The History of Tongues: Pagan Practices
Summary:
Ecstatic language was used in in pagan rituals, long before the time of Christ.
More Resources:
Ecstatic language was a common form of worship in pagan temples.i It was well established in Ancient Byblos (1100 BC). Plato (429-347 BC) mentions it as a phenomenon in his time. He tells us that a person under divine possession received utterances and visions that the receiver did not understand.
These utterances were sometimes accompanied by physical healing of people present. Virgil (70-19 BC) tells us that the Sibylline priestess, when in prayer, united her spirit with the god Apollo and spoke in strange tongues.ii
Ahead to Pentecost and the Early Church
i. Vincent Bridges: "Paganism in Provence," Journal of the Western Mystery Tradition (2004).
ii. Mortimer J. Adler, Great Books of the Western World Volume 3 (Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 1952).
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This article is adapted from Truth Matters by Professor Walter J. Veith, an international speaker who has studied Biblical issues in-depth in his quest for truth. His popular series Genesis Conflict brings the debate between Creation and evolution to a new climax as he dissects the arguments with a scientific eye. His highly-acclaimed series Total Onslaught sheds light on the state of the world today as we move to a one-world government and an anticipated apocalypse.
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Science Deceptions
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Protest of the Princes The French Reformation
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Agency of Evil Spirits Snares of Satan
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The Scriptures a Safeguard The Final Warning
The Time of Trouble God's People Delivered
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