01 - Chapter 01
CHAPTER 1 FIRST CENTURY GLOSSOLALIA The only secular history we have of glossolalia, in the first century, is from writers who lived in the post apostolic period and beyond. These writers, such as the so-called Ante Nicene Father, wrote commentaries on the scriptures, describing to us some of the events that took place in the first century. Therefore, to obtain an accurate understanding of the history of glossolalia in the first century, let us briefly examine the scriptures that apply to this great subject.
Jesus’ Teaching on Glossolalia and the New Birth
Jesus Teaching on Glossolalia in the Great Commission: “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:15-18).
What did Jesus mean that everyone who believes the gospel and is baptized would have signs following them, and what did He mean by the term “new tongues?” Doctors M’Clintock And Strong, in their work the Cyclopedia of Biblical Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, declare did the “new tongues” Jesus spoke about referred to “glossolalia.” They wrote: In Mark 16:17, we have a more definite term employed: ‘They shall speak with new tongues. It can hardly be questioned that the obvious meaning of the promise is that the disciples should speak in new languages, which they had not learned as other men learn them.... It was to be a ‘sign.’ It was not to belong to a chosen few only the apostles and evangelists. It was to ‘follow them that believed’ to be among the fruits of the living, intense faith which raised men above the common level of their lives, and brought them within the Kingdom of God. [5]
Jesus Teaching on Glossolalia to Nicodemus: Jesus being our master teacher explicitly declared unto us what the initial evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit is. He said: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit [pneuma - pneu,matoj], he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit [pneuma - pneu,matoj] is spirit [pneuma - pneu/ma,]. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind [pneuma - pneu/ma] blows [pneo] where it wishes, and you hear the sound [phone] of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit [pneuma - pneu,matoj]” (John 3:5-8, KJV). The word “Spirit” in John 3:5-6 and last part of John 3:8 is the Greek word “Pneuma,” therefore, the entire context of Jesus’ discourse is about how to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Therefore the entire context of these verses demand that Pneuma be translated as Spirit in the first part of John 3:8 as well as the last part of John 3:8. Since modern day Bible commentators do not associate glossolalia with John 3:8, I believe it would be in order to give a brief exegesis and history, of how this verse has been translated from the Greek language.
According to the rules for Greek grammar, John 3:8 should have been translated as: “The Spirit breathes hard as it will, and you head the voice of It,” or “The Spirit breathes hard as it will, and you head the language of It.” If one translates this verse this way, one can quickly perceive that the Holy Spirit is speaking in “glossolalia” or an “unknown tongues or language” through the one who has received it. The language the Holy Spirit is speaking in is unknown to the one who is speaking, for he or she did not learn or was taught this language. In the Greek verse eight is written this way: “to. pneu/ma [Pneuma] o[pou qe,lei pnei/ [pneo] kai. th.n fwnh.n [phone] auvtou/ avkou,eij avll ouvk oi=daj po,qen e;rcetai kai. pou/ u`pa,gei\ ou[twj evsti.n pa/j o` gegennhme,noj evk tou/ pneu,matoj [Pneuma].”
Greek Grammar: In John 3:5 pneuma or pneu,matoj is in the genitive or possessive case, NEUTER gender, and singular number; in John 3:6 pneuma is used twice and pneu,matoj is also in the genitive or possessive case, NEUTER gender, and singular number, and the second use of pneuma or pneu/ma is in the nominative case or subject or predicate noun, NEUTER gender, and singular number. In John 3:8 pneuma is again used twice, the first pneu/ma is also in the nominative case, NEUTER gender, and singular number, and the last pneuma or pneu,matoj is again in genitive or possessive case, NEUTER gender, and singular number. The Greek noun Pneuma is always in the NEUTER gender even when it refers to the Holy Spirit such as John 1:33 for an example: “And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, ‘Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit [pneuma - pneu/ma] descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost [pneuma - pneu,mati a`gi,w| - holy]’” (KJV). In this verse pneuma is used twice; the first pneuma or pneu/ma is in the accusative case or a direct object, NEUTER gender, and singular number; the second Pneuma or pneu,mati is in the dative case or an indirect object, NEUTER gender, and singular number.
