Tag: Christianity

The Church Fathers and the Gift of Tongues

We see the gift of tongues practiced in the New Testament. In the book of Acts, the gift is associated with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Paul also talks about the gift, most notably in his letter to the Corinthian church.

Tongues is a mysterious gift, and it can be difficult to determine its purpose. Personally, I see it as a reversal of Babel. God divided mankind at Babel through language, and then God drew mankind to Himself at Pentecost. The gift seemed to be the ability for one to speak in a real language (of which was spoken in the Roman empire) without having to first study that language. This allowed the gospel to spread out quickly across language barriers in the first critical years of the Church.

To see what came of the gift in the post-apostolic generations of the early Church we can look to the Church Fathers.

Irenaeus (c. 130–202 AD)

As Bishop of Lyons and a disciple of Polycarp (who knew the Apostle John), Irenaeus is one of the earliest post-apostolic writers to mention tongues. In his work Against Heresies (Book 5, Chapter 6), he describes it as a ongoing gift in his time: “We do also hear many brethren in the Church, who possess prophetic gifts, and who through the Spirit speak all kinds of languages, and bring to light for the general benefit the hidden things of men, and declare the mysteries of God.” He frames it as the ability to speak foreign languages miraculously, aligning with the Pentecost event in Acts 2, and emphasizes its role in revealing truths and benefiting the community.

For Irenaeus, the gift was still being practiced in his day, it was the ability to speak real languages, and its purpose was for prophesy and mission.

Tertullian (c. 155–220 AD)

A North African theologian and apologist, Tertullian refers to tongues in Against Marcion (Book 5, Chapter 8), where he discusses spiritual gifts in the context of Montanism (a prophetic movement he later joined). “Let him who claims to have received gifts… produce a psalm, a vision, a prayer—provided it be with interpretation.” He implies tongues as intelligible speech, often requiring interpretation, and sees it as evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work similar to the apostles’. He notes encounters with the gift of interpretation in his day but doesn’t describe it as ecstatic babbling; instead, it’s tied to rational, prophetic expression.

For Tertullian, the gift was still being practiced in his day, it required interpretation, and its purpose was for the edification of the Church.

Origen (c. 185–253 AD)

The Alexandrian scholar comments on tongues in his Commentary on 1 Corinthians and other works, such as De Principiis. He views it as the miraculous knowledge of foreign languages without prior study, emphasizing that the speaker might not understand their own words unless interpreted (echoing 1 Corinthians 14:13). Origen argues the gift was temporary, part of the “signs” of the apostolic age, and by his time, it was no longer commonly exercised.

“The signs of the Holy Spirit were manifest at the beginning… but traces of them are found in only a few.” (Against Celsus 7.8)

For Origen, the gift was real and apostolic, already becoming uncommon by the mid-3rd century, and was seen mainly as a foundational sign for the church’s early mission.

John Chrysostom (c. 347–407 AD)

The Archbishop of Constantinople, known for his homilies, discusses tongues extensively in his Homilies on First Corinthians (e.g., Homily 35). He interprets it as speaking in actual languages like Persian, Roman, or Indian, directly linking it to Pentecost. Chrysostom stresses that it was a “sign” for unbelievers (per 1 Corinthians 14:22) and notes its cessation: by the late 4th century, it had largely disappeared from the church, as the need for such miracles had passed with the spread of Christianity.

“This whole place is very obscure; but the obscurity is produced by our ignorance of the facts referred to and by their cessation, being such as then used to occur but now no longer take place.” (Homilies on 1 Corinthians 29)

For John Chrysostom, the gift was something real from an earlier era, but no longer practiced in his day.

Augustine of Hippo (c. 354–430 AD)

In works like The Letters of Petilian and his sermons, Augustine acknowledges tongues as a historical gift from the early church, where converts sometimes spoke in new languages upon baptism. However, he explicitly states that by his era, the gift had ceased: “In the earliest times, the Holy Ghost fell upon them that believed: and they spoke with tongues… These were signs adapted to the time. For there behooved to be that betokening of the Holy Spirit… That thing was done for a betokening, and it passed away.” He sees it as fulfilled in the church’s global unity rather than ongoing miracles.

For Augustine, the gift was a sign for the church’s beginning, meant to show the universality of the gospel, and was no longer needed once the Church was established.

Other Notable Mentions

  • Hippolytus (c. 170–235 AD): In Apostolic Tradition, he equates tongues with the apostles’ experience at Pentecost, viewing it as foreign languages.
  • Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329–390 AD): In his Oration on Pentecost, he describes it as a reversal of Babel, enabling communication in diverse human tongues.
  • Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 313–386 AD): In Catechetical Lectures, he marvels at the apostles learning multiple languages instantly through the Spirit.

The Church Fathers seemed to be unified in their understanding of the gift of tongues:

No father describes tongues as:

  • a private prayer language
  • a necessary sign of Spirit baptism
  • a normative experience for all believers

No early source connects tongues with:

  • altered states of consciousness
  • repetitive ecstatic syllables
  • individual spiritual status

Tongues were real languages, not private ecstasy.

They belonged especially to the apostolic age, when the gospel was breaking into new linguistic worlds.

They declined naturally as the church became established.

They were signs of God’s power, not badges of spiritual rank.

They were always meant to serve the church, not the ego of the speaker.

In summary, the Church Fathers saw the gift of tongues as a practical miracle for spreading the gospel across linguistic barriers, not as private prayer languages or gibberish. References become scarcer after the 3rd century, with later writers like Chrysostom and Augustine indicating its decline, attributing this to the church’s maturation. This contrasts with some modern interpretations, but the patristic evidence emphasizes its historical and evangelistic role.

