Glossolalia (paranormal speaking in tongues) and zenolalia (paranormal speaking in allegedly foreign languages) are features of many sub-cultures and religions. The most obvious example is Pentecostalism, where every believer in many denominations is expected to speak in tongues at least once – the gift in other cultures being limited to individuals, shamans and mediums. This book, first published in 1978, surveys the practice of ‘speaking in tongues’ in anthropology, Christianity and spiritualism, and provides an analysis of the psychological, theological and linguistic considerations of the phenomenon.
1. Tongues in Non-Christian Cultures 2. The First Whitsun 3. From Jerusalem to Corinth 4. Tongues before the Reformation 5. From the Reformation to 1800 6. The Nineteenth Century 7. Nineteenth-Century Spiritualism 8. The Twentieth Century: Christian Tongues 9. Tongues in Twentieth-Century Spiritualism 10. The Charismatic Movement 11. Psychological and Medical Glossolalia 12. Debate and Discussion: Christian Tongues I 13. Debate and Discussion: Christian Tongues II 14. Debate and Discussion: The Psychology and Effects of Tongues 15. Debate and Discussion: Spiritualist Tongues 16. Summary and Conclusion
Biography
David Christie-Murray
