e prophetic light, and
the imagination with the imaginary vision, as happened in the Old
Testament, but also to endow the tongue with external erudition, in
the utterance of various signs of speech. All this is done in the New
Testament, according to 1 Cor. 14:26, "Every one of you hath a psalm,
hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation," i.e. a prophetic
revelation.

Reply Obj. 2: By the gift of prophecy man is directed to God in his
mind, which is more excellent than being directed to Him in his
tongue. "He that speaketh in a tongue" is said to speak "not unto
men," i.e. to men's understanding or profit, but unto God's
understanding and praise. On the other hand, by prophecy a man is
directed both to God and to man; wherefore it is the more perfect
gift.

Reply Obj. 3: Prophetic revelation extends to the knowledge of all
things supernatural; wherefore from its very perfection it results
that in this imperfect state of life it cannot be had perfectly by
way of habit, but only imperfectly by way of passion. On the other
hand, the gift of tongues is confined to a certain particular
knowledge, namely of human words; wherefore it is not inconsistent
with the imperfection of this life, that it should be had perfectly
and by way of habit.

Reply Obj. 4: The interpretation of speeches is reducible to the gift
of prophecy, inasmuch as the mind is enlightened so as to understand
and explain any obscurities of speech arising either from a
difficulty in the things signified, or from the words uttered being
unknown, or from the figures of speech employed, according to Dan.
5:16, "I have heard of thee, that thou canst interpret obscure
things, and resolve difficult things." Hence the interpretation of
speeches is more excellent than the gift of tongues, as appears from
the saying of the Apostle (1 Cor. 14:5), "Greater is he that
prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues; unless perhaps he
interpret." Yet the interpretation of speeches is placed after the
gift of tongues, because the interpretation of speeches extends even
to the interpretation of divers kinds of tongues.
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QUESTION 177

OF THE GRATUITOUS GRACE CONSISTING IN WORDS
(In Two Articles)

We must now consider the gratuitous grace that attaches to words; of
which the Apostle says (1 Cor. 12:8): "To one . . . by the Spirit is
given the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge." Under
this head there are two points o