In disputes over whose faith is true, representatives of each of the religions cite stories of various inexplicable miracles as an argument in their favor. Glossolalia, a special sacred language of communication with God, the gift of the Holy Spirit, belongs to such phenomena.
It usually appears in a state of religious ecstasy or trance. Scientists studying the phenomenon more than once had the opportunity to personally observe the phenomenon, the massiveness of which is amazing: cases were recorded when up to 10 thousand people spoke at the same time in the "secret language"!
In what language did the pythia hang up?
The phenomenon of glossolalia was talked about long before Christianity. It is mentioned in the Hindu Vedas and the books of ancient Lamaism.
In ancient Greece, in an unknown language, in a state of ecstasy, the Delphic prophetess muttered, and the meaning of her speeches was explained by the interpreters who were with her. Glossolalia was known to the admirers of the Syrian goddess Yuno, constantly sounded during the mysteries of Dionysius, Osiris.
Historical evidence of glossolalia gives an idea that it manifested itself in different countries, on different continents under the same conditions (ecstasy, trance, identification with the gods) and in the same form as in modern charismatic sects. The glossolalia of the shamanic rituals of the peoples of the North and the rites of the voodoo cult in Haiti have a striking similarity.
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Glossolalia was much talked about and argued about during the Christian period of history, when charismatic sects and movements entered the arena. Some argued that she was a direct channel of communication with the Holy Spirit, which Christ himself opened to the apostles. Others considered incomprehensible speaking a product of unhealthy fanaticism, and still others - a mental deviation.
Following Montana
The early Christians considered the church to be an assembly of people of high holiness. But the church grew, expanded, and people appeared who considered themselves the chosen ones, to whom God reveals what is hidden from others.
One of these special people was a former pagan priest from Phrygia Montan.
He, declaring that he was in living communion with God and that he had received a prophetic gift from him, preached the second coming as an immediate event. He urged Christians to turn to extreme asceticism, dissolve marriages and seek the highest joy - martyrdom for Christ. He recognized only individual contact with God; he called the worship of icons paganism.
In a state of exaltation, Montanus announced the imminent end of the world and the appearance of Heavenly Jerusalem in the Phrygian settlement of Pepusa. The passionate sermons of the "last prophet," as he called himself, attracted many to him. Among the followers were two prophetesses Priscilla and Maximilla, who considered the teacher as the Spirit-Comforter promised by the Gospel of John. Agitation lent convincing to the Providence of Montana, but most importantly - speaking in tongues that no one knew.
In the beginning, the church tolerated the Montanists, who were distinguished by asceticism and firmness of faith. However, their idea that power belongs to those who directly communicate with God was contrary to Christian principles. Moreover, the Montanists proclaimed no less than the Third Testament and declared themselves the new apostles.
Montanism was declared heresy at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicea in 325. The coffins of Montana and his prophetesses at Pepuz were destroyed, and under Emperor Justinian, the last Montanists burned themselves, gathered in wooden churches.
But human thought, even heretical thought, is deposited somewhere in the general subconscious: new seers and false teachers appeared in other guises and in other countries.
The whips and their helmsmen
In the Russian Church, the phenomenon of glossolalia is historically associated with a sect whose members were called whips. It arose in the middle of the 17th century and in fact continues to exist under different names in different parts of the world.
… In 1645, a peasant from the Kostroma province, Danila Filippov, announced that the Lord of hosts himself had moved into his body on Mount Gorodin. Filippov lived a long life, being considered among his fellow believers a living embodiment of God the Father, and died in Kostroma as a hundred-year old man.
The Khlystites declared themselves to be people able to communicate directly with the incarnate God. They observed the 12 commandments received from him and conducted special prayers - zealings, during which they whipped themselves with ropes or twisted towels and shouted: "Whiplash, Whiplash to Christ!" (hence the name of the sect). This joy was preceded by the exhaustion of the flesh: a long painful fasting and prayer.
Then, in a state of extreme exhaustion and nervous tension, dressed in all white, they gathered together and, accompanied by rhythmic singing, went out into a happy circle in turn. The frantic whirling was accompanied by incoherent shouts, mixed with squeals, barks, meows.
According to the ideas of the sectarians, God the Father only once descended to earth, incarnating in Filippov. And when he died, the heads of the sect were "Christ" and "Mother of God", it is known that one of them was named Akulina Ivanovna.
