GLOSSOLALIA

Hi all. We're back. Things got busy for a while with school starting back up, teaching seminary again, work, family, and on and on. (Who am I kidding? Things are always busy.) I also have spent a lot of time during the past two months researching the subject of this post and reading up on the next set of apocrypha that we'll cover once/if we get through the Aklatan ; ) (There's a lot of good stuff out there.) And I will get to those who have posted comments in the interim. Anyway, we're almost done with the Book of Visions...
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Elisha's unique experience with glossolalia, or speaking in tongues, shouldn't be all that odd or unique. For those that are moved upon by the Holy Ghost, this is a gift from that Spirit and one that will follow those who believe. The speaking in tongues is clearly attested during the Apostolic Church and was prevalent during the first generation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The issue then becomes, why has this gift, in particular, diminished? Or, at least, why do we not see it manifested regularly in our worship? There might be practical reasons for this. Joseph Smith taught that speaking in tongues "was particularly instituted for the preaching of the Gospel to other nations and languages, but it was not given for the government of the Church," and that it must be accompanied by the interpretation of tongues. So, perhaps, because it is now easier to communicate between languages with today's technology, the need for this spiritual means of communication is lessened or is manifested in other ways (e.g., missionaries learning foreign languages easier, translating Church materials more efficiently, etc.).

However, the LDS Church History Blog has documented dozens of first-hand accounts of early Latter-day Saints showing just how integral speaking in tongues was to 19th century Mormon spirituality. The blog's introduction to the topic continues:

Brigham Young would sometimes hold conversations with others in tongues. Perhaps because women could not exercise spirituality tied to priesthood, they readily engaged in the practice of speaking and singing in tongues, as well as interpreting. Patriarchal blessings often promised the gift, sometimes in conjunction with preaching to American Indians (Lamanites). One interpretation of a song in tongues was included in a collection of revelations, and some blessings were given in tongues. After some time, caution was urged. Interpretation was to accompany the gift, and that which was said was not to be taken as doctrine.

The frequency of the gift slowed and eventually those who commonly spoke in tongues died off. Sometimes, manifestations of the gift in the 20th century were regarded with suspicion. Eventually church materials would define the gift of tongues primarily as the ability for missionaries or others to learn languages to preach the gospel.

I was going to post excerpts of many of these stories, and though it would be fun, it would be too long. So I'll just refer you to the LDS Church History Blog, and here's a graph representing the prevalence of speaking in tongues in the Church based on its documentation. (This is not representative of a robust scientific or statistical analysis on the data, and I understand the accompanying sorting issues, selection biases, etc of the dataset. It's just something I threw together to visualize the temporal trend of glossalia, and biases aside, there's something to it.)

(Click to enlarge)

We have never seen an outpouring of the Spirit manifested via the gift of tongues since the Saints were first establishing themselves in Utah, and even then, that paled in comparison to the time of Kirtland and the surrounding period. In our day, this is a good reminder to check ourselves that we're not suppressing but, rather, expressing, exercising, and seeking/coveting earnestly gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:31; D&C 46:8). We need to be sure we're not falling into the trap of unbelief Mormon saw over 1600 years ago:

It is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain.

For no man can be saved, according to the words of Christ, save they shall have faith in his name; wherefore, if these things have ceased, then has faith ceased also; and awful is the state of man, for they are as though there had been no redemption made. (Moroni 7:37-38)

Miracles and gifts of the Spirit happen because of faith and follow those who believe. If we're not seeing these in our own lives, where is our faith? If we're not seeing these in the world around us, things are looking pretty bleak. "Israel, Israel, God is calling..."

VISIONS 4, PART 1 - VISITORS & ORDINANCES

On Sunday, 25 Jan 1987, four months after Jesus' visit (seemingly another testing period), Elisha is preaching the Bible to the people of Bangued (~30,000 people at the time) 130 miles north of where his story began in Dagupan. He stops to take a rest by the Abra River, which flows next to the city and is approached by three men. One thing that is interesting here is that Elisha takes time to describe them as taller than him but doesn't label them as American, as he had with Oleeha. I don't know if this is mere oversight on his part or if it means, in the absence of this label, they did not seem to be foreigners (e.g., dress, speech, physical characteristics, etc.) and could've even appeared Filipino.

