Pentecostals, gibberish and Acts 2

Tongues of heaven, earth or just a delusion.

Introduction

Hardly a week goes by when I see some overconfident individual claim that Pentecostals don’t really speak in the Tongues that we see in scripture but rather in gibberish.

Apparently, when a modern Pentecostal / Charismatic speaks in Tongues it is fake or even worse, maybe demonic.

Usually, it is on social media and to be honest, the worst caricatures are found there so let’s quote someone else with a little bit more substantive argument.

“First of all, we need to look at what speaking of tongues actually involved in the first century church.  If we read Acts 2:1-12 we will find that the tongues spoken by the apostles were languages spoken by apostles who did not know these languages, but which were understood by the Jews in Jerusalem.  They spoke in the languages of Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Egyptians, Libyans and more. The natural conclusion is that miraculous tongues were actual human languages, known to the hearers, but not known to the ones speaking. This explains why those present understood these tongues to in fact be miraculous!  Paul commanded in 1 Corinthians 14 that when tongues were spoken in the church, they must be translated by someone who knew the language (or who was miraculously inspired to understand a language they also did not know?).  Again, these tongues were, apparently, actual human languages.” https://evidenceforchristianity.org/is-the-speaking-in-tongues-that-happens-in-churches-today-fake-or-is-it-inspired-by-the-holy-spirit/

Lets break this down and address this challenge because I think when we actually look at the text you don’t need to come to the conclusions that this writer insists at all.

I believe they are reading onto the text and in actual fact make assertions not really in Acts 2 and in their reference to 1 Cor 14.

Assertion:“First of all, we need to look at what speaking of tongues actually involved in the first century church” 

Me: Great, I am fully in agreement, let us look at that.

Assertion: "If we read Acts 2:1-12 we will find that the tongues spoken by the apostles were languages spoken by apostles who did not know these languages, but which were understood by the Jews in Jerusalem.  They spoke in the languages of Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Egyptians, Libyans and more. The natural conclusion is that miraculous tongues were actual human languages, known to the hearers, but not known to the ones speaking. This explains why those present understood these tongues to in fact be miraculous!” 

Me: Maybe, many would agree, including many Pentecostals but I don’t think it is particularly clear in the text despite the writers assertion.

Assertion: “Paul commanded in 1 Corinthians 14 that when tongues were spoken in the church, they must be translated by someone who knew the language (or who was miraculously inspired to understand a language they also did not know?).  Again, these tongues were, apparently, actual human languages.”

Me: This part is nearly laughable because it is a stretch and avoiding the actual text to make it more palatable to the materialist.

This is a straight up case of eisegesis. Paul commanded that when Tongues were spoke IN CHURCH (1 Cor 14:18 – 19), out loud, that they were to be interpreted.

He told us how this would happen in 1 Cor 12, and that is through the Spiritual Gift of “The interpretation of Tongues”, not by someone who naturally understood the language.

Paul also and importantly makes it clear that the Tongues referred to in 1 Cor 14, were in in fact directed toward God and not understood by anyone.

“For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.” 1 Cor 14:2

We can quickly put most of what this writer says to bed.

At best, the Tongues in Acts 2 were miraculous foreign languages given by God in a unique way as part of the initiation and declaration of the Church.

However, 1 Cor 14 is clear, that the one “who speaks in a Tongue does NOT SPEAK TO PEOPLE but TO GOD”

Most Pentecostals would actually embrace the idea that Acts 2 and 1 Cor 14 tongues are connected but different.

His argument bears little weight but lets go beyond simply stepping around this. Lets engage the text, especially of Acts 2 more deeply.

GLOSSALALIA and XENOLALIA

First I want to address a connected issue. When approaching this topic some try to make a lot about the idea of Xenolalia (unknown foreign known language) against or different from Glossalalia (unknown possibly heavenly language)

I don’t think this distinction is actually relevant.

We see this clearly when Paul speaks in 1 Cor 13:1 when he says

“If I speak in the tongues (γλώσσαις / Glossa) of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Cor 13:1

Whether an earthly language or a heavenly language, it is all glossa, even if when another speaks you don’t understand.

“ὁ γὰρ λαλῶν γλώσσῃ οὐκ ἀνθρώποις λαλεῖ ἀλλὰ θεῷ οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀκούει πνεύματι δὲ λαλεῖ μυστήρια” 1 Cor 14:2

“For anyone who speaks in a tongue (glossa) does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.” 1 Cor 14:2

From a human perspective, imagine hearing someone speaking Mandarin, or Kazakh or Kurdish. You may have seen this, the immature or ignorant would often joke about ‘their gibberish’, they may even mockingly mimic it.

Yet it is not gibberish, it is full of meaning and culture. It is only one’s ignorance of the language that makes one think such.

