The other 4 occurrences of ‘parakletos’ all refer to the Holy Spirit, and are all used by Jesus on the eve of his crucifixion, during the long discourse, beginning in the upper room and continuing to Gethsemane, which constitutes chapters 13 – 17 of John’s gospel. The first reference is in 14. 16: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another ‘parakletos’, so that he may be with you for ever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive.” One problem of translation here may be quickly dealt with. The Greek word for ‘Spirit’ is ‘pneuma’, which is a neuter noun, so that pronouns referring to it (the word !) are correspondingly in the neuter form; the example here is the relative pronoun ‘whom’, which I have translated thus rather than ‘which’, even though it is neuter in form. The AV also consistently in all these references to the ‘parakletos’ uses the personal ‘who’ or ‘he’ or ‘him’, as is appropriate for the Third ‘Person’ of the Trinity. But in other contexts, such as Romans 8. 26 (which we will look at later), the AV translates “the Spirit itself”, which puts strict grammar before good sense – and correct theology. The next issue of translation to look at should also be simple, but has, surprisingly, caused some trouble: the word for ‘another’ – ‘allos’ in Greek. The clearest definition I can offer of the word is ‘like in some ways, unlike in others’, or, more succinctly, ‘similar but different’. Two examples should be enough to make the point. In Matthew 2.12, the Magi, warned by God in a dream of Herod’s evil intentions, “returned to their country by another way” – same destination, different route; and in John 10. 16 Jesus says: “I have other sheep who are not of this sheepfold” – similar in that they are disciples of Jesus, different in that they are not ethnic Jews. When therefore Jesus says that the Father will give them “another ‘parakletos’”, he is implying that he will be like himself in his loving commitment to his disciples, but unlike himself in not being a human figure of flesh and blood, but an invisible presence who would be with them always and everywhere. To describe the Spirit as ‘Jesus’ other self’ can be a helpful picture at a simple level, but is not theologically adequate as a definition of the Third Person of the Trinity. To think of him as Jesus’ ‘substitute’ might also be helpful, suggesting both the similarity of his role as the teacher, friend and companion of his disciples, and also his independence as a distinct Person. Just as on Good Friday Jesus was to become his disciples’ substitute, bearing God’s wrath in their place (the ‘atoning sacrifice’), so at Pentecost the Holy Spirit became Jesus’ substitute, taking his place in the disciples’ lives.
Thursday, 29 December 2011
PARAKLETOS 2 (a) the Jesus substitute
The other 4 occurrences of ‘parakletos’ all refer to the Holy Spirit, and are all used by Jesus on the eve of his crucifixion, during the long discourse, beginning in the upper room and continuing to Gethsemane, which constitutes chapters 13 – 17 of John’s gospel. The first reference is in 14. 16: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another ‘parakletos’, so that he may be with you for ever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive.” One problem of translation here may be quickly dealt with. The Greek word for ‘Spirit’ is ‘pneuma’, which is a neuter noun, so that pronouns referring to it (the word !) are correspondingly in the neuter form; the example here is the relative pronoun ‘whom’, which I have translated thus rather than ‘which’, even though it is neuter in form. The AV also consistently in all these references to the ‘parakletos’ uses the personal ‘who’ or ‘he’ or ‘him’, as is appropriate for the Third ‘Person’ of the Trinity. But in other contexts, such as Romans 8. 26 (which we will look at later), the AV translates “the Spirit itself”, which puts strict grammar before good sense – and correct theology. The next issue of translation to look at should also be simple, but has, surprisingly, caused some trouble: the word for ‘another’ – ‘allos’ in Greek. The clearest definition I can offer of the word is ‘like in some ways, unlike in others’, or, more succinctly, ‘similar but different’. Two examples should be enough to make the point. In Matthew 2.12, the Magi, warned by God in a dream of Herod’s evil intentions, “returned to their country by another way” – same destination, different route; and in John 10. 16 Jesus says: “I have other sheep who are not of this sheepfold” – similar in that they are disciples of Jesus, different in that they are not ethnic Jews. When therefore Jesus says that the Father will give them “another ‘parakletos’”, he is implying that he will be like himself in his loving commitment to his disciples, but unlike himself in not being a human figure of flesh and blood, but an invisible presence who would be with them always and everywhere. To describe the Spirit as ‘Jesus’ other self’ can be a helpful picture at a simple level, but is not theologically adequate as a definition of the Third Person of the Trinity. To think of him as Jesus’ ‘substitute’ might also be helpful, suggesting both the similarity of his role as the teacher, friend and companion of his disciples, and also his independence as a distinct Person. Just as on Good Friday Jesus was to become his disciples’ substitute, bearing God’s wrath in their place (the ‘atoning sacrifice’), so at Pentecost the Holy Spirit became Jesus’ substitute, taking his place in the disciples’ lives.
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