Therefore, those preachers who defend the translation of “pneuma” as “wind” in John 3:8 above because it is in the NEUTER gender have NO ARGUMENT in Greek Grammar to base their unsupported belief on!! The entire context of the verses surrounding John 3:8 demands Pneuma to be translated as “Spirit” and not as “wind.” No translator of the Bible would translate John 3:5-8 this way: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the WIND, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the WIND is WIND. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The WIND blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the WIND.” The Greek word “pneuma” is used 385 times in the NT and the Kings James translated it 381 times as spirit or as spirits or Ghost, referring to the Holy Ghost, 1 time as: spiritual, spiritually, life, and wind. The word “blow” is the Greek word “pneo” that literally means: a hard breath, figuratively it means blow. My dear readers, our dear Lord and the great apostle John, who wrote down His infallible words, definitely knew the difference between the Greek word pneuma and anemos. The Greek word for “wind” is “anemos” not “pneuma.” Anemos is used 31 times in the NT and it always means wind and is translated as such. If John wanted his readers to believe that he was speaking of the wind in this verse, he would have wrote “anemos” there instead of “pneuma,” just as he did in John 6:18, Revelation 6:13 and Revelation 7:1.
“Anemos” is used 6 times with the verb pneo in the NT, and it was always translated as the “wind blows,” but the 1 time “pneo” is used with “Pneuma” it should be translated as the “Spirit breathes.” Phone is used 141 times and is translated 131 times as voice, 8 times as sound and 2 times as noise. In the NT, phone is use many times to refer to God’s voice. In 1 Corinthians 14:11, “phone,” from the context of this scripture, obviously means an “unknown tongue or language.” The New King James translated this verse this way: “if I do not know the meaning of the language [phone], I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me” (also NAS, RSV, TLB, NLT, NAB, ESV). From the context surrounding this verse, the Greek word “phone,” can only mean: “a foreign language,” which the apostle applies to the application of “unknown tongues” spoken by the Holy Spirit through the believer.
Greek Lexicons Translation of Verse Eight and their Definition of Greek Words: The Expositor’s Greek Testament, edited by W. R. Nicolli, confirmed the above comments when it stated: In the new birth the Spirit moves and works unseen.... ‘The Spirit breatheth where he will,’ as in the margin of the Revised Version.... In favor of the other rendering [meaning KJV & other English versions] it may be urged that there is nothing to warn us that we are now to understand that by pneuma wind is meant. It occurs about 370 times in the New Testament and never means wind.... The Vulgate renders ‘Spiritus....’ The Spirit makes Himself audible in articulate and intelligible sounds. The breathing of the Spirit is like man’s breath, not mere air, but articulated and significant voice. [6]
German professor Dr. Walter Bauer, in his Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature revealed that “phone” is used in numerous places in Biblical and non-biblical Greek to mean: “language.” Dr. Bauer speaking of “phone,” as it is used in the Greek Septuagint, revealed that it is used in Genesis 11:1; Deuteronomy 28:49; 2Ma 7:8; 2Ma 7:21; 2Ma 7:27; 4Ma 12:7 to mean: “language.” He also wrote that phone is used in the writings of Josephus, Aeschylus, Herodian Grammaticus, and Diogenes Laertius to mean: “language;” and “phone” is used with “Glossa” in the Papyri Graecae Magicae to refer to the same thing. [7] Archbishop Trench, in his Synonyms of the New Testament, declared that “phone” is:
Distinguished from psophos, in that it is the cry of a living creature. [8]
