1 Corinthians 14:22Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

What, then, do the words mean? They are not difficult, obscure, or contrary to what came before. They are very much in harmony with it, if we examine them.

Prophecy is useful for both groups, but tongues are not. Therefore, after saying of tongues that they are for a sign, the Apostle added, "not to those who believe, but to unbelievers." And they are a sign more for amazement than for edification.

But you will say that he expressed himself in the same way about prophecy, in the words, "but prophecy is not for unbelievers, but for believers." The believer does not need to see a sign. He needs only instruction and edification.

How then do you assert that prophecy is useful for both, when he says, "not for unbelievers, but for believers"? If you examine carefully, you will understand his words.

He did not say that prophecy is not useful for unbelievers, but that it does not serve as a sign in the way tongues do. That is, it is not equally useless. Tongues are not something useful for unbelievers. They produce only astonishment and confusion.

A sign belongs to the class of things indifferent. Thus the Psalmist, after saying, "Show me a sign," adds, "for good" (Ps 85:17). And again, "I have become as a wonder to many" (Ps 70:7), that is, as a sign.

To persuade you that sign here does not mean something that always brings benefit, the Apostle also adds what it produces. What is that? "Will they not say," he says, "that you are mad?"

This comes not from the nature of the sign, but from the foolishness of those who say it. By the word unbelievers, do not always understand the same kind of people.

Sometimes it means those incurably sick and remaining incorrigible. Sometimes it means those able to change, such as those who marveled at the Apostles as they spoke the mighty works of God. Such also were the members of Cornelius's household.

Therefore the meaning of his words is this. Prophecy has power both among unbelievers and among believers. But when unbelieving and foolish people hear tongues, they not only receive no benefit, but laugh at those speaking in tongues as though they were mad.

Tongues serve them only as a sign, that is, they only bring them into amazement. Yet if they had understanding, they would receive the benefit for which the sign was given.

For among the Apostles also, there were not only those who mocked them as drunk, but many who marveled at them as speaking the mighty works of God. Those who mocked were foolish.

Therefore Paul did not simply say, "Will they not say that you are mad?" He added, "uninstructed or unbelieving." Prophecy, however, does not simply serve as a sign. It is necessary and useful for the faith and edification of both groups.

Yet he did not express this at once, but explained it in the following words: "He is convicted by all, he is judged by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed. So, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is truly among you."

Thus prophecy is higher not only because it has power among both groups, but also because it converts even the most shameless of unbelievers.

The miracle was not the same when Peter convicted Sapphira, which was an act of prophecy, and when he spoke in tongues. Then all were afraid. But when he spoke in tongues, he was even taken for one mad.

Therefore, after saying that tongues bring no benefit, and leaving aside for the moment the accusation of the Jews' guilt, the Apostle next shows that they even cause harm.

Why then, you will say, were they given? So that they might be used with interpretation. Without this, the opposite occurs among the foolish.

"If," he says, "the whole Church comes together in one place, and all speak with unknown tongues, and uninstructed or unbelieving people come in, will they not say that you are mad?"

Thus the Apostles also were taken for drunk. "Others, mocking, said, 'They are full of new wine'" (Acts 2:13).

But the cause lay not in the sign, but in the foolishness of those who said this. Therefore he added, "uninstructed or unbelieving." That is, their opinion comes from foolishness and unbelief.

As I said before, he tries to place the gift of tongues among things not wholly worthy of rejection, but not very useful. He does this to humble his hearers and impress upon them the need to seek interpretation.

Since they did not care about this, but many tried to display themselves through the aforementioned gift and satisfy their ambition, he especially turns them away from it. He proves that, on the contrary, they injure their own reputation by drawing suspicion of madness upon themselves.

Paul always acts in this way. When he wants to turn someone away from something, he proves that the person suffers harm from the very thing to which he is attached.

You also should act so. When turning someone away from pleasures, show that they are full of bitterness. When turning him away from vainglory, show that it brings dishonor.

Paul acted in this way. Turning the rich away from love of money, he says that wealth not only harms, but also exposes them to temptations: "Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge men into ruin and destruction" (1 Tim 6:9).