The Khlystites called their communities ships, their leaders - helmsmen. They did not have a strict centralization of actions, so many "ships" went into free float, and each new spiritual authority reformed the teaching of Christ in its own way. For them, there was no church hierarchy, no religious traditions, no authority of the holy fathers. They didn't need history or scripture. It is even known that Danila Filippov drowned many holy books in the Volga.
The official church persecuted the sect. In the middle of the 18th century, Khlysty began to be tried. In 1739, the Senate decided to dig up and burn the bodies of Ivan Suslov and Prokopy Lupkin - "Christians" buried in the Moscow Ivanovsky convent.
However, the Khlysty enjoyed authority among the monks, and the Russian intelligentsia was looking for healthy grain in sectarianism. And the Khlysty secretly continued to spread. The eunuchs, the fasters, and the Old Israel sect spun off from him. In the 19th century, many sectarians emigrated, large groups of them went for some reason to Uruguay.
Some historians believe that Grigory Rasputin was a member of the Khlyst community, although there is no direct indication of this.
In search of exotic
In modern times, the enthusiasm of people who think they are prophets continues to captivate followers.
Over the past two centuries, they have merged into one heterogeneous movement called charismatic. Charismatics claim to be more gifted than ordinary Christians, as they have received special gifts from God - charisma.
They exist within the Catholic, Protestant, Lutheran and Orthodox environment; many congregations do not identify themselves with any of the historic churches.
Glossolalia revived actively in 1900. Religious historians speak of two waves of the Pentecostal movement (the second fell in the 60s of the 20th century): first in America, and then around the world.
Charismatics consider it their task to penetrate all Christian teachings in order to "proclaim God's power to those who have never experienced it before." Behind these words there is an obvious desire to establish the faith through miracles, signs, and exotic sensations.
With the help of psychiatrists
If glossolalia is one of the tools for reaching a higher level of faith, then why is it a condition for an altered state of the psyche? Psychologists, linguists, psychiatrists, who independently studied the glossolalia of American Pentecostals, pagans of Borneo, Indonesia and Japan, are trying to answer this question. As a result of the analysis of the structural units of the recorded speech, the conclusion was drawn: all glossolalia are similar!
The state in which it manifests itself was called infantile, altered, or the state of going beyond the mental norm. In each individual case, this state is preceded by artificial, stimulating actions. It starts with people singing monotonously, clapping their hands, dancing or beating drums.
The analysis of the sound and semantic content of the speaking led to the conclusion: it is not a special language that sounds, just repeated syllables and sounds are pronounced. Here is an example of such a speech: "Keela, maspyako, labokanu, handaria." Or again: "Mabazando, kotando, hakatanbashi."
The combinations are repeated in combination with a special technique of immersion in a trance, imitating each other. Onomatopoeic elements are constantly included - grunting, growling, squealing, which can in no way be considered integral parts of human language.
Shaman during a trance
Faith without hysteria
“Let no one deceive you” - these words belong to the Apostle Paul, who, following Jesus, warned people against looking for signs and wonders. This happened on the day of the Jewish holiday of Pentecost. On the disciples of Jesus gathered in the upper room of Zion, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of fiery tongues of heavenly flame. The disciples realized their calling and received the gift of speaking in "other tongues" to enlighten the peoples of the world.
The writings of the holy fathers of the church contain an answer to the question of what this gift was and why it was given. In their understanding, he restored the connection between people, destroyed during the Babylonian pandemonium.
God's gifts are never given without benefit and meaning, but if you believe in the spirituality of charismatics, you should recognize that God gives them out to everyone. Charismatics, shamans, sorcerers and magicians all resort to glossolalia, but do they all speak the same "angelic" language that is given by God ?!
The meaningless, meaningless process of pronouncing meaningless combinations of sounds is not language. It takes place in a state of a disconnected mind and is devoid of content for both those who speak and those who listen. Instead of spiritual ascent, it leads to degradation and destruction of consciousness.
True faith shuns exaltation, unhealthy excitement and hysteria, with which charismatics want to replace the true work of the soul. Two thousand years ago, Jesus said to those who asked for signs: "… an evil and adulterous generation is looking for a sign, and a sign will not be given to it."
Irina Davydova