English Bible Versions’ Translation of John 3:8: Morris’ Literal Translation of the Bible: “The Spirit [Pneuma] breathes [pneo] where He desires, and the voice [phone - language] of Him you hear, but you know not where He comes, and where He goes, so is everyone having received birth from the Spirit [Pneuma]” (also see The Interlinear Bible by J. P. Green). Dr. Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible: “The Spirit [Pneuma] where He willeth doth blow, and His voice [phone - language] thou dost hear….” The Emphasized Bible, by Joseph Bryant Rotherham: “The Spirit [Pneuma] where it pleaseth doth breathe [pneo], and the sound [phone - language] therefore thou hearest….” The Rheims Bible of AD 1582: “The Spirit [Pneuma] breatheth [pneo] where He will: and thou hearest His voice [phone - language] ….” M. R. Vincent in his Word Studies in the New Testament speaking of this verse stated: some hold by the translation Spirit, as Wycliffe, ‘The Spirit breatheth [pneo]where it will.’ [9] John Wycliffe was a 14th century English reformer and theologian, who was the first to initiated a translation of Bible into English; he is also considered a forerunner of Protestant Reformation. The Latin Vulgate, edited by Bishop Richard Challoner: “The Spirit [Pneuma] breatheth [pneo] where he will; and thou hearest His voice [phone - language], but thou knowest not whence he cometh, and whither he goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit [Pneuma].” [10] The old Latin Jerome Bible of the fourth century and all the Latin translations there after it also translated this verse this way. These Latin Bibles were used throughout Europe for many centuries. The Translation of John 3:8 by Ancient Catholic Priest in the Ante Nicene Fathers: Origen (AD 220) wrote: The Holy Spirit, who alone searches the deep things of God, reveals God to whom he will: ‘For the Spirit bloweth where He listeth.’ [11] Cyprian (AD 252) wrote to Donatus in which he stated: The agency of the ‘Spirit breathed’ from heaven, a second birth had restored me to a new man. [12] A Treatise on Re-Baptism (AD 255), which was written by an anonymous writer, whom I firmly believe was Bishop Stephen of Rome, stated: The Spirit breathes where He will, and thou hearest His voice…. The Spirit indeed continues today invisible to men, as the Lord says ‘The Spirit breathes where He will and thou knowest not whence He cometh, or where He goeth.’ [13]
Cyril, the Archbishop of Jerusalem (AD 380) in his Discourse on the Holy Ghost wrote: For even Nicodemus was ignorant of the coming of the Spirit, and to him it was said, ‘The Spirit breatheth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice.’ [14] A Bible Commentary’s Translation of Verse Eight: The People’s New Testament Commentary made the following comment on this verse:
Most commentators have held that this means: ‘As the wind moves mysteriously, so does the Spirit, and it breathes upon whom it will, effecting the inward change called the birth of the Spirit arbitrarily.’ This view I believe due to a wrong translation, sanctioned, not by Greek, but by current theology…. Let it be noted that: (1) exactly the same Greek term ‘pneuma’ is rendered ‘wind’ and ‘Spirit’ in this verse. It is a violation of all law [of grammar] that the same word should experience so radical a change of meaning in the same sentence. (2) That the word ‘pneuma’ is not translated ‘wind’ elsewhere, although it occurs scores of times in the New Testament, but is always rendered ‘Spirit.’
(3) Another word in the Greek, ‘anemos’ is usually used to represent ‘wind.’ (4) The erroneous idea creates a confusion of figures. It makes Christ to say: ‘The wind bloweth where it listeth; so is every one born of the Spirit.’ It affirms of him who is born just what is affirmed of the wind, a thing the Savior never did. These facts are sufficient to show that the rendering ‘wind’ is wrong. All we have to do is to translate ‘pneuma’ here, as is done in the latter part of the verse and elsewhere in the New Testament. The verse then reads: ‘The Spirit (‘pneuma’) breathes where it pleases and thou hearest the voice thereof, but canst not tell whence it comes nor whither it goes. So is every one born of the Spirit’ (‘pneuma’). The meaning is: The Spirit breathes where it wills and you recognize its MANIFESTATION by its VOICE [Grk. phone i.e. LANGUAGE]. [15]
Conclusion: Therefore, a literal translation of this verse would be: “The Spirit breathes hard where it wills, and you hear the language thereof…. Thus is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.” When one translates verse eight this way, the truth becomes easier to comprehend. Jesus is telling us how to be baptized into the Holy Ghost. He told us in very clear and precise language that we will hear the language of the Spirit when It comes into us and makes it abode. Therefore, when a believer receives the gift of the Holy Spirit, they will speak in a language that they have never been taught as the God’s Spirit gives them the words to speak.
