An Interpretation of "γλῶσσα" written in the 1 Corinthians ②

Ⅱ. Method and scope of research

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A. Term definition of "tongue (s)" (γλῶσσα)

"Tongue(s)" are called “bangun” in Korean, which means in the meaning of plural and singular. In 1 Corinthians 14, the singular and plural forms are used together. More technically, the word Glossolalia(tongue) is a composite of two Greek words. This word is a compound word for “tongue (s)” created in the 19th century, it is a combination of the word “γλῶσσα” (tongue) and the word “λαλέω” (to speak).[5]

In the Life Bible vocabulary, it is said, “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) as a “word” is the language of each province (Ne. 13:24; Isa. 36:13; Zech. 8:23; Revelation 7: 9), that is foreign language. (Acts 2:4–11) and ② the mysterious language spoken in the state of being ecstatic by the work of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Holy Spirit that God gives to a special person (1 Corinthians 14:2, 21–22). Therefore, not all people who are converted have the "tongue (s)" phenomenon.” [6]

Stanley Mr. Bruges studied the examples of the Middle Ages and categorized “tongue (s)”: “xenolalia,” which refers to a foreign language he himself do not know; “Heteroglossolalia,” which is “people hear in their own language when someone speaks a foreign language”; “Akolalia” with no sound heard; There is also a “glossolalia” that is spoken in a language that is not generally understood.[7] His theory of “heteroglossolalia” would play a decisive role in the interpretation of 1 Corinthians 14:21 in the main text.

Many believers today misunderstand that only the Holy Spirit is the source of the “tongue (s). Looking at the various literatures on the “tongue (s), it is surprising that the source of the “tongue (s)” is not just the Holy Spirit. There are also “tongue (s)” given by evil spirits, and psychologically, “tongue (s)” can be caused by multiple personality phenomena due to dissociation.[8] Thus, in this paper, we will infer the situation when the Apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 14 to confirm whether the “tongue (s)” phenomenon of the Corinthian church came from the Holy Spirit or not.

In the New Testament, the term “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) are seen about 50 times, meaning “tongue,” “foreign languages,” “languages of angels,” and “religious extasy” (an unknown tongue). The general controversy is that scholars have different views of what “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians 14 means. Therefore, this paper will focus on understanding the meaning of 1 Corinthians 14 from the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) found in the New Testament.

B. Research method

In this paper, to understand the Biblical meaning of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα), we will first examine the cases of the preceding studies and the original intentions of the Apostle Paul, who wrote 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians, especially in 1 Corinthians. Secondly, we will analyze in depth the meaning of the controversial 1 Corinthians "tongue(s)" (γλῶσσα) in relation to the "tongue(s)" (γλῶσσα) of the modern church, especially the exact Biblical meaning shown in 1 Corinthians 14.

First of all, 1 Corinthians is a valuable letter that contains the very specific and sincere Apostle Paul's Christian philosophy of how to deal with the many problems arising in the Corinthian church. Perhaps most of the problems encountered in modern churches would have occurred, and there are many ways to deal with them there. It is also hard to understand that so many problems have occurred in a church that was not so large. Paul's solutions to the problems surrounding the Corinthian church will reveal the problems and solutions of the modern church. It is important to note that, among these many issues, Paul focused on the issue of “tongue (s), with a lot of pages, which means that he perceived as serious. All of this was not apparent at the time of Paul's ministry at the Corinthian church, but it was likely to occur shortly after his leaving Corinth. For Paul does not seem to have written with certainty about the reality of the “tongue (s)” of the Corinthian Church at the time of writing 1 Corinthians.[9] In 1 Corinthians, he remained a lot of possibilities to interpret differently “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα). In addition, he seemed to be inconsistent enough in his own words to cause confusion for later interpreters. However, Paul does not mention “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in the following epistles such as 2 Corinthians, Romans, etc. Judging from this, the problem of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) seems to have been completely resolved until around 2 Corinthians’ writing.”

In this paper, first, in relation to the interpretation of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians 14, we will conduct academic precedent studies on the theory of “γλῶσσα” as ① “ecstasy utterance” (including “unknown sound”) ② theories of “foreign languages” ③ the theory that “an known tongue” and the meaning of “foreign language” are mixed.

Next, to analyze the use of 1 Corinthians, we will examine the meaning of “γλῶσσα” as the phenomenon of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in Mark and Acts. We will also analyze the use of the Revelation to determine the meaning of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians, including the analysis of “Lashon” (לָשׁוֹן) in Isaiah 28:10.

Finally, the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) written in 1 Corinthians 14 is divided into the usuage of singular and plural. The plural will clearly distinguish the meaning of “foreign languages” from the singular “speaking of ecstasy ”(an unknown tongue). In particular, since 1 Corinthians 14 expresses only “tongue” in Korean, the two meanings are alternately used to confuse interpretation. Therefore, we will clarify and address this. In this regard, the King James Version (KJV) refers to "tongues" when it refers to a foreign language, and "extatic utterence" is exactly translated as "an unknown tongue."

C. Scope of the study

For an accurate interpretation of “γλῶσσα”, we will analyze the text of the first part of 1 Corinthians 14. In particular, Chapter 14, verse 2, “ὁ γὰρ λαλῶν γλώσσῃ οὐκ ἀνθρώποις λαλεῖ ἀλλὰ θεῷ · οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀκούει, πνεύματι δὲ λαλεῖ μυστ”. Among these, we will examine in detail the translation of “θεῷ”, “πνεύματι”, and “δὲ”, which seem to be misinterpreted in the Korean version. In this regard, while NA28 does not use the definite article before “θεῷ”, we will consider the fact that “TR1550MR” (Textus Receptus) uses the definite article (τω θεω) and the Greek semicolon (‘·’, in English ‘;’) in two places. We will also try the correct interpretation of 14: 4. This will determine whether Paul sees the “γλώσσῃ” as a singular in a positive or negative way. In addition, we will also analyze the grammar structure of 1 Corinthians 14:14 “ἐὰν [γὰρ] προσεύχωμαι γλώσσῃ, τὸ πνεῦμά μου προσεύχεται, ὁ δὲ νοῦς μου ἄκαρπός ἐστιν. Similarly, we will examine the comparison of versions and their use cases. This may infer the apostle Paul's attitude toward “an unknown tongue”.

In Chapters 14:21 and 22, we will demonstrate why Paul intentionally used plural expression(ἑτερογλώσσοις) instead of the singular expression “ἑτερογλώσσος”in the process of quoting the Old Testament.

The New Testament does not use “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in one sense. In particular, in 1 Corinthians, “tongue (s)” (γλσσσα) is used in at least over two meanings (foreign language” and “utterance of ecstasy), and “utterance of ecstasy (unknown sound)” also has positive and negative aspects. This paper will analyze this closely.

However, I do not think that this study can make an objective conclusion about the effectiveness of the “tongue (s)” of the Pentecostal movement. The singular “tongue” might be not only a “ecstatic utterance” but also an “unknown language of the unknown race”. It is also clear that in general, in the case of “ecstasy”, there are many believers who actually feel the positive effects. And this "tongue (s)" phenomenon of modern churches will again require complex classification and argumentation. Therefore, the scope of this study is to clarify the meaning of “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians 14, and this study is expected to give a good suggestion on the spiritual phenomenon of modern church.

 

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