Of the 18 (or so) uses of ‘elencho’ in the NT there are several which throw light on our passage, and these we shall come to shortly. But first, we will look at a verse which, though linguistically parallel, in its application is the direct antithesis of John 16. 8. The words are the words of Jesus, and the gospel is the gospel of John – 8. 46. During a long discourse with the increasingly hostile Jews – they end the chapter by trying to stone him – Jesus issues a challenge: “Which of you can convict me of sin ?” (NIV: “prove me guilty of sin”). As in our verse, and in two others, ‘elencho’ here is followed by the preposition ‘peri’, meaning ‘about’, ‘concerning’, or simply ‘of’. Again, as in our verse, the noun after ‘peri’ is ‘hamartia’, ‘sin’; this word, or various of its synonyms (sorry !), are associated with ‘elencho’ in 8 of its uses. But what is most striking here is that, whereas in 16.8 it is the Spirit of Jesus that will convict the world of sin, here Jesus is challenging the world to convict him of sin. This, of course, they cannot do; the best that they can manage is to say that he is a Samaritan and that he has a devil. The only other usage of ‘elencho’ by Jesus (assuming that John 3.20 is not Jesus speaking but John writing) is in Matthew 18. 15-16: “If your brother sins against you, go and make his wrongdoing clear to him” ( 'elencho' - NIV: “show him his fault”) “between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother; (16) but if he does not listen --- ”. Verse 16 shows that you can ‘convict’ someone of his sin without ‘convincing’ him that he is a sinner who needs to repent: only the Holy Spirit can convince his conscience. This same truth is evident in the case of Herod, who, although ‘convicted’ ('elencho') by John the Baptist “about (‘peri’) Herodias his brother’s wife” (whom he had married, contrary to the law) “and about all the wicked things he had done”, so far from repenting, actually ‘shot the messenger’ by having him beheaded (Luke 3. 19-20).
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
[Parakletos] 'elencho' (b) in the gospels
Of the 18 (or so) uses of ‘elencho’ in the NT there are several which throw light on our passage, and these we shall come to shortly. But first, we will look at a verse which, though linguistically parallel, in its application is the direct antithesis of John 16. 8. The words are the words of Jesus, and the gospel is the gospel of John – 8. 46. During a long discourse with the increasingly hostile Jews – they end the chapter by trying to stone him – Jesus issues a challenge: “Which of you can convict me of sin ?” (NIV: “prove me guilty of sin”). As in our verse, and in two others, ‘elencho’ here is followed by the preposition ‘peri’, meaning ‘about’, ‘concerning’, or simply ‘of’. Again, as in our verse, the noun after ‘peri’ is ‘hamartia’, ‘sin’; this word, or various of its synonyms (sorry !), are associated with ‘elencho’ in 8 of its uses. But what is most striking here is that, whereas in 16.8 it is the Spirit of Jesus that will convict the world of sin, here Jesus is challenging the world to convict him of sin. This, of course, they cannot do; the best that they can manage is to say that he is a Samaritan and that he has a devil. The only other usage of ‘elencho’ by Jesus (assuming that John 3.20 is not Jesus speaking but John writing) is in Matthew 18. 15-16: “If your brother sins against you, go and make his wrongdoing clear to him” ( 'elencho' - NIV: “show him his fault”) “between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother; (16) but if he does not listen --- ”. Verse 16 shows that you can ‘convict’ someone of his sin without ‘convincing’ him that he is a sinner who needs to repent: only the Holy Spirit can convince his conscience. This same truth is evident in the case of Herod, who, although ‘convicted’ ('elencho') by John the Baptist “about (‘peri’) Herodias his brother’s wife” (whom he had married, contrary to the law) “and about all the wicked things he had done”, so far from repenting, actually ‘shot the messenger’ by having him beheaded (Luke 3. 19-20).
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This is a really valuable analysis for which I am grateful.
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