tongues: the location of the city of Corinth. Corinth was a seaport town and thus, in all probability, it was multi-lingual. That is, its residents talked many lan guages which they had learned by conversing with the sailors, tourists and traders who came into port from other lands. It is quite probable that a number of the folk who attended the church services at Corinth talked several languages. Of course, keep in mind that the services in the early church were very informal, not at all like our rigid programs today in which we strictly follow a set order or ritual. Anyone in the early church could speak during the service in proper order—one person after another—and say whatever the Lord laid on his heart. There was no one-man-preaching-service. However, if a foreign-born person from another land happened to be in the congregation for the day, and could speak only his own native tongue and not the Greek which was characteristic of the Corinthian assemblies, he was not permitted to speak at all unless he had ascertained in advance that there was an interpreter present to trans late what he was to say. Besides, not more than two or three foreign-language speakers were to talk at any given service, and always only when an interpreter was present. This is the significance of First Corinthians 14:26-28. Apparently, Paul himself was able to speak several languages too, as he suggests in verse 18. Yet he never tried to “ show off” this ability. Indeed, he said (v. 19) that he would far rather speak five words with the clear mental intention of instructing people, than ten thou sand words in another language which would mean abso lutely nothing to them. What, I think, has confused some people about this tongues-speaking is the inclusion of the word unknown in the Authorized (King James) Version. For First Corinthians 14:2 reads, “he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men but unto God . . .” This has led some people to feel that this “ unknown” tongue was some secret, esoteric, heavenly language, not able to be understood by man. Notice, however, that the word “ unknown” is in italic type in the Bible. This means the word has been supplied by the translators and is not in the Greek text at all. The Greek text simply says “he that speaks in a tongue [language] . . .” Obviously, this has reference to one of the languages of the day, perhaps not under stood by most of the Corinthians, but definitely in use somewhere in the then-known world. Yet, apparently, God occasionally gave His people the ability to speak other languages, even though they did not know them, had not studied them, and did not
understand what they were saying. He might do this so that some foreign-speaking person could hear the Gospel in his own language right there in Corinth—just as had happened at Pentecost. Keep in mind again what we have already stated—that Corinth was a seaport town and foreigners were constantly coming and going, in and out of the port. Would it not be helpful to the total program of God for these people to receive the Gospel in their own language while they were in Corinth ? God enabled the Christians at Corinth to speak these languages supematurally in order to minister the Word on the spot. Some years ago, in the New York Bible Class which the late Dr. Donald Grey Bamhouse taught for 32 years, an incident took place which excellently illustrates the point we are making in this article. A note was sent to Dr. Barnhouse in the pulpit that there was a Roman Catholic priest in the audience who spoke only French and perhaps a few words of English. Dr. Bamhouse spoke French fluently and so, in the middle of his ser mon that evening, he stopped and asked permission from the audience to say a few words to this Roman Catholic priest in French so that he might hear the Gospel while he was there. Then, for about five min- " . . . some people are confused by the word 'unknown / " utes, Dr. Bamhouse spoke in French directing his. re marks specifically to the Catholic priest who was there. I well recall that that evening two or three late comers to the service entered while Dr. Barnhouse was speaking in French. They stood in the back of the room, puzzled, wondering if perhaps they were in the wrong service since obviously this service was being conducted in a foreign language which they did not understand. This was the very sort of situation which took place at Corinth as well. And this is true glossalalia which serves a valid purpose. It is the sort of thing that Paul means when he speaks about “ a tongue”— i.e., an exist ing language that could be understood by someone. It is this that makes tongues-speaking practical. Frankly, one thing that makes me so skeptical of today’s glossalalia is that it is so utterly impractical. It accomplishes nothing to have someone simply utter some incomprehensible gibberish. Obviously, if a per son speaks in another language, those who hear him if they do not understand it, gain nothing from what he says. This is why First Corinthians 14 puts such a serious damper on tongues-speaking and urges prophecy instead. Prophecy is declaring the will of God to His people, whether it pertains to the present or future. Because prophecy is proclaimed in the vernacular lan guage people understand, it is infinitely more beneficial than someone’s talking in a foreign language. At this point, the reader is urged to read First Corinthians 14:1-5.
Dr. Ehrenstein is Director o f Biblical Studies fo r the Evangelical Foundation, Inc., Philadelphia, and Consulting Editor of ETERNITY. He also teaches three weekly city- wide Bible classes in New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
NOVEMBER, 1964
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