We shall return to this awesome scene in a moment, to find out exactly how our Advocate pleads our cause; but meanwhile another dose of linguistics will bring us down to earth. Here I am much indebted to William Barclay’s chapter on ‘parakletos’ ('NT Words' pp. 219-20), who informs us that the word became so familiar and so useful that it was commonly transliterated into Hebrew by Jewish rabbis and biblical scholars. Two examples that he quotes are particularly relevant. Rabbinic writings, apparently, often described man’s good works as ‘parakletoi’ (plural form), or ‘advocates’ on our behalf before God: “he who fulfils one precept of the law gains for himself one ‘parakletos’”. Another quotation is even more obviously relevant: “In the heavenly judgment, a man’s ‘parakletoi’ are repentance and good works”. And a third quotation further emphasises the point: “All the righteousness and mercy which an Israelite does in the world are great peace and great ‘parakletoi’ between him and his Father in heaven.” These three statements perfectly encapsulate the essence of the Jewish religion – indeed, of all religion – and of the Old Covenant: keeping the law keeps God happy and pleads our cause for us. But can any one keep God’s law ? Barclay also cites a second usage of ‘parakletos’ transliterated into Hebrew, in the Targum version of Job 33. 23-5: Elihu, in his attempt to comfort Job, describes a man desperately ill and approaching death, “the pit”. “Yet”, he goes on, “if there is an angel on his side, a ‘parakletos’ (NIV ‘mediator’), one in a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him, and to be gracious to him, and to say, ‘spare him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom for him’, then his flesh is renewed like a child’s” – the OT equivalent, perhaps, of being ‘born again’. So these two uses of ‘parakletos’ in Hebrew neatly summarise the two lines of defence our Advocate may use to plead our cause: ‘his good deeds speak for him’, or ‘a ransom has been paid for him’. Which will he use ? No-brainer ! Let us return to 1 John 2 and to the court of heaven.
Thursday, 29 December 2011
PARAKLETOS 1 (b)two possible lines of defence
We shall return to this awesome scene in a moment, to find out exactly how our Advocate pleads our cause; but meanwhile another dose of linguistics will bring us down to earth. Here I am much indebted to William Barclay’s chapter on ‘parakletos’ ('NT Words' pp. 219-20), who informs us that the word became so familiar and so useful that it was commonly transliterated into Hebrew by Jewish rabbis and biblical scholars. Two examples that he quotes are particularly relevant. Rabbinic writings, apparently, often described man’s good works as ‘parakletoi’ (plural form), or ‘advocates’ on our behalf before God: “he who fulfils one precept of the law gains for himself one ‘parakletos’”. Another quotation is even more obviously relevant: “In the heavenly judgment, a man’s ‘parakletoi’ are repentance and good works”. And a third quotation further emphasises the point: “All the righteousness and mercy which an Israelite does in the world are great peace and great ‘parakletoi’ between him and his Father in heaven.” These three statements perfectly encapsulate the essence of the Jewish religion – indeed, of all religion – and of the Old Covenant: keeping the law keeps God happy and pleads our cause for us. But can any one keep God’s law ? Barclay also cites a second usage of ‘parakletos’ transliterated into Hebrew, in the Targum version of Job 33. 23-5: Elihu, in his attempt to comfort Job, describes a man desperately ill and approaching death, “the pit”. “Yet”, he goes on, “if there is an angel on his side, a ‘parakletos’ (NIV ‘mediator’), one in a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him, and to be gracious to him, and to say, ‘spare him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom for him’, then his flesh is renewed like a child’s” – the OT equivalent, perhaps, of being ‘born again’. So these two uses of ‘parakletos’ in Hebrew neatly summarise the two lines of defence our Advocate may use to plead our cause: ‘his good deeds speak for him’, or ‘a ransom has been paid for him’. Which will he use ? No-brainer ! Let us return to 1 John 2 and to the court of heaven.
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