Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It seems that those who received the gift of tongues did not speak in every language. For that which is granted to certain persons by the divine power is the best of its kind: thus our Lord turned the water into good wine, as stated in Jn. 2:10. Now those who had the gift of tongues spoke better in their own language; since a gloss on Heb. 1, says that "it is not surprising that the epistle to the Hebrews is more graceful in style than the other epistles, since it is natural for a man to have more command over his own than over a strange language. For the Apostle wrote the other epistles in a foreign, namely the Greek, idiom; whereas he wrote this in the Hebrew tongue." Therefore the apostles did not receive the knowledge of all languages by a gratuitous grace.

Objection 2: Further, nature does not employ many means where one is sufficient; and much less does God Whose work is more orderly than nature's. Now God could make His disciples to be understood by all, while speaking one tongue: hence a gloss on Acts 2:6, "Every man heard them speak in his own tongue," says that "they spoke in every tongue, or speaking in their own, namely the Hebrew language, were understood by all, as though they spoke the language proper to each." Therefore it would seem that they had not the knowledge to speak in all languages.

Objection 3: Further, all graces flow from Christ to His body, which is the Church, according to Jn. 1:16, "Of His fullness we all have received." Now we do not read that Christ spoke more than one language, nor does each one of the faithful now speak save in one tongue. Therefore it would seem that Christ's disciples did not receive the grace to the extent of speaking in all languages.

On the contrary, It is written (Acts 2:4) that "they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak"; on which passage a gloss of Gregory says that "the Holy Ghost appeared over the disciples under the form of fiery tongues, and gave them the knowledge of all tongues."

I answer that, Christ's first disciples were chosen by Him in order that they might disperse throughout the whole world, and preach His faith everywhere, according to Mt. 28:19, "Going . . . teach ye all nations." Now it was not fitting that they who were being sent to teach others should need to be taught by others, either as to how they should speak to other people, or as to how they were to understand those who spoke to them; and all the more seeing that those who were being sent were of one nation, that of Judea, according to Is. 27:6, "When they shall rush out from Jacob . . . they shall fill the face of the world with seed." Moreover those who were being sent were poor and powerless; nor at the outset could they have easily found someone to interpret their words faithfully to others, or to explain what others said to them, especially as they were sent to unbelievers. Consequently it was necessary, in this respect, that God should provide them with the gift of tongues; in order that, as the diversity of tongues was brought upon the nations when they fell away to idolatry, according to Gn. 11, so when the nations were to be recalled to the worship of one God a remedy to this diversity might be applied by the gift of tongues.

Reply to Objection 1: As it is written (1 Cor. 12:7), "the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man unto profit"; and consequently both Paul and the other apostles were divinely instructed in the languages of all nations sufficiently for the requirements of the teaching of the faith. But as regards the grace and elegance of style which human art adds to a language, the Apostle was instructed in his own, but not in a foreign tongue. Even so they were sufficiently instructed in wisdom and scientific knowledge, as required for teaching the faith, but not as to all things known by acquired science, for instance the conclusions of arithmetic and geometry.

Reply to Objection 2: Although either was possible, namely that, while speaking in one tongue they should be understood by all, or that they should speak in all tongues, it was more fitting that they should speak in all tongues, because this pertained to the perfection of their knowledge, whereby they were able not only to speak, but also to understand what was said by others. Whereas if their one language were intelligible to all, this would either have been due to the knowledge of those who understood their speech, or it would have amounted to an illusion, since a man's words would have had a different sound in another's ears, from that with which they were uttered. Hence a gloss says on Acts 2:6 that "it was a greater miracle that they should speak all kinds of tongues"; and Paul says (1 Cor. 14:18): "I thank my God I speak with all your tongues."

Reply to Objection 3: Christ in His own person purposed preaching to only one nation, namely the Jews. Consequently, although without any doubt He possessed most perfectly the knowledge of all languages, there was no need for Him to speak in every tongue. And therefore, as Augustine says (Tract. xxxii in Joan.), "whereas even now the Holy Ghost is received, yet no one speaks in the tongues of all nations, because the Church herself already speaks the languages of all nations: since whoever is not in the Church, receives not the Holy Ghost."

Articulus 1

Argumentum 1

Ad primum sic proceditur. Videtur quod illi qui consequebantur donum linguarum, non loquebantur omnibus linguis. Illud enim quod divina virtute aliquibus conceditur, optimum est in suo genere, sicut dominus aquam convertit in vinum bonum, sicut dicitur Ioan. II.

Sed illi qui habuerunt donum linguarum, melius loquebantur in propria lingua, dicit enim Glossa, ad Heb. I, non esse mirandum quod epistola ad Hebraeos maiore relucet facundia quam aliae, cum naturale sit unicuique plus in sua quam in aliena lingua valere. Ceteras enim epistolas apostolus peregrino, idest Graeco sermone composuit, hanc autem scripsit Hebraica lingua.

