Thursday, February 6, 2014

Speaking In Tongues

Speaking in tongues has continued on through the history of the church and reveals why it is not to be forbid even today:
Early Church history reveals this gift as legitimate and being practiced (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossolalia#Church_History_.28A.D._100_to_500.29)

1. For the prophetical gifts remain with us, even to this present time. (Justin Martyr, c.150)
a. Now, it is possible to see amongst us women and men who possess gifts of the Spirit of God. (Justin Martyr, c.150)
2. The early church Fathers also recount the lists of gifts of the Spirit recorded in the New Testament.
a. This is He who places prophets in the Church, instructs teachers, directs tongues, gives powers and healings, does wonderful works, often discrimination of spirits, affords powers of government, suggests counsels, and orders and arranges whatever other gifts there are of charismata; and thus make the Lord's Church everywhere, and in all, perfected and completed. (Novatian, c.200-c.258)
b. For God hath set same in the Church, first apostles...secondly prophets...thirdly teachers...next mighty works, among which are the healing of diseases... and gifts of either speaking or interpreting divers kinds of tongues. Clearly these are the Church's agents of ministry and work of whom the body of Christ consists; and God has ordained them. (Hilary of Poitiers, 360)[49]
c. Let Marcion then exhibit, as gifts of his god, some prophets, such as have not spoken by human sense, but with the Spirit of God, such as have both predicted things to come, and have made manifest the secrets of the heart; let him produce a psalm, a vision, a prayer -- only let it be by the Spirit, in an ecstasy, that is, in a rapture, whenever an interpretation of tongues has occurred to him; let him show to me also, that any woman of boastful tongue in his community has ever prophesied from amongst those specially holy sisters of his. Now all these signs (of spiritual gifts) are forthcoming from my side without any difficulty, and they agree, too, with the rules, and the dispensations, and the instructions of the Creator; therefore without doubt the Christ, and the Spirit, and the apostle, belong severally to my God. Here, then, is my frank avowal for anyone who cares to require it. (Tertullian, c.207)[51]

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