In any case, they ask his name but cannot reveal their own, which Elisha finds curious. (We'll talk more on Elisha's reactions to the events recorded in the Book of Visions in a later post.) This is similar to and has parallels with other stories of threesomes of heavenly messengers sent by God to someone for a specific purpose yet remaining unnamed or unable to reveal their true character (e.g., Abraham's visitors in Gen 18, those presented in the LDS Endowment ceremony, etc.). The mission of these particular three this time is to find Elisha and aid him in his mission by administering the ordinances of baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, and priesthood conferral.

Now Elisha, being a believing, life-long Catholic doesn't understand why he needs these ordinances since he was already baptized as an infant and is unfamiliar with priesthood distinct from that held by ordained clergy. The men give a clear, concise answer to his concerns. First, the priesthood is the authority and power used in preaching the word of God. Second, the baptism of infants is a Catholic tradition that didn't originate from Christ's teachings in the Bible. (The first traditions and writings of the practice date to the 2nd-3rd centuries AD.) Such a baptism is not sufficient to manifest faith in Christ, and the ordinance and the covenants associated with it must be entered into of one's own free will and choice as the fruit of faith and repentance. It seems this is all that is necessary to convince Elisha, and he accepts their explanation. They also could've expounded further on infant baptism like Mormon does in his letter to his son, Moroni (Moroni 8) (e.g., little children are incapable of committing sin; the curse of Adam is removed from them through the Atonement; they need neither repentance nor baptism; etc.), but don't.

Elisha is asked to go down into the river, where one of the men baptizes him by immersion in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Coming out of the water, he kneels down on the bank, and feels the light, warmth, and power of the Spirit as he receives the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands from the second of the three. This rush of the Spirit and power of God compels him to speak in a language he doesn't understand, but his visitors comprehend and confirm the truth of what he'd said. (I was going to discuss the manifestation of the spiritual gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues here, but I'll save it for the next post.) In the same manner (by the laying on of hands), the last of the three confers upon him the holy priesthood of God. The men conclude their visit by instructing Elisha in many important things pertaining to the Gospel and leave him to ponder the immensity of these events into the night.

Addendum 1: One last thing to think on. According to the current LDS understanding of priesthood authority, any ordinance performed must be done under the direction of one holding priesthood keys. Priesthood holders can't just go around willy-nilly baptizing, confirming, etc.; they must be assigned and delegated to perform that ordinance by those in authority to do so. From the LDS Guide to the Scriptures:

Keys are the rights of presidency, or the power given to man by God to direct, control, and govern God's priesthood on earth. Priesthood holders called to positions of presidency receive keys from those in authority over them. Priesthood holders use the priesthood only within the limits outlined by those who hold the keys.

Latter-day Saints believe that the President of the Church, then, holds all necessary priesthood keys on earth, the same as Peter when Christ gave him the "keys of the kingdom" (Matt 16:19). So, for this to all fit within an LDS (or possibly even traditional Christian) paradigm, these three men normally would've been sent by one holding the keys to preside over Elisha's baptism, confirmation, and ordination to the priesthood, namely, at least the local bishop, stake president, and/or mission president (h/t Bruce). However, you'll notice that these men simply state they are sent by God, and Elisha neither names the specific priesthood or office received nor mentions being confirmed a member of any church. In this case, it seems more likely that Christ himself, under the direction of the Father from whom all priesthood power, authority, and keys are derived, sent and authorized these special messengers to perform ordinances for Elisha outside of any Church authority or even knowledge. This is in keeping with Christ's calling of Elisha as a special apostle to the isles of the sea separate and apart from the Twelve overseeing His established Church.

Addendum 2: Joseph Smith had this to say about ministering angels and ordinances:

[Jesus] set the ordinances to be the same for Ever and ever and set Adam to watch over them to reveal them from heaven to man or to send Angels to reveal them. Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of Salvation. These angels are under the direction of Michael or Adam who acts under the direction of Christ.

