reviews

Critics say that this doctrine does not stick well to criticism from Paul made in respect of the Corinthian Church about the primitive tongues. Paul stated that speaking in tongues is one of the gifts of the Spirit and not given to all, there are other gifts that are given to others, including the gift of prophecy. (See 1 Corinthians, chapters 12 to 14 in the New Testament )

On the other hand, the conversion of Cornelius (Acts, Chapter 10 and 11) shows that the spirit manifested by speaking in tongues is comparable to the event of Pentecost (Acts 11:15). 10 years elapsed between the two facts. The case of John's disciples converted to Jesus in Acts 19 is still different, since we see the apostle impose his hands to his disciples, a gesture of transmission of the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, which was reserved only for apostles , according to Acts 8:18.

Adherents of speaking in tongues say that the Pentecostal position is closely in line with the emphasis of Luke in the Acts and reflects a more sophisticated use of hermeneutics. Moreover, they argue that speaking in tongues as the Holy Spirit gift and speaking in tongues as initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit are two different things that should not be confused. They believe that baptism of the Holy Spirit described in Acts of the Apostles must occur before a person can not be used for any of the gifts of the Spirit described in the first epistle to the Corinthians.

Neurology

The term has been included in neurology to denote the set of sentences ungrammatical some speaking subjects often occur subconsciously. It differs from code-switching (alternating languages used within the same sentence) as it is a complete deconstruction of language (the semantics and grammar ). It is a form of aphasia.

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