“No one in the Upper Room was speaking the same language either. Each one was speaking something different.”
Nowhere does it state that each of the twelve was speaking a different language.
“Have you EVER HEARD the Heavenly Language spoken by God to His Angels?
How do you know there are not several dialects to it, like the Hebrew Language is complex?
The Hebrew Language, is the Language God chose to give His people, and it is one of the most complex languages known to mankind.”
The concept of ‘dialect’ is a completely natural development of real rational language. It is the direct result of population movements or population isolation over time. Hebrew is no more complex than any other language. Language complexity is a somewhat relevant term; a language may have a rather simple grammar, but be incredibly difficult to pronounce, or may be relatively easy to pronounce and have say a complex verbal system, etc.
“Proper Greek claims the UNKNOWN LANGUAGE is not spoken to men (humans at all). It claims it is ONLY SPOKEN TO GOD!!”
“Both translation of the Greek specifies that Paul meant, men (humans like You and myself) can't understand what is being said, only God can. So basically, the Tongues Paul is speaking of here, is not another human language. It's a language unknown to all humans. It's a language only God knows!!”
This has already been addressed ad nauseum – the speaker is indeed speaking only to God, since God is the only one who, at that particular worship service, understands the speaker’s native language – no one else there speaks or understands it. As others have mentioned, the word “unknown” is a much later addition; the speaker is simply speaking “a language”.
ἀκούει = akouei can hear it = CAN HEAR IT
The verb here means “to hear (with understanding)”. Nobody listening to the speaker hears him with understanding as they don’t speak his language; nothing more complicated than that.
“Paul bragged about speaking in Tongues more than anyone else.
This is clear he has heard others do it, in order to know he does it more!!”
Paul didn’t brag about it – he simply stated that he used foreign languages more than the average person (due to his “work”). Of course he’s heard other people speak in various languages; he’s out among the non-Jews teaching them in said languages.
“Why would he tear them down over foreign languages?”
As others have mentioned, because Corinth was a multi-lingual, multi-cultural port city on not one, but two ports. A place where everyday communication was challenging at best. The local language was Greek, but not everyone spoke it with the same degree of fluency and obviously if they were speaking to a fellow countryman, it would be in whatever their native language was.
Paul calls for clarity and understanding at a public worship – he’s not tearing them down over foreign languages, but rather insists (perhaps “implores” would be a better word here) that if a foreign language must be used, it should be translated so all may benefit, and usage should be kept to a minimum. In addition, if a translator could not be found, better the person just keeps silent and prays to God by himself.
“Glossa” – It’s just the Greek word for ‘language’ or the physical organ in the mouth. Nothing more mysterious than that. How did Icelandic enter the picture?? "Language" in Icelandic is "tungumál" (literally something like "tongue thing"). The tongue in your mouth is "tungu".
Agnes Ozman was a woman. She perhaps best demonstrates the concept of having such a strong desire to “experience God” that one creates that experience. She created the experience via non-cognitive non-language utterance.
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