Let us not forget that Jesus taught the very same truth in verse six, when He compared the natural birth to the Spiritual birth. When a baby is born in the natural realm, there is a sign given to everyone witnessing the birth that the baby did not die in the process of birth. That sign is: they will hear the cry or sound that comes out of the babe’s mouth, when the breath or spirit of life come in, and fills the babe’s lungs. The same truth applies in the spiritual birth, for when the Spirit of God comes into the spirit of the believer, it will speak in tongues through the believer. This is the initial sign of receiving the Holy Ghost! The following evidence for the above translation is very great:
Therefore, everyone who receives the gift of the Holy Ghost will hear the language of the Spirit, when he or she is baptized into the body of Christ. The Bible revealed that Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, when God began to pour out his Spirit on all flesh. In Acts 2:4, we read that the apostles and disciples: “began to speak with other tongues [or languages] as the Spirit gave them the utterance,” when God’s Spirit came INTO them. Yes friend, without doubt, Jesus clearly taught that the initial evidence of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit: is speaking in foreign language as the Spirit gives the believer the words to speak. In other words, the believer will supernaturally speak in a foreign language, which he or she has never learned and probably have never heard, when they are filled with God’s Spirit.
Jesus confirmed His prophetic teaching, when He declared that all believers, who were water baptized in His holy and glorious Name: “shall speak with new tongues” that is, languages (Mark 16:17). The Cyclopedia of Biblical Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature speaking about this prophecy stated: In Mark 16:17, we have a more definite term employed: ‘They shall speak with new tongues.’ It can hardly be questioned that the obvious meaning of the promise is that the disciples should speak in new languages, which they had not learned as other men learn them.... It was to be a ‘sign.’ It was not to belong to a chosen few only the apostles and evangelists. It was to ‘follow them that believed’ to be among the fruits of the living, intense faith which raised men above the common level of their lives, and brought them within the Kingdom of God. [16] Fausset’s Bible Dictionary speaking of Jesus’ teaching on tongues in Mark stated: The Alexandrinus manuscript confirms Mark 16:9-20…. This promise is not restricted to apostles; ‘these signs shall follow them that believe.’ A proof to the unbelieving that believers were under a higher power than mere enthusiasm or imagination. [17] The Prophet Isaiah’s Teaching on Glossolalia The Bible revealed that Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost when God began to pour out his Spirit on all flesh. His teaching on tongues was also the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Isaiah boldly proclaimed: “For with stammering lips and another tongue [or language] He [God] will speak to this people. To whom He said, ‘this is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,’ and ‘this is the refreshing,’ yet they would not hear” (Isaiah 28:11-12). The word “this” is referring to “another language!” Therefore, according to Isaiah, through the medium of foreign languages, God will give His children rest and refreshing. Now, how could speaking in foreign languages give God’s people rest and refresh in their spirits?
Let us allow the apostle Paul to answer this question for us. For any good reference Bible will refer the reader to 1 Corinthians 14:21, which declared: “In the law it is written: ‘With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that they will not hear Me,’ says the LORD.” Since Paul quoted from the Book of Isaiah to confirm his teaching on unknown tongues, this is absolute positive proof that Isaiah was referring to unknown languages, which is spoken by means of the Spirit of God. Paul applied Isaiah’s prophecy to a believer’s prayer and worship of God. Therefore, it could not be referring to the Assyrian language, which some commentators suggest. Whose teachings are we going to believe, the apostle Paul who was inspired and anointed by God, or the philosophical babbling of men? Tertullian in AD 200 interpreted Isaiah’s teaching to mean glossolalia or the unknown languages. Tertullian speaking of Paul wrote:
He mentions the fact that ‘it is written in the law,’ that the Creator would speak with ‘other tongues and other lips’ whilst confirming indeed the gift of tongues by such a mention. [18]
Therefore, to better understand Paul’s teachings on glossolalia, let us examine the context of Isaiah’s prophecy as he connects it to God’s teaching on how He was going to pour out His Spirit of Rest and Refreshing on hungry hearts. Isaiah speaking of the Almighty God says: “Whom shall He teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line, here a little, and there a little" (Isaiah 28:9-10).