VISIONS 3, PART 9 - OTHER SHEEP

Jesus concludes His visit with Elisha reiterating His role as redeemer and gatherer of Israel under the direction of His Father. He preached the word in Jerusalem during His mortal ministry but was commanded to bring the Gospel to wherever Israel was scattered. He teaches Elisha what He told the descendants of Lehi (3 Nephi 15:12-16:7), that when He spoke of other sheep that needed to hear the Shepherd's voice and be gathered into His fold (John 10:16), He meant other tribes the Father had led away. The people of the islands are among those other sheep, as well as people of many more lands and even many more worlds! (While the author of Hebrews writes of Christ creating worlds under the direction of the Father (1:2; 11:3), it's often understood to mean simply the universe, however one imagines it. It isn't until Joseph Smith's translation of Moses (1:33, 35) that we learn of the literalness of that statement--that there are indeed innumerable worlds inhabited by God's children and other creations with Jesus as Savior of them all. This doctrine was also reiterated a few years later in D&C 76:24, 39 and 93:10.)

Christ reminds Elisha that He has set all these events in motion in order to remind the people of the islands that:
1) He is Lord of all nations and King in all lands and of all people
2) they are His children and one of His chosen people
3) He visited them in ancient times
4) He made covenants with them that He intends to keep
5) they will be gathered back into the House of Israel and receive their blessings
6) the island kingdom is given to them for their inheritance
7) the Aklatan is the catalyst for this chain of events

He tells Elisha that at the appointed time Oleeha will return to aid in translating the record, which speaks concerning the time when He came unto the island people. By His power, Christ caused it to be preserved in the cave and Elisha to discover it that it might come forth among the people and be a guide for them. The Aklatan will also be proof (He uses the word "proof" and not just "evidence") of two things: Elisha's calling and the Holy Spirit's power to witness of truth.

This promise from Jesus is key for anyone with hangups over Elisha. It's also analogous to Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. In the early days of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Book of Mormon was not read or studied as thoroughly as it is today; at first, it was mainly just a physical manifestation and witness of Joseph's prophetic calling. Even today, LDS missionaries ask everyone to read the Book of Mormon and receive a witness from the Spirit of it's truth. Then, the logical progression follows that if the Book of Mormon contains the word of God, then Joseph was a prophet of God who restored Gospel knowledge, priesthood keys, Christ's church, etc. in the latter days. The promise is the same, then, for Elisha: seeking and receiving a witness from the Holy Spirit of the truths found in the Aklatan logically leads to a witness of his divinely issued calling to the people of the islands.

Elisha is commanded to write all of Jesus' words down and promised they will stay in his memory until he has done so. At the end of the chapter, after Christ departs, Elisha relates that this happened just as Christ said it would; he remembered the whole visitation with perfect clarity until he wrote it down, and only then the memory began to fade. This reminded me of the story behind D&C 132. Historically, we can deduce that Joseph had received the revelation on celestial marriage as early as 1831, but it wasn't written down until 1842 at the insistence of his brother, Hyrum. Joseph declined using the Urim and Thummim, saying that he knew the revelation perfectly from beginning to end, even though he'd kept it in his mind for some 11 years. After recording it and making a copy, Joseph said that much more could've been written, but what was recorded was sufficient at that time. He even allowed his wife, Emma, to destroy the original, claiming he could recite it word for word at any time if necessary.

Wilford Woodruff also spoke of this unique spiritual gift (h/t Bruce):

Whenever I hear Joseph Smith preach, teach, or prophesy, I always felt it my duty to write it; I felt uneasy and could not eat, drink, or sleep until I did write; and my mind has been so exercised upon this subject that when I hear Joseph Smith teach and had no pencil or paper, I would go home and sit down and write the whole sermon, almost word for word and sentence by sentence as it was delivered, and when I had written it, it was taken from me, and I remembered it no more. This was the gift of God to me.

Christ's final command is to spread these words among the people, and whoever obeys these commands will be saved in the last day.