FAQ

The gift of “speaking in tongues,” “praying in tongues,” or simply “the gift of tongues,” in Greek “glossolalia,” is one of the many gifts of the Holy Spirit, which is given for edification in the faith and the growth of the Church. In different eras and in different parts of the Church, this gift manifests itself in various ways; at times it may become unnoticeable or noticeably transformed. This is natural, for the gifts of the Holy Spirit are always given with a specific purpose – “for edification.” Nevertheless, it can be affirmed that in one form or another, this gift always exists within the Church.

We know of at least three main varieties of this gift. First, it is the gift of speaking in a language unknown to the speaker. This is how the apostles spoke on the day of Pentecost. This is how, quite often, preachers and missionaries speak, and their word reaches the hearts of the listeners. It is essential that this form of glossolalia occurs if and only if a person is speaking about Jesus Christ, His Cross, and Resurrection. At present, this gift is rather rare.

Secondly, glossolalia may be expressed when a person, in prayer, praises God in a language that does not exist among the nations of the Earth. Usually, this is called “the tongues of angels.” Love for God, reverence before Him, and admiration for Him encompass at this moment not only the heart of a person, but also the mind, and the emotional sphere... And suddenly, the prayer pours out into words incomprehensible to the person himself. According to the testimony of ancient Christians, the Holy Spirit at the same time grants another person the gift of interpretation, so that “the Church might receive edifying.” This gift is also widespread enough at the present time to be a noticeable phenomenon in the Church. However, in our time, the gift of interpretation is found much less frequently. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the edification of the modern Church is carried out differently than in the ancient one. To understand this gift, it is important to keep in mind a number of points.

Speaking in the tongues of angels is given, as a rule (though not always), through the prayer of other Christians – those who have this gift. Furthermore, the speaker himself usually does not understand the meaning of his words. He perceives only a certain non-verbal meaning of the prayer in which he began to speak in such a language. In different parts of the Church there is a certain continuity, so that by how glossolalia manifests in a person's prayer, one can quite accurately understand in which Church he acquired this gift. The glossolalia of Pentecostals is not the same as that of Catholics, and the glossolalia of Lutherans differs from the glossolalia of the Orthodox. Often such glossolalia is similar to one of the languages unknown to man. According to our strictly personal impression, most often such glossolalia (across all confessions) resembles the ancient Hebrew and Aramaic languages. Perhaps the Holy Spirit engages some aspects of the person's personality unknown to us... It is fundamentally important that this form of glossolalia is given during prayer and for prayer, usually – for the glorification of God.

Thirdly, there is another form of glossolalia, closely related to the previous one. This should rather be called non-verbal prayer. The Apostle Paul says concerning this that the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. This prayer differs from the previous form in that distinct speech elements (words, phrases) are not always discernible in it, and in that such prayer is more often sung than spoken. Frequently, it is born as a continuation (and intensification) of our usual prayer and psalmody. In doing so, the Holy Spirit allows our heart to break out beyond the limits of human language, and to turn to God in some other, very personal, but non-verbal manner. Since profound antiquity, this glossolalia-prayer predominantly took place during worship. It was such a common thing that the ecclesiastical liturgical typicons of the second half of the first millennium even record moments in the divine service when this gift of the Holy Spirit usually manifests itself in the congregation. Some Orthodox typicons, including Russian ones, preserve such indications right up to the end of the 15th century. In general, since the end of the first millennium, this form of glossolalia has mostly transitioned, rather, into the realm of church-musical creativity.

Since the end of the 19th century, in different parts of the Church, the Holy Spirit has begun to bestow these gifts clearly again, although in different ways. This is probably due to the fact that different Churches have “dried up” to varying degrees in theological theorizing and lost the experience of a living connection with the Spirit. For edification in this, perhaps, the Lord is renewing these His gifts in us. It is important to note in conclusion that the only gift of the Holy Spirit that is inevitably necessary for the life of the Church, without which She does not exist – is the gift of love. The rest is given as needed…