God, speaking through Isaiah, asked to whom was He going to teach His doctrinal truths. God then proceeded to answer His own question. He said: those whom become like little children with a pure heart and simple faith. Those who will study the Bible with an open mind, and allow scripture to interpret scripture. Then in Isaiah 28:11, God proceeded to inform us that one of the doctrines He was going to establish in the New Covenant, which some would not believe was: “how the Holy Spirit would manifest itself when it came into the heart of a believer.”
Let us remember, Isaiah said that this glorious experience would bring “Rest” and “Refreshing” to the souls of God’s people. Our Savior told His children that He would give them “Rest” (Matthew 11:28-29); and He called this “Rest:” “the Comforter,” “the Holy Ghost,” and “the Spirit of Truth” (John 14:16-17, John 14:26). Therefore, God told His children through Isaiah that He would give this great “Rest” and “Refreshing” with the initial evidence of speaking in foreign languages supernaturally through the power of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul, knowing and understanding the prophecy of Isaiah, declared that the supernatural talking in tongues was going to be God’s sign, to all those who did not believe in God’s doctrine of how a believer receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. Paul said it this way: “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not” (1 Corinthians 14:22). Did not many on the day of Pentecost, who believed in God, refuse to believe God’s New Birth doctrine? They mock those who were praising God in tongues, and said they were drunk (Acts 2:12-13).
I must confess that in the year of 1971, I was in a similar spiritual condition that the unbelieving Jews were in on the Day of Pentecost. I believed in the death, burial, and resurrection of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with all my heart. At that time, I thought I was born-again, even though I knew there was something missing in my walk with God. I did not believe that speaking in tongues was the initial evidence of receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit; in fact, I was taught in a Southern Baptist Church that tongues had ceased in AD 96.
I thank God for the vow that I made to Him when I came out of Catholicism. For I vowed that I would never again put my faith in any man or organization, but only in the Bible. It was because of this vow, and my hunger for truth, that God was able to open my poor, blinded eyes to see this great and precious truth. One Sunday morning, when I was visiting a United Pentecostal Church, I began to believe that God was still speaking in tongues through men, when I saw the radiant countenances of several individuals in the church, and heard them worshipping God in tongues. Thank God for this sign that began to remove some of my unbelief in this great doctrine.
Let us not forget that the apostle Thomas believed in Christ, but was an “unbeliever in the doctrine of the resurrection,” that is, until God gave him a sign (John 20:26-29). Is it not sad, there are many Christians in the world today, who believe in the doctrine of the resurrection of Christ, but do not believe in the doctrine of how believers are filled with God’s Spirit. As a result, they may never experience God’s true Rest and Refreshing! How Satan must laugh at believers, who have been brainwashed by false prophets, to believe his lie against the Holy Spirit! Thank God, our Lord overlooks the ignorance of men; for He has given this thrilling and glorious experience to many noted and outstanding preachers in the past, even though they did not comprehend and fully appreciate the tongue-talking experience that God had given them by His grace!