Jesus is Not Coming Down From the Sky

There is No Santa

Imagine a young boy who believes in Santa Claus. He believes that the presents he finds under the tree each Christmas morning were placed there by a magical man who came down the chimney, and who afterward hopped on his sleigh pulled by flying reindeer.

But, one Christmas Eve, the boy decides he wants to see Santa for real and so he sneaks out of his room late at night hoping to catch Santa in action. What he does see, however, is his own parents carefully laying out presents, one by one, around the base of the tree. And so, he knows the truth. It is in fact his own parents who are delivering the goods.

Now, with this knowledge, would it be proper for the boy to then believe that it is his own parents who slid down the chimney? And it his own parents who will fly off into the night on the sleigh? No, of course not. The boy must disregard the entire Santa narrative. There’s no one coming down the chimney. It’s all his parents buying the presents from the store, wrapping them out of sight, and placing them under the tree. Once the boy discovers the truth about one thing, he must apply that truth to everything else.

First Century Cosmology

First century Christians did not have telescopes. They believed the realm above them was a series of layers transcending the dome of the sky. They believed that angels and God literally resided in and above the layers containing the sun, moon, and stars. God’s throne room was a literal place up in what we would call “outer space.” When Jesus ascended up to the Father, to sit at His right hand, Jesus literally went up to sit on a literal throne in a literal throne room.

Since Jesus was up in outer space, of course when He returns, he will return from outer space. Where else would He come from?

21st Century Cosmology

Today we have telescopes. We know that we live in one galaxy among billions, and that each galaxy contains billions, if not trillions, of stars. The universe is so vast, it is beyond comprehension. In fact, the universe is likely infinite. We know this now.

We know that there is no Santa. Therefore, is it proper for us to continue to believe that one day the world will see Jesus descending down to the earth through the layers of the heavens as they believed He would in the 1st century? Should we combine their cosmology with our own? No, of course not. Ask any Christian today where heaven is, and unless he’s a flat-earther, he will likely say that heaven is located in the spiritual realm, someplace beyond the material realm that we do not have access to.

New Testament Eschatological Language

New Testament (NT) eschatology is primarily Israel’s eschatology. The Church’s eschatology builds upon it, but then transcends it. The cosmos coming under judgement for the NT authors was the Israelite cosmos. The end was near, at hand, at the door, soon, and about to happen. Every NT author believed he was living in the last days. And he was, to the degree that the old order of things was coming to an end. The apocalyptic language of the NT reflects this.

Israel’s eschatology is not the Church’s eschatology. The Church’s eschatology is this: Just as a dragnet draws all the fish into the boat, so is all creation being drawn to the Father by the redemptive work of Christ. We don’t know when this work will be complete, and we don’t know what it will finally look like. For now it is beyond our comprehension, beyond our reach.

It’s okay to be somewhat agnostic when it comes to eschatology. Embrace the mystery. Whatever you do, don’t go on believing that your dad has a pack of flying reindeer hidden away in a barn somewhere.

We Are Not Israel

Israel is gone. Our faith is not “Judeo/Christian.” We are just Christian. Yes, Jesus was the Messiah Israel was waiting for, but He was not the Messiah they were expecting. Jesus was not the blood soaked Davidic warrior coming to destroy Rome and establish a powerful Israelite theocracy the 1st century Jews were hoping for. This is why He was rejected.

Jesus subverted all Messianic expectations. His kingdom is not of this world. He came to conquer a higher enemy. He came to do the will of the Father, not Israel. The Father’s will is to redeem His creation. This is what Christianity is: The redemption of creation through Christ.

For Christians, Israel has become allegory. The Old Testament scriptures are transformed to types and shadows. It’s not our literal history. It’s our mythology.

Most Christians live like this even if not fully aware of it. They may say the stories are literal history, but they always apply the stories allegorically to their own life’s journey. It doesn’t matter if the stories are literal history or not; anything to do with Israel we allegorize.

Jesus is not coming down from the sky. Israelite cosmology is not true. That’s okay, because we are Christians. We know more. We’ve seen more. We know what is mythology and what is reality. We know the truth, and what we know is true; we must apply it to everything else.

True Free Will and its Purpose

A common account of human freedom holds that genuine free will consists in the capacity to choose among alternative possibilities. Yet this notion is insufficient. True freedom is better understood as the ability to always discern the good and to will it without constraint. Freedom, in its highest form, is not arbitrary self-assertion but the unhindered alignment of the will with what is objectively right.

Within Christian theology, this distinction becomes particularly relevant. The claim that creatures must possess the capacity to reject God in order to love God genuinely is not entailed by Trinitarian doctrine. According to orthodox Trinitarian belief, the Son possesses free will and yet is incapable of failing to love the Father. The Son’s love is not coerced; rather, it arises necessarily from perfect knowledge and perfect goodness. Thus, within the divine life, free love exists without the possibility of rejection.

This presents an important implication: if God can create a free agent whose love is both genuine and necessary, then the creaturely ability to reject God cannot be a logical requirement for authentic love. Instead, the human capacity to reject God must serve some other divine purpose. Consequently, those who affirm both divine goodness and human freedom must conclude that God endowed humanity with the capacity to turn away from Him not because such capacity is essential to love, but because it is instrumental to the particular telos God has established for humanity, whatever that telos may ultimately entail.