ARE THE TONGUES IN ACTS 2 and 1 COR 14 different?

As previously said, some understandably make the argument that whilst they are connected, they are different.  

In Acts 2 they apparently miraculously spoke different languages supernaturally that others naturally understood.

However, in 1 Cor 14, the one “who speaks in a tongue (glossa) does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.” 1 Cor 14:2

I understand that assumption. On a level I don’t even have a problem with that thought.

God is fully able and I believe has miraculously enabled people to speak a foreign language.

However, I disagree with most Pentecostals in this matter. The assertion that those who spoke in Tongues at Pentecost actually literally spoke these languages is actually not as clear as they claim and a number of early Church fathers, Greek speakers also saw or were open to a different or modified perspective.

Origen said,

"Each one heard what was said, not in the language in which it was spoken, but in his own." (Origen, Homilies on Ezekiel, Homily 6) (c. 184 – c. 253 AD)

John Chrysostom said,

“It was a greater miracle that they should speak in every tongue; but it was also a miracle that each man should hear them in his own language...” (Homily 4 on Acts 2) (c. 349 – 407 AD)

Now, in John’s case he believed both to be happening and that is possible of course but I am not convinced the miracle of supernatural human language is needed if there is Supernatural hearing.

I believe the most consistent understanding is that in Acts 2, in 1 Cor 14 and in my daily life the tongues spoken are largely not human language but rather, to use Paul’s words, “mysteries by the Spirit”

Acts 2 I believe shows us that there is not one miracle of speaking but two.

The secondary miracle is in the faith filled hearing the Tongue in their own language, a type of interpretation of Tongues, as seen in 1 Cor 14.

This supernatural tongue requires the Interpretation of Tongues.

INTO THE TEXT

I will cover this in English and Greek. Unsurprisingly the English translation reflects the Greek well.

"All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: 'Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?'” (Acts 2:4-8)

On the day of Pentecost, the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in "other tongues" (Greek: ἑτέρας γλώσσας, heteras glōssas).

Now, what we need to do is slow down and actually read the text not over it.

The key question is, “Did they actually speak these languages or were they heard in these languages?”

Now it is clear that the hearers understood what was being spoken. People quickly jump to the assumption that thus they were speaking them but I don’t think that is what is consistently understood through the text.

Let’s jump in. 

“When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?”

Slow that down, “Each of us hears them in our own native language”

Greek (Acts 2:6–8)

6 Γενομένης δὲ τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης συνῆλθεν τὸ πλῆθος καὶ συνεχύθη, ὅτι ἤκουον εἷς ἕκαστος τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ λαλούντων αὐτῶν.7 Ἐξίσταντο δὲ πάντες καὶ ἐθαύμαζον λέγοντες· Οὐχ ἰδοὺ πάντες οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ λαλοῦντες Γαλιλαῖοι; 8 Καὶ πῶς ἡμεῖς ἀκούομεν ἕκαστος τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ ἡμῶν ἐν ᾗ ἐγεννήθημεν;”

Again, to slow this down.

The phrase: ἤκουον εἷς ἕκαστος τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ

“each one” εἷς ἕκαστος:

“they were hearing” ἤκουον (ēkouon):

“in their own dialect/language” τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ:

In the grammar, this clearly emphasises the experience of the hearers. Luke could have framed it as “they were speaking in various dialects,” but instead he says they were being heard in them.

The individual is hearing WHO?, the Apostles speak in their own language.

I don’t believe we can consistently understand the “understanding” as anything other then a miracle in the hearing. 

Each individual is hearing their own language spoken not individually but from them.

The verb is ἀκούω (to hear), not λαλέω (to speak).

The focus is perceptual, what is understood, not primarily what is done by the Apostles.

The imperfect tense of ἤκουον (they were hearing) some might argue could mean that the Apostles were simply changing their languages spoken but this does not really sit well with the context.

It is not a difference of language, but a difference of perception in each individual that Luke emphasises. 

Use of διαλέκτῳ (dialect) and language (ἑτέραις γλώσσαις)

Some argue that Dialect and Language are used interchangeable in the context.

I don’t think this is the case if you look at their usage.

“καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν πάντες πνεύματος ἁγίου καὶ ἤρξαντο λαλεῖν ἑτέραις γλώσσαις καθὼς τὸ πνεῦμα ἐδίδου ἀποφθέγγεσθαι αὐτοῖς” 2:4

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues (glossa) as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:4

Now, again some jump to the conclusion this means that the “other tongue” they were speaking was a human language, yet that does not have to be the case.

Paul certainly did not thinks so (1 Cor 13:1; 14:2) 

They spoke in “other tongues” ( heteros glossa /  ἑτέραις γλώσσαις) however, they were heard in specific dialects (διαλέκτῳ)

“γενομένης δὲ τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης συνῆλθεν τὸ πλῆθος καὶ συνεχύθη ὅτι ἤκουον εἷς ἕκαστος τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ λαλούντων αὐτῶν” Acts 2:6

“When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language (dialektos) being spoken.” Acts 2:6

Now slow down for a second even more.

