At the time of the birth of Christ, the Septuagint was the common form in which the Old Testament Scriptures (embellished with various fables) had become diffused. This translation of the Hebrew into the Greek Language was in the hands of the Gentiles as much as the Jews. [Taken from the introduction to the Septuagint.] The common language spoken at that time was Greek.
Listed below are the only scriptures in the new testament which indicate that Greek was the common language:
(John 5:2) "Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches."
(Acts 21:40) "And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,"
(Acts 22:2) "(And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)"
(Acts 26:14) "And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks."
(Revelation 9:11) "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon."
(Revelation 16:16) "And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."
(Acts 2:4) "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."
(Acts 2:8) "And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?"
God's setting of tongues in the early church:
(1 Corinthians 12:28) "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues."
The above reading indicates there were other churches who had the various gifts of tongues, and not only the Corinthians.
The apostle Paul begins his discussion of tongues with this opening:
(1 Corinthians 12:1-2) "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. {2} Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led."
It is said the Gentiles used the mannequin type idol and employed the art of ventriloquism to deceive the people into thinking the idol could speak. Thus, Gentiles generally accepted the false notion that these idols derived their speech from a supernatural source.
The word "gifts" in this passage, referring to spiritual gifts, has been added by the translators. The Greek text renders the word "spirituals." We must be aware that when the word "spirituals" is used ( as the KJV renders "spiritual gifts"), all nine gifts listed in 1 Cor. 12:7-11 are to be considered.
(1 Corinthians 12:7-11) "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. {8} For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; {9} To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; {10} To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: {11} But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will."
As a continuation of the love chapter of the bible, the apostle places the emphasis on charity and prophecy.
The word "unknown" has also been added and rightfully so. Tongues of different nationalities are not unknown but understood. Regarding the kind of tongues this verse refers to, the key word to be considered with respect to the balance of the discourse is "mysteries."
We will refer to "in the spirit" later in our discussion.
The apostle is strongly discouraging the use of tongue speaking.
Paul cannot emphasize enough the welfare of the entire body of Christ by their mutual participation.
It is obvious that not all spoke in these tongues, but as has already been read, the Holy Spirit imparted to them differently as he saw fit. If a tongue was interpreted, the church would receive edification.
There was no profit in tongue speaking to the saints.
In other aspects of life these principles are easily understood, but the Corinthians chose to ignore these realities.
This is a continuation of his thoughts.
Simple plain language versus none at all.
More of the same.
Nothing can be established.
In other words, refrain from speaking in tongues.
The tongue must be interpreted, otherwise, don't speak it.
This is the beginning of difficulties: when each one prayed in a tongue, only his spirit was praying and his mind was void of the understanding of what was being prayed. Our spirit is what animates the tongue as any other part of the body. The phrase "my spirit prayeth" indicates only the use of a mysterious tongue.
The heart and mind of man reign supreme over his spirit, but if the heart allows the spirit to go unchecked, it will do things not of his approval. The listing of the verses below are to show that man can control his spirit. These verses are not intended to reflect that the Corinthians were doing something with their spirit contrary to their better judgment.
(Proverbs 16:18) "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."
(Proverbs 16:32) "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city."
(Proverbs 25:28) "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls."
Regarding the condition of an unfruitful "understanding" when the spirit prays in an unknown tongue, Thayer, p. 429, states that it is, "the spirit intensely aroused and completely absorbed with divine things, but destitute of clear ideas in them." If we pray with the understanding, others listening will understand also. The prayers mentioned here were all audible, but not all were understandable.
The translators of the Greek New Testament of 1550 rendered the word "spirit" in this passage with a capital "S", meaning the Holy Spirit of God, whereas the translators of the KJV and others render the letter in the lower case, meaning our spirit. Remember that all letters in the earliest manuscripts were in the upper case. This is the one area where translators have had their difficulties.
In order for them to have had an understanding of what was being prayed, they must have prayed and sang with the Holy Spirit. There are millions who pray to God on a daily basis who refuse to hear the law of God. Those as well as those who are disobedient in the church, cannot under any circumstance pray in the Holy Ghost. They pray with their spirit and understand what they are saying, but because of their rebellious nature, their prayers do not get above the room.
(Proverbs 28:9) "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination."
The gist of the thought here is, if they prayed in spirit only (which would be in a mysterious tongue) the Holy Spirit would not provide the understanding. However, the Holy Spirit is the power who allows the tongue to be spoken in the first place.
Regarding those inspired of the Holy Spirit to speak God's word, Thayer states at p. 118 that ". . . according to the more rigorous conception of inspiration nothing human in an inspired man was thought to be active except the tongue, put in motion by the Holy Spirit."
