Journal: Conspectus
Volume: CONSPECTUS 28:1 (Sep 2019)
Article: An Evaluation Of Speaking In Tongues As Angelic Language From The Judaean And Early Christian Perspectives
Author: Eben de Jager

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Conspectus 28:1 (September 2019) p. 35

An Evaluation Of Speaking In Tongues As Angelic Language From The Judaean And Early Christian Perspectives

Eben de Jager

Keywords

Tongues of angels, angeloglossy, xenolalia, glossolalia, hebraeophone.

About The Author1

Eben de Jager

Masters Degree, UNISA. He is a member of Spirasa (The Spirituality Association of South Africa).

Abstract

In contemporary Pentecostal and Charismatic circles glossolalia is often referred to as the tongues of angels, with 1 Corinthians 13:1 being quoted. Yet writings on the tongues of angels available in the first century and the Judaean context from which Paul wrote do not support such a narrative. In addition, the Corinthian context and the writings of the Church Fathers also paint a picture not aligned with the contemporary view. An analysis of 1 Corinthians 13:1–3 shows it to be a weak support for establishing the concept of contemporary ‘angelic language’. Other influences may have given rise to the idea of glossolalia as the tongues of angels, but the Bible does not appear to support such a view.

This article: https://www.sats.edu.za/de-jager-an-evaluation-of-speaking-in-tongues

Conspectus 28:1 (September 2019) p. 36

1. Introduction

There are many different views on the gift of tongues, or glossolalia, in Christian circles today. Cartledge (2000:136–138) lists twelve possibilities of what the linguistic nature of glossolalia might be, based on his study of various scholars’ work. Similarly, Gulley (1998:135–136) also lists 12 possibilities, though his variations do not exactly match those identified by Cartledge. That having been said, broadly speaking with one exception,2 all these possibilities can be easily categorised into three major groups namely akoulalia,3 xenolalia4 and ecstatic speech.5 The exception mentioned, which would be listed as either ecstatic or xenolalic speech,6 holds that the gift of tongues is a heavenly language, often referred to as the language of angels (Banks and Moon 1966:279; Cartledge 2000:149; Dunn 1975:244; Hodge 1988:266; Tolmie 2011:5; Williams 1996:222) or as Fee (1987:630) puts it ‘the dialect(s) of heaven’.

The book Prophecy and Inspired Speech in Early...

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