Langues des anges

Les langues des anges sont les langues prétendument utilisées par les anges. On y trouve des références dans les louanges chantées du judaïsme de l'époque du Second Temple.

Historique

Dans la Bible hébraïque, les anges ne sont pas dotés d'une langue spéciale et ils parlent dans des langues humaines^[1].

Dans les Manuscrits de la mer Morte de Qumrân, le concept apparaît dans la série d'hymnes pour les sacrifices du samedi^[2],[3],[4].

Plus tard, à Alexandrie, un concept lié figure parmi les membres féminins de la synagogue juive therapeutae. Le texte principal est le Testament de Job apocryphe.

Il est possible que la mention des langues des anges, dans la Première épître aux Corinthiens, chapitre 13, soit une référence à l'influence d'Alexandrie sur le culte de Corinthe^[5].

Références

1. Mark E. Moore, Fanning the Flame: Probing the Issues in Acts, College Press, USA, 2003, p. 214
2. John C. Poirier Tongues of Angels: Concept of Angelic Languages in Classical Jewish and Christian Texts 2010. XI, 224 pages. WUNT II 287 p110 "Cf. Sheres and Blau 1995:84: "But the angels' speech [in the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice] is not recorded. Why do we not hear what they are saying? One commentator has suggested that the big difference between the 'tongues of men and of angels' rendered their idiom unintelligible. Perhaps also, at such auspicious moments the sectarians themselves spoke in tongues (an ecstatic incomprehensible language), a chanting that would drown out what was going on. The sectarians' taste for the esoteric is evident elsewhere"
3. George J. Brooke, Hindy Najman, Loren T. Stuckenbruck The significance of Sinai: traditions about Sinai and divine Revelation in Judaism and Christianity. 2008 p57 "Participation in the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice liturgy is reserved for those sufficiently righteous and ... in order to acquire “tongues of angels” would seem to have been such an elite."
4. Loren T. Stückenbruck Angel veneration and Christology: a study in early Judaism and in the Christology of the Apocalypse of John, by Loren T. Stuckenbruck. WUNT 2/70 1995 p156 The Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice This brings us to a consideration of the angelic sabbath-liturgy (Shi- rot 'Olat ha-Shabbat), which was not fully published and ... and seven tongues, each being seven-fold more powerful than the next ...
5. Rinaldo Fabris Prima lettera ai Corinzi 1999, 175 "Nell'apocrifo giudeo-ellenistico Testamento di Giobbe 46-50, risalente al 1 secolo avanti o dopo Cristo, si fa riferimento alle lingue degli angeli. Le tre figlie di Giobbe, reintegrato nel suo benessere dopo la prova,..."

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