This article is a structural analysis of 1 Corinthians 14:1-19 which pays particular attention to the chiastic structure in verses 6-19. The structure will be analysed from the perspective that the spiritual gift of languages or tongues refers to human languages, and that the speaker understands what he is saying as he is speaking (i.e. he is not dependent on the further step of interpretation/translation for his own understanding of what he has just said).

I attempt in this article to show that such a view is plausible in the sense that it is consistent with the Scriptural data in these verses. A successful demonstration of this plausibility would not however prove that the view is correct! Rather, if such an  interpretation is made sufficiently plausible, it would provide an alternative, and a counterbalance, to the currently widely-held  charismatic interpretations of this important passage of Scripture.

The article is a Word document and can be accessed by clicking on the link below:

Corinthians14Tongues.1

Please Note: This is a slightly modified version of the article previously posted. I hope this is an improvement!!

(None of the basic arguments put forward here are original by any means, but I hope that readers may find the attempt to integrate them closely into the structure of the passage helpful.)

Categories: Chiastic and Other Structures, Corinthians, New Testament Exegesis, Uncategorized

Tags: 1 Cor. 14, 1 Cor. 14:1-19, 1 Cor. 14:6-19, barbarian, charismatic, Chiasm, chiastic, church, Corinth, Corinthians, edification, edify, gifts of the Spirit, glossalalia, Holy Spirit, intelligible, Interpretation, New Testament, Paul, prayer, prophecy, Tongues, word count