[B-Greek] tongues - languages and Chrysostom

Gary S. Shogren gshogren at racsa.co.cr
Thu May 26 20:29:33 EDT 2005


Jeffrey T. Requadt remarked: "GLWSSA in [certain biblical] contexts does
not necessarily refer to a real 'language' normally spoken by human beings
(I'm not making any theological or exegetical conclusions here, just
trying to point out what the word may very well have meant to the original
hearers)..."

Good point, and the phrase "meant to the original hearers" is what caught
my attention...I just happened to be reading a remote passage from
Chrysostom this afternoon, and there is a relevant section for whether
GLWSSAI are the same in Acts 2 and in 1 Cor. 12-14. This gets complicated:
it is found in his almost unknown book In principium Actorum
(aka Homiliae in principium Actorum apostolorum) - not the series in NPNF 2,11.
It is found in PG 51.93 and is in TLG under the first title I mention above.
(A fairly decent parallel is also located in Homilies on 1 Corinthians 29.1
([NPNF 2, 11]). He refers to the phrase GENH GLWSSWN in 1 Cor. 12:28 and
then defines this by referring the hearer back to Acts 2, where the variety
of languages included Greek, Persian, Hindi, Scythian, etc.

His Homily 4 of his regular series Homilies on Acts (NPNF 2, 11) has the
view that Acts 2 refers to human languages; in his Homilies on
1 Corinthians 29 he ties the charism of 1 Cor 12-14 with that earlier
experience of the apostles: "For as the Apostles themselves had received
this sign first, so also the faithful went on receiving it, I mean, the gift
of tongues (29.1)"; "now this seemed to be a great gift because both the
Apostles received it first, and the most among the Corinthians had
obtained it (29.5)."

That is, he thinks the charism of 1 Corinthians is the same apostolic gift 
found
in Acts 2, and that both are the supernatural ability to speak another human
language.

Of course, Chrysostom could be wrong: he could be importing his own
theological stance into the issue, or his read of what constitutes correct
1st-century Koine may be skewed - this sometimes happens. I could mention,
I think on one issue he's off base - when he interprets GENH GLOSSWN to
mean that each person with the gift him/herself speaks in a variety of tongues.

However, my point is that a sophisticated speaker of Koine could take GLWSSAI
perfectly well as a reference to normal-but-foreign human languages, whether
in Acts or in 1 Corinthians.

By the way, a very interesting book is this newish one by Margaret Mitchell,
The heavenly trumpet: John Chrysostom and the art of Pauline interpretation
(Westminster John Knox). I've only read the opening pages, but I'm mesmerized.

Gary Shogren


Gary S. Shogren
Universidad Cristiana Internacional ESEPA
San José, Costa Rica 





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