Since wealth seems to deliver from troubles, he asserts the opposite of what the rich thought.

Others were attached to outward wisdom, as though it served them for explaining doctrines. But he proves that it not only brings no benefit to the Cross, but even debases it.

Some wished to go to law before outsiders, thinking it unworthy to be judged by their own, as though those outside, the pagans, were wiser. But he proves that it is shameful to be judged before outsiders.

Others ate things sacrificed to idols, as though wishing to display perfect knowledge in themselves. But he proves that inability to order the good of one's neighbors is a sign of imperfect knowledge.

So also here. The Corinthians admired the gift of tongues through ambition, but he proves that this especially puts them to shame. It not only deprives them of glory, but also exposes them to suspicion of madness.

Yet he did not say this at once. First he said a great deal and thereby prepared them to receive his words. Only then does he express the thought, which is extremely unexpected.

This is his usual manner of speech. Indeed, whoever wishes to shake an established opinion and change it into its opposite must not state the opposite at once. Otherwise he will be mocked by those already possessed by the contrary opinion.

Something very unexpected cannot be accepted suddenly without prior preparation. First one must thoroughly shake the opinion of others by other arguments, and only then implant the opposite in them.

He acted in the same way when speaking about marriage. Many were inclined toward marriage, as though it brought peace. But he wished to prove that peace lies in the unmarried state.

If he had said this suddenly, his words would not have been so well received. But now, after saying much else and offering it at the proper time, he deeply moved his hearers.

He acted the same way concerning virginity. Having first said much, he then says, "But I spare you" (1 Cor 7:28). And again, "I want you to be without care" (1 Cor 7:32).

In exactly the same way he acts concerning the gift of tongues. He proves that it not only deprives them of glory, but also puts those who have it to shame before unbelievers.

Prophecy, on the contrary, does not expose them to shame before unbelievers, and it brings the greatest glory and benefit. Because of prophecy no one will say, "You are mad," or laugh at those prophesying.

Rather, everyone will be astonished and will marvel at them, because he is convicted by all. That is, everything in his heart is disclosed and set before all.

It is not the same thing for someone to enter and hear one man speaking Persian and another Syriac, and to enter, for whatever reason, either to test them with evil intent or with simplicity, and hear the secrets of his own heart.

These are such and such deeds and intentions of his own. The latter, more than the former, arouses fear and brings benefit.

Therefore the Apostle says that concerning tongues they will say, "You are mad." Yet he does not say this on his own authority, but as the judgment of others: "Will they not say," he asks, "that you are mad?"

Here, however, he relies both on the nature of the matter itself and on the conviction of those who receive benefit: "He is convicted by all, he is judged by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed. So, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is truly among you."

Do you see how certain this is? There the action is subject to different judgments, and one unbeliever may ascribe it to madness. Here nothing of the kind happens. On the contrary, he marvels and worships, confessing first by deeds and then by words.

Thus Nebuchadnezzar also worshiped God when he said, "Truly your God is the God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery" (Dan 2:47).

Do you see how the power of prophecy changed a coarse man, taught him, and brought him to faith?

One may answer this: the Apostle did not say that prophecy is useless for unbelievers, but that it does not serve as a useless sign, as tongues do. In brief, a tongue serves as a sign for unbelievers, that is, only to astonish them. Prophecy is useful for believers and unbelievers, reproving them, although it is not called a sign for them.

This can be evident even to the simplest person, and even to an outsider, if he enters such an assembly of Christians in which all speak. It is understandable that such disorder, which occurs even now in Jewish synagogues, cannot be tolerated, either in itself or because it is useless. As for the utterance of edifying speeches, that is, prophecies, even if all utter them, they are a wholly natural and intelligible phenomenon. They can produce nothing except a favorable effect, especially when these words act in many ways on the soul of one who enters the church: reproving, instructing, consoling, and saving him. A God-inspired and rational word surely acts on every unprejudiced person so that he turns to God, even from paganism. This happened with many, for example, with the envoys of Saint Vladimir in the church of Hagia Sophia. Yet it is clear that for this the prophecies themselves must also be uttered in orderly fashion, which the Apostle teaches further.