An Interpretation of "γλῶσσα" written in the 1 Corinthians ⑦

In 1 Corinthians, Paul gives counsel and advice with considerable weight to the disordered “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in the church, among the many problems arising in the Corinthian Church at that time. Judging from the context of 1 Corinthians 14, Paul does not appear to have grasped the exact reality of what the Corinthian church “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) is. He thought that the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) prevalent in the Corinthian Church was not only “foreign language tongues as gifts” or “the language of angels”, but also “an unknown tongue” in the negative. This is because Paul does not appear to have made a clear and consistent claim to “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians 14. So, if they want to speak in tongues, they are asked to do it in an orderly way through verification procedures such as interpretation. So, unfortunately, it doesn't remain, but the third letter, "Written with mourning in agony," is probably the answer to this problem.

With regard to the four epistles Paul sent to the Corinthian Church, an analysis of the time, place, and purpose of writing plays an important role in the interpretation of 1 Corinthians' “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα). This is because Paul's attitude toward “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in 1 Corinthians is quite ambiguous and it is rarely easy to understand its meaning. So, for an accurate analysis of Paul's point of view, the chart is summarized below.[32]

​

Table 1. Paul's Corinthian Ministry and Letters in Charts

Paul's case	Contents	Related scriptures	Remark
First Corinthian visit	Corinthian Ministry, Church Establishment	Acts 18
Hear from the Corinthian Church	The people of Chloe’s house delivered a message to Paul	1 Corinthians 1:11
First letter	Disappearance: “Don't get acquainted with the fornicated”	I Corinthians 5: 9
Interview with Corinthians	Paul interviews Apollos, Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus and recognizes the seriousness of the Corinthian events	I Corinthians 16: 12, 17
Second letter (1 Corinthians)	Scolding and admonishing the problems in the Corinthian Church, explaining “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα)	1 Corinthians 12-14
Report of the Corinthians from Timothy	Blame, slander, ridicule, Paul's apostolic suspicion False Apostle – The Corinthian Church Confusion	I Corinthians 4:17
Second Corinthian visit and confrontation with believers	Paul was greatly hurt by the believers. Traces of the second meeting can be found in 2 Corinthians	2 Corinthians 12:14, 20-21; 13:1-2
Third letter	Disappearance: mourning letter, causing church members to worry	2 Corinthians 7:6-10
Send Titus to Corinth (twice)	Eventually solved the problem of the Corinthian Church -à relief	2 Corinthians 2:12-13	,
Fourth letter	2 Corinthians: comfort and exhortation, self-defense Clues to “tongue” (γλῶσσα)	I Corinthians 14:33 2 Corinthians 12:20
Third Corinthian visit	After finishing the Ephesians ministry, I went to Corinth for 3 months and completely remedied the spiritual confusion of the Corinthian Church. "Romans" record	Acts 20:2-3

Paul wrote 2 Corinthians prior to his third visit, in which the clue to 1 Corinthians “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) is found in 2 Corinthians 12:20. “For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder” (2 Corinthians 12:20, NIV). The Greek word “ἀκαταστασία”, expressed by NIV as “disorder,” and translated by KJV as “tumults,” is “disorder, confusion.” The same expression appears in 14:33, which asked to order “tongue” and “prophecy.” Paul used the expression “ἀκαταστασία” instead of “tongue” (γλῶσσα) in 2 Corinthians. Before sending 2 Corinthians, Paul sent Titus twice to the Corinthian church and tried to solve the problems. Judging from 2 Corinthians, he seems to have solved the problem of “ tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) as well as all other problems. Here Paul would have been very displeased and wary of the disorganization of the “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) in the Corinthian church, and prevented these in the church. Paul seems to have solved all the spiritual problems of the Corinthian church by staying for 3 months on the third visit of the Corinthian church. Because at this time Paul wrote "Romans", in Chapter 12, “prophecy” is mentioned (Romans 12: 6) in the list of gifts , but “tongue (s)” (γλῶσσα) can be deleted from the list. As a result, Paul seems to have perceived the disorderly "tongue (s)" of the Corinthian Church negatively.

 

This post (posting) is a personally copyrighted article (including photos) from the Multilingual Bible Institute. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, and processing are not allowed, but can be used when specifying the source and URL of the material. This institute is an organization that supports the multilingual Reading the Bible movement for missionary activities and the Bible translation work of unreached minorities. In addition to the Bible Hebrew and Bible Greek classes for reading the Bible, the lectures of classical Latin are available (online and offline available). We also offer English courses through the BIBLE ENGLISH system, which is aimed at children and adults. This post (posting) is translated into four languages: English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, and is serviced all over the world, actively supporting the mission of Christian missionaries.

Inquiries about partnerships such as missionary activities: usedslr@gmail.com, YouTube: Multilingual Bible Research Institute