Clergy/Leaders’ Mail-list No. 1-023 (Theology)

Living Words of the New Testament, by Rev Dr Leon Morris

PARACLETE

Some words are very hard to translate, for example, the one that is used to describe the Holy Spirit in John 14:16 and some other passages. It is translated ‘Counselor’ in RSV and NIV, ‘Advocate’ in NEB, ‘Helper’ in GNB, ‘Comforter’ in KJV, Living Bible, and there are other translations. Sometimes people despair of getting a good translation and as the Greek word is parakletos they simply take it over into English as ‘Paraclete’.

The Greek word means ‘Someone called alongside’ and if you call anyone alongside you certainly hope that that person will be a help to you. That is what gives us translations like ‘Helper’ and ‘Comforter’. But the word was used also when people were in trouble with the law. If you found yourself accused of a crime in ancient Athens you ‘called alongside’ you someone who would help you in the law court. That is why some translations have ‘Advocate’ or ‘Counselor’ (we must understand this word in the American sense, of someone who appears for us in a court of law).

We are all sinners and when we stand before God we will need an Advocate (look up 1 John 2:1, the only place where ‘Paraclete’ is used of anyone other than the Holy Spirit). But not only do we need Jesus to speak for us when we are judged before the Father, we need help now as we try to live the Christian life. So Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit with this unusual word.

Can you find other things the Spirit does for us as Jesus uses this title? Look up John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7. The first passage is important for the way the Spirit reminded the apostles of the things that were written down for us in Scripture. The second brings out the truth that the job of Christians is to bear their witness to Christ, just as the Spirit does. The third tells us that it is better for believers to have the Holy Spirit in their hearts than it would be to have Jesus present in an outward form.

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Rev Dr Leon Morris is an internationally recognised New Testament scholar, theologian and author, from Melbourne Australia.

This feature series of ‘Living Words of the New Testament’ appeared in ‘Daily Notes’, published by Scripture Union.