Re: 1Cor. 14:14 Tongues

From: Larry W. Hurtado (hurtado@cc.umanitoba.ca)
Date: Tue Oct 10 1995 - 18:00:18 EDT


On Mon, 9 Oct 1995 BibAnsMan@aol.com wrote:
(in part, much deleted):

> The term "GLWSSAIS LALEIN" was a term used by the Greco-Roman culture to
> refer to the pagan language of the gods produced through people in an
> ecstatic trance. This was always gibberish. It was not a known language.

Could you please cite the refs. where "Greco-Roman culture" used the
expression as you claim? And, by the way, Paul's discussion of tongues
in 1 Cor 12-14 shows that (a) he approved of the phenomenon and practiced
it himself, and (b) he insisted that it was *not* ecstatic but thoroughly
under the control of the huma speaker (thus, *not* at all the mantic
model of speech we find, e.g., in the Delphi oracle etc.).
        The larger, deleted portion of the above posting turned to
hortatory sentiments about current religious practices. While we all
may have our own sentiments, they should not cloud our reading of NT
texts. My immediate concern is not whether this or that group wishes to
encourage or discourage what it regards as "tongues-speaking", but what
it was Paul said!

Larry Hurtado, Religion, Univ. of Manitoba



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