On the other hand, when they prayed (as well as when we pray) to God in Spirit and understanding, they were praying in the Holy Spirit.
(Jude 1:20) "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,"
God be thanked for this one and only verse in the bible which sheds much light on the subject.
(Romans 8:26-27) "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. {27} And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God."
(Romans 8:34) "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."
(Romans 8:14) "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."
Here again, the phrase "bless with the spirit" means to pray in a tongue.
The prayer is accurate, but unfruitful.
Note Paul uses tongues in the plural, meaning more than one.
The apostle strongly discourages tongue speaking, whereas the denominations flaunt it. Actually, neither the denominations nor anyone else can speak in those tongues.
Now here comes the real eye opener! The word "understanding" used thus far in all of Paul's discourse indicates a speaking that others can understand. Paul says, do not be children in understanding (speech), but be mature adults. If they wanted to be like small children, be like them regarding malice; because children do not harbor malice. In other words, the ones who did not have the gift of tongues were using baby talk or gibberish in order to convince others they had the gift! What else is new? The denominations have refined their baby jargon to a much more sophisticated form of so-called tongues. They have gone from rolling in the floor to more civilized behavior, and now back to rolling in the floor and boasting of being spiritually drunken. There are many former drug addicts who have found this element of religion a suitable replacement for their need to be on a high. Those in the business are highly skilled at getting someone on a spiritual drunk and keeping them there.
Thayer, at p. 118, describes exactly what was going on in Corinth: ". . . this, as appears from 1 Cor. 14:7 sqq., is the gift of men who, rapt in an ecstacy and no longer quite masters of their own reason and consciousness, pour forth their glowing spiritual emotions in strange utterances, rugged, dark, disconnected, quite unfitted to instruct or to influence the minds of others." Here is how my son, Paul Rommel Tenison, recently explained it:
"Years ago, I did a study on speaking in tongues, and I was unable to locate a reference in Thayer to baby talk. Thayer does distinguish what the Corinthians were doing, referring to it as a form of self hypnosis brought about by uncontrolled emotions. He didn't use exactly these words. In other words, the Corinthians desired the gift of tongues so badly, they literally psyched themselves into it. Since none of them knew foreign languages, the only strange utterances their brains could conjure up were the submerged memories of their baby talk. This is similar to what happens when a hypnotist regresses his subject back in time, all the way to childhood and infancy. The hypnotized person begins using the same language sounds he did as a small child, which proves that it's all stored in the memory."
Tongues, like the miracles, were not very effective in reaching the lost.
Speaking in tongues was for the unbeliever and prophecy was for the believer.
In this particular reading when the whole church came together, the express purpose was for bible study, or as we say, "bible class." Tongue speaking was to impress the unlearned or the unbeliever, but if abused (as in a tongue-speaking free-for-all), this "gift" became a negative rather than a positive.
The end result of prophecy is the teaching of the word in order to convince the unbeliever.
The unbeliever could worship God, but to no avail. Simply falling down on his face and worshipping God would not save him.
Again the setting is a bible class.
Order was the only method whereby tongues could be effectively spoken.
If the interpreter(s) were sick or out of town, then they weren't to speak in tongues.
Same thing.
Act civilized.
Again, the class setting.
As mentioned before, we should be and can be in control of our spirits. Self control must be exercised.
1 Cor 13:8-10 "Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away......For we know in part, and we prophesy in part......But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away."
Chapter fourteen is a follow up of thirteen, whereby, charity or love is superseding all of the nine spiritual gifts imparted by the Holy Spirit found in chapter 12:7-11. Here the apostle Paul is specifically speaking of three of these nine gifts, prophecies, tongues and knowledge that will be removed from the indwelling of the saints.
The apostles and others did not begin to write the new testament in letter form until about the early 50's some twenty years after the establishment of the church. None of the saints had any knowledge or understanding of what to preach except what the Holy Spirit gave them. Four of these gifts were healing, tongues, interpretation of tongues and miracles that served only as an aid to preach the gospel and convince the unbeliever.
In no way does "that which is perfect is come" is the second coming of Christ. This is the perfection of God to the perfecting of the saints and work of the ministry.
That which was perfect to come was the new testament of Christ completed in written form and the church becoming full grown in Christ. Then all of the miraculous gifts would cease to be. The phrases "they shall fail", "they shall cease", "it shall vanish away", all mean they will be terminated.
(1 Corinthians 13:1) "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."
Were the mysterious tongues spoken by the Corinthians, the tongues
of angels or men? The answer will never be known.
Click to Return to Articles Page