III. The authorities referred to in the foregoing arti- cle are, J\I idler, Lectures* on the Science of Language ( 18G2) ; Bimsen, Philosophy of IJistory (1854, 2 vols.); Kenan, Histoire Generate des Langues Semitiques (3d ed. 18G3); Knobel, Volkertafel der Genesis (1850); Hum- boldt [W. von], Ueber die Verschiedenheit des mensch- lichen iSprachbaues (1836) ; Delitzsch, Jeshurun (1858) ; Transactions of the Philological Society ; Rawlinson, Jferodotus (1858, 4 vols.); Pott, Elymologische For- schungen (1833); Garnetf, Essays (1859); Schleicher, Compendium der vergleichenden Grammatik (1861); Die- fenbach, Orirjines Europeoe, (eod.) ; Ewald, Sprachiois- seiuchaftliche Abhandlungen (1862). See Ethnology.
TONGUES OF FiRK. In the account of the first de- scent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, it is stated (Acts ii, 3) that "there appeared unto them cloven tongues as of fire (hafitpi^ona'ai yXwauai ioTti Trvpog), and it sat upon each of them." " They were appear- ances of tongues, which were luminous, but did not burn; not confluent into one, but distributing them-
selves on the assembled. As only similar to fire, they bore an analogy to electric phenomena; their tongue- like shape referred as a sign to that miraculous speak- ing which ensued immediately after, and the fire-like form to the divine presence (comj). Ezek. iii, 2), which "was here operative in a manner so entirely i)eculiar. The whole phenomenon is here to be understood as a miraculous operation of God manifesting himself in the Spirit, by which, as by a preceding sound from heaven, the effusion of the Spirit was made known as divine, and his efficacy in the minds of those who were to receive him was enhanced" (Meyer, ad loc). See Thilo, J)e Linguis Ignitis (Viteb. 1675). See Fike; T'onguk.
TONGUES, Gift of. This was an endowment first imparted to the apostles, and apparently to all the as- sembled disciples, on the day of Pentecost, and afterwards continued to the Christians during the apostolic age. John the Baptist, himself a burning and a shining light, had testified of Christ, " He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." After Jesus had been crucified, and before he ascended, he breathed on his disciples and said, " Receive ye the Holy Ghost." The influence so communicated must have been precious, but it was only the earnest of the inheritance, and not the entire fulfilment of John's ])re- diction. By their secular views of the INIessiah's sover- eignty the disciples showed that they had not yet been favored with the full baptism of the Spirit. " When they were come together, they asked of him, saying, WiU, thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Is- rael?" This question implied entire confidence in the power of Christ, but it evinced no clear conceptions of the spirituality of his reign. Fifty days after the cruci- fixion the promise of the Father had its accomplishment, and the disciples received a special power when the Holy Ghost came upon them. Why was hope so long deferred? There was wisdom in this delay, as indicat- ing divine presidency and direction in the ordering of the event. If the apostles were to be excited and be- stirred merely by the dire experience thej' had iiassed through, the effect on natural principles should have been speedily consequent on the cause. Procrastina- tion was calculated to sober tumultuous passion, and to restrain imperilling enterprise. In this view the de- scent of the Spirit received confirmation from occurring after a considerable interval of tranquillity and inaction. The specitic day had also its significance. Pentecost was tlie feast of first-fruits, the commencement and the consecration of the harvest; and it formed, therefore, the fitting moment for the formal introduction of that work of the Spirit by which was to be secured the spiritual harvest of Christ's finished work. It had also come to be regarded as commemorative of the giving of the law from Sinai — the magnificent initiation of the Mosaic economv' — and the period of the latter event must certaiidy liave coincided very nearly, if not abso- lutely, with that of the other (Exod. xix, 11). Then God spake, and the mountain burned with fire. The season so regarded was suitable for the introduction of another and related Jera, the inauguration of the Gospel economy : and anew God reveals himself by analogous manifestations. " Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting." This sound resembled the roar of the tempest; but instead of proceeding from any point of the compass, it descended from heaven. Here, as in the wilderness, was the voice of God, a voice full of majesty. '• And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat ujion each of them." Here we have the fiery attribute of Sinai. But now it takes the form of tongues, to denote that God while speaking was endowing with speech, and that his voice like echoing thunder would multiply itself through the reverberating media on which it fell. The tongues were cloven, but into what number of divisions we are not informed. As happens with the variable flames of
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a furnace, the gleaming points may have been miequal- ly numerous. No one had all tongues in his gift; per- haps no two the same tongues, but in every case tliere was a plurality.— Fairbairn. The general subject has already been considered under Holy Si'ikit, Baptism OF, and certain aspects of it under the foregoing head- ing, and under Si-ikitual (iiKis. We here give (mod- ilied from Smith's Diet, of the Bible) a more detailed view of the linguistic phenomenon involved.