Non ergo per gratiam gratis datam apostoli acceperunt scientiam omnium linguarum.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, natura non facit per multa quod potest fieri per unum, et multo minus deus, qui ordinatius quam natura operatur. Sed poterat deus facere quod, unam linguam loquentes, eius discipuli ab omnibus intelligerentur, unde super illud Act. II, audiebat unusquisque linguam suam illos loquentes, dicit Glossa, quia linguis omnibus loquebantur, vel sua, idest Hebraica lingua loquentes, ab omnibus intelligebantur, ac si propriis singulorum loquerentur.

Ergo videtur quod non habuerunt scientiam loquendi omnibus linguis.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, omnes gratiae derivantur a christo in corpus eius, quod est ecclesia, secundum illud Ioan. I, de plenitudine eius omnes accepimus.

Sed christus non legitur fuisse locutus nisi una lingua. Nec etiam nunc fideles singuli nisi una lingua loquuntur. Ergo videtur quod discipuli christi non acceperunt ad hoc gratiam, ut omnibus linguis loquerentur.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quod dicitur Act. II, quod repleti sunt omnes spiritu sancto, et coeperunt loqui variis linguis, prout spiritus sanctus dabat eloqui illis, ubi dicit Glossa Gregorii quod spiritus sanctus super discipulos in igneis linguis apparuit, et eis omnium linguarum scientiam dedit.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod primi discipuli christi ad hoc fuerunt ab ipso electi ut, per universum orbem discurrentes, fidem eius ubique praedicarent, secundum illud Matth. Ult., euntes, docete omnes gentes.

Non autem erat conveniens ut qui mittebantur ad alios instruendos, indigerent ab aliis instrui qualiter aliis loquerentur, vel qualiter quae alii loquebantur intelligerent. Praesertim quia isti qui mittebantur erant unius gentis, scilicet Iudaeae, secundum illud Isaiae XXVII, qui egredientur impetu a Iacob, implebunt faciem orbis semine.

Illi etiam qui mittebantur pauperes et impotentes erant, nec de facili a principio reperissent qui eorum verba aliis fideliter interpretarentur, vel verba aliorum eis exponerent, maxime quia ad infideles mittebantur. Et ideo necessarium fuit ut super hoc eis divinitus provideretur per donum linguarum, ut sicut, gentibus ad idololatriam declinantibus, introducta est diversitas linguarum sicut dicitur Gen. XI; ita etiam, quando erant gentes ad cultum unius dei revocandae, contra huiusmodi diversitatem remedium adhiberetur per donum linguarum.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod, sicut dicitur I ad Cor. XII, manifestatio spiritus datur ad utilitatem.

Et ideo sufficienter et Paulus et alii apostoli fuerunt instructi divinitus in linguis omnium gentium, quantum requirebatur ad fidei doctrinam. Sed quantum ad quaedam quae superadduntur humana arte ad ornatum et elegantiam locutionis, apostolus instructus erat in propria lingua, non autem in aliena. Sicut etiam et in sapientia et scientia fuerunt sufficienter instructi quantum requirebat doctrina fidei, non autem quantum ad omnia quae per scientiam acquisitam cognoscuntur, puta de conclusionibus arithmeticae vel geometriae.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod, quamvis utrumque fieri potuisset, scilicet quod per unam linguam loquentes ab omnibus intelligerentur, aut quod omnibus loquerentur; tamen convenientius fuit quod ipsi omnibus linguis loquerentur, quia hoc pertinebat ad perfectionem scientiae ipsorum, per quam non solum loqui, sed intelligere poterant quae ab aliis dicebantur. Si autem omnes unam eorum linguam intellexissent, hoc vel fuisset per scientiam illorum qui eos loquentes intelligerent, vel fuisset quasi quaedam illusio, dum aliorum verba aliter ad aliorum aures perferrentur quam ipsi ea proferrent.

Et ideo Glossa dicit, Act. II, quod maiori miraculo factum est quod ipsi omnium linguarum generibus loquerentur.

Et Paulus dicit, I ad Cor. XIV, gratias deo, quod omnium vestrum lingua loquor.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod christus in propria persona uni soli genti praedicaturus erat, scilicet Iudaeis. Et ideo, quamvis ipse absque dubio perfectissime haberet scientiam omnium linguarum, non tamen oportuit quod omnibus linguis loqueretur.

Ideo autem, ut Augustinus dicit, super Ioan., cum et modo spiritus sanctus accipiatur, nemo loquitur linguis omnium gentium, quia iam ipsa ecclesia linguis omnium gentium loquitur, in qua qui non est, non accipit spiritum sanctum.