Catch the context, this was the middle of the Feast of Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22) celebrating the giving of the Law by Moses. Jewish people and Converts from Gentile nations had descended upon Jerusalem. Hearing people praise God in different languages in such a context would be entirely natural.

It is like going to a major metropolitan city in 2025 and acting shocked when you hear tourists speaking all sorts of languages.

The bewilderment is more consistently understood in the hearing because they were

“Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?” Acts 2:7

“ἐξίσταντο δὲ καὶ ἐθαύμαζον λέγοντες οὐχ ἰδοὺ πάντες οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ λαλοῦντες Γαλιλαῖοι” Acts 2:7

“Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?” Acts 2:8

“καὶ πῶς ἡμεῖς ἀκούομεν ἕκαστος τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ ἡμῶν ἐν ᾗ ἐγεννήθημεν” Acts 2:8

The contrast is seen in the different individuals ( ἕκαστος / Hekastos) hearing in their own language. “καὶ πῶς ἡμεῖς ἀκούομεν ἕκαστος τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ ἡμῶν”

More literally, “And how is it that we are hearing, each of us, in our own native language?”

The repetition of ἀκούομεν (we hear / hearing) and ἑκάστῳ τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ (in our own language) reinforces that the perception of the message is the central wonder of the crowd.

Luke could have easily written: “How are they speaking in all our languages?” but he doesn’t.

The bewilderment is framed around their hearing.

This is repeated in verse 11.

“both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs — WE HEAR THEM declaring the wonders of God in IN OUR OWN TONGUES!”

Note an additional thought, one of the nations mentioned is Judea.

The disciples were themselves from Galilee of Judea, they already spoke Aramaic and Hebrew.

There would  nothing miraculous to a Judean from Galilee to listen to other Galileans speak their own language unless something else astounded them. One hears in Judean Aramaic and another in Persian, another in Greek.

SO WHAT?

Why This Matters Theologically

Now, lets shift to the implications and an additional evidence.

I am not against God having enabled them to speak in other human languages. He absolute can, I just don’t lean to the perception that he did in this case.

I believe that the Apostles likely spoken an unknown language in the same or similar way to most modern Pentecostals and Charismatics. Languages of the Spirit, spoken to and about God in adoration.

As with 1 Cor 14, these tongues were speaking “of the wonders of God”. This is more consistently understood as praise TO GOD not some evangelistic message in itself.

Peter spoke that message later.

This understanding would make the miracle of Pentecost even more profound, as it emphasizes the Spirit of God not only enabling the speaker but the hearer.

Lets come full circle, when a modern Pentecostal speaks in Tongues, often the doubter ridicules whilst others see a miracle.

How can this be? Acts 2 (and 1 Cor 14) helps us in this.

When the Apostles spoke supernaturally in this moment, Jews and converts to Judaism from many different nations said “we HEAR THEM declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”

Note this, some hear the wonders of God. This is parallel with Pauls understanding of Tongues when he says “For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.”

The direction of this declaration is God.

Nonetheless, it has purpose, the universal declaration and demonstration of God’s covenant community being of and for all nations. “Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

However, that is not the universal response to the Apostles on this day.

“Some, however, made fun of them and said,

They have had too much wine.” Acts 2:13

If the disciples were speaking in foreign languages that were simply understood by some, there is essentially no basis for this ridicule.

However, if they were speaking what sounded like gibberish to some, well then, the ridicule and accusation of drunken behaviour or speech would be understandable.

Let me bring this home.

If all you have is ridicule when someone speaks in tongues, you are among those who missed the miracle and have missed the “wonders of God”.

I genuinely think you need to repent. You, like those who ridiculed on this day are on dangerous ground simply ridiculing rather then, asking “What does this mean?” (Acts 2:12)

When one understands this not only as a miracle of speaking in Tongues but as a miracle of different nations hearing it reinforces…

-         The universality of the gospel (Isaiah 66:18–19)

-         The idea of “reversal of Babel” (Genesis 11)

-         The birth of a new community not ethnically centred but one of the Spirit.

This is not an invitation of people to a western individualists worldview as some western Pentecostals naturally lean (missing the corporate dimensions) but rather it is a rich theological invitation to a deeper dive into the amazing work of the Spirit.

Some will always be amazed and others ridicule. Every time I speak in a Tongue, as I pray in the Spirit I am declaring the wonders of God, I am demonstrating in such that there is a new King in town, I am demonstrating this king is one of both the Heavens and the Earth.

"For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit." 1 Corinthians 14:2 (NIV)