Speaking in Tongues: An Orthodox Christian Perspective
Speaking in Tongues: An Orthodox Christian Perspective
By Chorbishop Nectarios
Introduction
In recent decades, the phenomenon known as "speaking in tongues" (Greek: glossolalia) has become a hallmark of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity. Television programs, revival meetings, and even some mainline churches have adopted practices centered on ecstatic utterances, prayer languages, and prophetic speech. However, Orthodox Christians—grounded in the unbroken witness of Holy Tradition and the teachings of the Holy Fathers—view this phenomenon with caution, if not with reservation. This article seeks to explore the Orthodox understanding of speaking in tongues, examining its biblical roots, its expression in the early Church, the patristic commentary, and how it is understood (or not) in contemporary Orthodox liturgical and spiritual life.
I. Biblical Foundations: The Day of Pentecost
The principal biblical reference to speaking in tongues is found in Acts 2:1–13, where the Apostles, gathered in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, were filled with the Holy Spirit and “began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). Importantly, these tongues were not unintelligible babble but recognizable human languages. The Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and others present all heard “the wonderful works of God” in their own native tongues.
St. Luke's description makes it plain that the miracle was one of communication and comprehension. The gift of tongues served the missionary purpose of proclaiming the Gospel to all nations, thus reversing the confusion of Babel (Genesis 11) and inaugurating the catholicity of the Church.
In contrast, later references to tongues in 1 Corinthians (chs. 12–14) show that the phenomenon had begun to take different, more problematic forms in the Corinthian Church. There, glossolalia appears as ecstatic utterance, sometimes unintelligible and in need of interpretation. St. Paul exhorts the Corinthians not to elevate this gift above love (1 Cor. 13), nor to disrupt the order of worship with disordered speech: “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace” (1 Cor. 14:33).
II. Patristic Witness: The Fathers on Tongues
The early Fathers of the Church do not make glossolalia a hallmark of the Christian life. In fact, their relative silence on the issue is itself instructive.
St. John Chrysostom, in his Homilies on First Corinthians, explicitly teaches that the gift of tongues was a temporary sign for the unbelieving Jews and that it had ceased by his own time (4th century). He writes:
“This whole phenomenon [of speaking in tongues] is now long since ceased, and such as pretend to it at the present time… are not to be believed.”
(Homily 29 on 1 Corinthians)
Likewise, St. Augustine, although from the Latin West, echoes this view. In The City of God, he argues that the gift of tongues was given to signify the universality of the Church, but was not necessary once the Church had been established throughout the world.
“These were signs for that time. They were meant to be transitory. They were given for a specific purpose: to announce the coming of the Holy Spirit on all nations… That which was signified by the speaking in tongues is now fulfilled.”
(City of God, Book 22, Chapter 8)
The Fathers consistently understand the gift of tongues not as an ongoing personal prayer language or ecstatic speech, but as a temporary sign accompanying the initial spread of the Gospel. It was one of the many charismata (χαρίσματα) given for the edification and expansion of the Church, not for the spiritual excitement of the individual.
III. The Liturgical and Sacramental Context
In Orthodox spirituality, the primary work of the Holy Spirit is not manifested in private ecstatic experience, but in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church. The Orthodox Church does not deny the activity of the Holy Spirit, nor does she limit the Spirit to past ages. Rather, she locates His abiding presence in the sacraments (Mysteria), especially in the Eucharist, the chrismation of the newly baptized, and the consecration of the holy gifts.
The prayers of the Divine Liturgy constantly invoke the Holy Spirit—not to induce glossolalia, but to sanctify, illumine, and unite the faithful:
“Send down Thy Holy Spirit upon us and upon these Gifts here offered…”
The Holy Spirit is not sought as a disembodied energy descending upon isolated individuals in a spontaneous eruption of speech, but as the abiding presence of God who dwells in the Body of Christ, the Church. Through the laying on of hands and the anointing with holy chrism, each baptized Orthodox Christian receives “the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.” This gift is not a fleeting feeling, but the abiding grace to live a holy life, love the truth, and grow in the likeness of God.
IV. The Dangers of Emotionalism and Enthusiasm
The Orthodox tradition is deeply wary of prelest—spiritual delusion—and warns against chasing after unusual spiritual phenomena. The monastic fathers, especially those of the Philokalic tradition, emphasize sobriety (nepsis), discernment (diakrisis), and humility in the spiritual life. St. Ignatius Brianchaninov (19th century) cautioned against seeking visions, voices, or charismatic gifts. He argued that such phenomena often lead to pride and deception, and that Satan can appear “as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14).
The Orthodox spiritual tradition, therefore, avoids untested expressions of charismatic experience and instead points the faithful to the tried and tested path of theosis: purification from passions, illumination of the soul through grace, and union with God.
In this context, contemporary glossolalia as practiced in Pentecostal and Charismatic circles is not only viewed with skepticism but often with deep concern. When such practices are detached from sacramental grounding, ecclesial oversight, and patristic discernment, they risk leading the faithful away from true communion with God.
V. Contemporary Orthodox Reflections
Modern Orthodox theologians have addressed the issue occasionally in response to the growth of Charismatic Christianity. Fr. Thomas Hopko, of blessed memory, remarked:
“Speaking in tongues is not a normative Orthodox experience. It has never been part of the regular life of Orthodox Christians or saints. True spiritual experience in the Church is always marked by humility, peace, and obedience—not emotional excess or spectacle.”
Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, while recognizing the sincerity of many Charismatic Christians, nevertheless emphasized that the spiritual gifts must always be judged by the fruit they bear and their consistency with the Church’s life.
“The Orthodox Church has never rejected the possibility of the Spirit working in extraordinary ways, but it insists that these must be tested within the life of the Church… The true mark of the Spirit is not tongues but holiness.”
Conclusion: The Better Way of Love
The Orthodox Church, rooted in the apostolic faith and safeguarded by Holy Tradition, does not regard speaking in tongues as a necessary or normative sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence. The Church has always emphasized the higher gifts—faith, hope, and especially love (1 Cor. 13:13). While the Holy Spirit is indeed dynamic and active, His presence is most fully known in the life of the Church, especially in the Holy Mysteries, the liturgical prayers, the reading of Scripture, and the path of humility and repentance.
In an age eager for signs and wonders, Orthodox Christians are reminded that “an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign” (Matt. 12:39). We need not chase ecstatic experiences to know that God is with us. The Lord Jesus Christ has given us His Body, His Spirit, His Church. In the quiet sanctity of the Liturgy, in the sacred mysteries, in the ascetic struggle, and in acts of love and mercy—there the Holy Spirit is present, speaking to us in a language deeper than words, “with groanings too deep to be uttered” (Rom. 8:26).
Let us therefore not seek tongues, but seek Christ Himself. And in seeking Him, may we be filled with the Spirit—not for spectacle, but for sanctification. Not for sensation, but for salvation. Not with tongues of fire for display, but with hearts aflame with divine love.
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