Glossolalia in the Book of Acts The Day of Pentecost: “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance [meaning the words to speak]. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs -- we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God’ ” (Acts 2:1-11). Doctors John M’Clintock and James Strong made this very interesting comment on these verses:
We notice incidentally that parallels have been sought in Israelitish history. For example, there had been, it was said, tongues of fire on the original Pentecost, (Schneckenburger, Beitrage, p 8, referring to Buxtorf, De Synog. and Philo, De Decal.).… It deserves notice that there are analogies in Jewish belief, every word that went forth from the mouth of God on Sinai was said to have been divided into seventy languages of the sons of men (Wettstein, on Acts 2:1-47), and the bath-kol, the echo of the voice of God, was heard by every man in his own tongue (Schneckenburger, Beitrage). [19] Can anyone deny the striking parallel between the giving of the Old Covenant with that of the New? In the Old, God is writing His law on tables of stone (Exodus 31:18). In the New, God is writing His law in the hearts and minds of men (Hebrews 10:15-16). In the Old, God came down and dwelt on the top of Mt. Sinai. In the New, God came down and dwelt in men. The old and new covenants were both established on the Day of Pentecost. In both covenants tongues of fire actually appeared as an initial sign and seal of the covenant. In both covenants God spoke in many languages and men actually heard Him speak in their own language. Catholic bishop Irenaeus (AD 180) speaking of God pouring out His Spirit on the Day of Pentecost wrote: This Spirit did David ask for the human race, saying, ‘And establish me with Thine all-governing Spirit. Who also, as Luke says, descended at the day of Pentecost upon the disciples after the Lord’s ascension, having power to admit all nations to the entrance of life, and to the opening of the New Covenant. From whence also, with one accord in all languages, they uttered praise to God, the Spirit bringing distant tribes to unity, and offering to the Father the first-fruits of all nations. [20] The Bible unequivocally and unmistakably revealed that both Jesus’ and Isaiah’s prophesy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, when the apostles and disciples: “began to speak [laleo] with other tongues [glossa] as the Spirit gave them the utterance” (Acts 2:4). The Greek word “glossa” which Dr. Strong defines a: the tongue, by implication a language. The word ‘speak’ is the Greek verb “laleo” which means: to talk that is utter words. [21] When the two are place together we have the familiar word “glossolalia,” which means: to speak in tongue or to speak in languages. Can anyone deny that the apostles and the 120 disciples mention in Acts 1:13-15, spoke in foreign languages on the Day of Pentecost, when they were born of God’s Comforter or received God’s rest and refreshing, just as the Lord Jesus and the prophet Isaiah said they would? The Word of God confirmed that they spoke in foreign languages for in Acts 2:6-8, the Bible says the that each man had heard one of the apostles or disciples: “speak in his own language [dialektos].” Therefore, the Greek word ‘glossa’ used in Acts 2:4 and ‘dialektos’ used in Acts 2:6 & Acts 2:8 are without a doubt interchangeable and have exactly the same meaning. This phenomenon was truly a miracle from God, because they had not learned these languages by normal educative processes. In fact, they had no earthly idea of what they were telling the Lord in worship that day. In Acts 2:9-11, the Bible informed us that the disciples praised God in more than 15 different languages. In Acts 2:17-18, the Bible also informed us that some of the disciples who praised God in foreign languages that day were women (also see - Acts 1:14).
Glossolalia and Cornelius and His Household: “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify [praise] God. Then Peter answered, ‘Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have’ ” (Acts 10:44-47)? Dr. Schaff speaking about Cornelius’ and his household receiving the glossolalia experience declared that speaking in tongues became a: frequently phenomenon in the apostolic churches. He went on to say: The Pentecostal glossolalia [on the Day of Pentecost] was the same as that in household of Cornelius in Caesarea after his conversion, which may be called a gentile Pentecost, as that of the twelve disciples of John the Baptist at Ephesus, …and as that in the Christian congregation at Corinth. [22] When Cornelius and those in his household received the Spirit, the infallible Word of God declared that they worship God in foreign languages as the Holy Spirit gave them the words to speak. It went on to declare that the Jewish Christians that came with Peter knew these gentiles had received the Holy Ghost, because: “They heard them speak in tongues [glossa] and magnify [megaluno] God.” The word “magnify” is the Greek adjective “megaluno” which according to Dr. Strong means: to make or declare great. [23] Cornelius and his household worshipped God in tongues, just as Mary’s soul worshipped or “magnify [megaluno] the Lord” (Luke 1:46). Nowhere in the context of these scriptures can any preacher find Cornelius and those in his household preaching the Gospel in foreign languages to Peter, or to the Jewish believers that came with him, or to anyone else. The Bible explicitly declared they were praising God, just like Mary the mother of Jesus, the apostles and the disciples did on the day of Pentecost. When Peter went back to Jerusalem, he had to defend himself before the apostles and elders as to why he went to a gentile’s house. Did he not tell them that God had sent him there to preach salvation to them; and that God had given them the very same Comforter, with the very same evidence of speaking in different languages? Peter said it this way: “As I began to speak the Holy Ghost fell on them as on us at the beginning.... Forasmuch then as God gave them the like [isos] gift as He did us…. What was I, that I could withstand God” (Acts 11:15, Acts 11:17, KJV)? This last statement leaves no doubt that the glossolalia of Acts chapters ten and eleven is the same in nature as that of Acts chapter two. For Luke not only uses the Greek word “glossa,” but also the Greek word “isos,” to describe their glossolalia experience. According to Dr. Strong “isos” means: similar in amount or kind - equal. [24] Thus, God had given the gentiles and Jews the same gift with the very same manifestation. In Acts 2:39, the apostle Peter declared that the “gift of the Holy Spirit” was for all generations.
