Tongues and Other Miraculous Gifts in the Second Through Nineteenth Centuries, Part 4: From the 13th to the 18th Centuries

 

Vincent Ferrer spoke much upon the imminent return of Christ and the nearness of the day of judgment. In the beginning of the fifteenth century, most of Europe was so vividly affected by his call to holiness that his biographers concluded that God’s judgment had been forestalled by the response of the people in their repentance, just as it was in the days of Nineveh when Jonah preached.⁸⁵

One of the things foretold by Vincent was that “a society of apostolic men would rise up in the latter time, who would be eminent for their piety, and whose zeal would be extraordinary.”⁸⁶

 

Colette

At one point, while Vincent Ferrer was praying for the conversion of souls, he had a vision of a nun of the Order of St. Francis doing as he did. She was weeping profusely, at the feet of Christ. The Lord then revealed to him that this nun was Colette.⁸⁷ Colette, also, is known to have spoken in tongues, specifically Latin and German, without any knowledge of those languages.⁸⁸ According to Alban Butler, her fame spread far and wide, enhanced by the many miracles associated with her ministry. The duchess of Bourbon wrote, “I am dying to see that wonderful Colette, who raises people from the dead.”⁸⁹

 

The Zwickau Prophets

If the Rituale Romanum of the Roman Catholic Church served to hinder those who spoke in tongues from publicizing the fact, the early events of the Protestant Reformation only reinforced public prejudice against the recognition of tongues and other prophetic gifts as God-given. The Reformation brought with it many excesses. In December of 1521, the Zwickau prophets began to disturb Wittenberg, the city to which Martin Luther had felt responsible as pastor. Although his flock resided at Wittenberg, Luther himself was in hiding at Wartburg Castle because his life was in danger. The Zwickau prophets did much to discredit the supernatural gifts, because in addition to boasting of visions, dreams and direct communications with God, they rejected the written Word of God, and seemed ready to use violence to overthrow the existing order of things in order to bring about the millennial reign of Jesus Christ upon the earth.

Luther found it necessary to return to Wittenberg against the wishes of his protector, Frederick, the elector of Saxony, trusting in God’s providence to keep him safe from harm. Luther had a deep pastoral concern for his people at Wittenberg, and he felt that it was essential that he return to Wittenberg in order to deal with the situation. He was successful in accomplishing this purpose, and he was careful not to speak evil of anyone; he simply preached the Word of God and trusted that God would bring order, which indeed He did.

 

Tags: 13th, 18th, centuries, gifts, miraculous, nineteenth, part, tongues

Category: Church History, Summer 1999