Glossolalia and the Believers of Ephesus: “Paul having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ So they said to him, ‘We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit….’ And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues [glossa] and prophesied” (Acts 19:1-2, Acts 19:6).
Let my readers take note that Luke uses the same Greek word “glossa,” to describe the Ephesians glossolalia experience; he does not distinguish between the “glossa” used here and the “glossa” used in chapters two and ten of the Book of Acts. Therefore, we must believe that it is the same “glossa” that the apostles, the disciples, Cornelius and his household, and the Ephesians received. We must believe that the Ephesians spoke in foreign languages as the Spirit of God gave them the words to speak.
Glossolalia and the Believers of Samaria: The Bible emphatically declared that these people believed the gospel Philip preached when they saw the “miracles,” the “healings,” and the “unclean spirits cast out of many” who were possessed with them (Acts 8:6-7). It also declared that the people were filled with “great joy” in that city (vs 8). Even though God did many great things for this people, none of them had received the Holy Ghost at that time (Acts 8:15-17). The Samaritans received the Spirit about 14 or more days later, when Peter and John came up from Jerusalem to pray for them (Acts 8:14-15). The Bible revealed that God gave the Samaritans a very definite external sign of the manifestation of Spirit, when they received it. For, the Bible says: “And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost” (vss 18-19). It is very obvious from the context of these verses that God’s Holy Spirit manifested itself in such a way that Simon the sorcerer “saw” or “knew” or “perceived” without a doubt that these people were born of it. For Simon offered the apostles money to buy the gift of bestowing the Holy Spirit.
Now tell me preacher, what did this sorcerer see or hear that let him know that these people had received God’s rest and refreshing? If Simon did not hear his friends and neighbors speaking in tongues, then please tell me what it was that he saw? Notice, this greedy, power mad sorcerer who: “had bewitched them [the people of Samaria] with sorceries;” and he did not offer to buy the great gifts of healing and miracles that Philip had, but only the gift of imparting the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:11).
It is very obvious from the context of these scriptures that this sorcerer wanted this power for self-exultation. In other words, this evil man must have been thoroughly convinced in his mind of the genuineness of the gift of the Holy Spirit, or he would have never offered to buy this gift. Since the Scripture teaches: “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established,” we therefore must indubitably and unquestionably conclude that this outer manifestation of the Spirit that Simon saw had to be glossolalia. This was the very same way the Holy Spirit manifested itself on the day of Pentecost, at the house of Cornelius, on the Ephesians, and all others.
If my readers have any doubt that the Samaritans spoke in tongues when they received their glossolalia experience from God, permit Bishop Augustine (c. 395) settle the question for us. According to Augustan, when the Samaritans received the Holy Ghost they spoke in tongues. Evidently this was a belief that was handed down to him from his predecessors in the ministry. Augustine said it this way:
Tidings were brought to the disciples who were at Jerusalem, and they came to Samaria, in order that they who had been baptized, might… receive the Holy Ghost. And so it was; they came and laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. For the Holy Ghost… showed Himself to have been given. For they who received Him spake with the TONGUES of all nations.