παράκλητος

παράκλητος, ου, ὁ (παρακαλέω) originally meant in the passive sense (BGU 601, 12 [II A.D.] παράκλητος δέδωκα αὐτῷ=‘when I was asked I gave to him’, but π. is restored from παρακλος, and the restoration is uncertain), ‘one who is called to someone’s aid’. Accordingly Latin writers commonly rendered it, in its NT occurrences, with ‘advocatus’ (Tertullian, Prax. 9; Cyprian, De Domin. Orat. 3, Epist. 55, 18; Novatian, De Trin. 28; 29; Hilary, De Trin. 8, 19; Lucifer, De S. Athanas. 2, 26; Augustine, C. Faust. 13, 17, Tract. in Joh. 94; Tractatus Orig. 20 p. 212, 13 Batiffol. Likew. many [Old Latin] Bible mss.: a c e m q J 14:16; a m q 14:26; e q r 15:26; e m q 16:7. Eus., HE 5, 1, 10 παράκλητος=advocatus, Rufinus. Field, Notes 102f; cp. the role of the ‘patronus’ in legal proceedings: J-MDavid, Le patronat judicaire au dernier siècle de la république romaine ’92). But the technical mng. ‘lawyer’, ‘attorney’ is rare (e.g. Bion of Borysthenes [III B.C.] in Diog. L. 4, 50; SEG XXXVIII, 1237, 18 [235/36 A.D.]). Against the legal association: KGrayston, JSNT 13, ’81, 67–82. In the few places where the word is found in pre-Christian and extra-Christian lit. as well it has for the most part a more general sense: one who appears in another’s behalf, mediator, intercessor, helper (Demosth. 19, 1; Dionys. Hal. 11, 37, 1; Heraclit. Sto. 59 p. 80, 19; Cass. Dio 46, 20, 1; POxy 2725, 10 [71 A.D.]; cp. π. as the name of a gnostic aeon Iren. 1, 4, 5 [Harv. I 38, 8]; Hippol.; s. also the comments on 2 Cor 5:20 s.v. παρακαλέω 2). The pass. idea of παρακεκλῆσθαι retreated into the backgound, and the active idea of παρακαλεῖν took its place (on the justification for equating παράκλητος with παρακαλῶν s. Kühner-Bl. II 289). Jews adopted it in this sense as a loanw. (פְּרַקְלֵיט. Pirqe Aboth 4, 11.—SKrauss, Griech. u. latein. Lehnwörter in Talmud, Midrasch u. Targum 1898/99 I 210; II 496; Dalman, Gramm.² 185; Billerb. II 560–62). In Job 16:2 Aq. and Theod. translate מְנַחֲמִים (=comforters) as παράκλητοι; LXX has παρακλήτορες. In Philo our word somet. means ‘intercessor’ (De Jos. 239, Vi. Mos. 2, 134, Spec. Leg. 1, 237, Exsecr. 166, Adv. Flacc. 13; 22), somet. ‘adviser’, ‘helper’ (Op. M. 23; 165). The Gk. interpreters of John’s gosp. understood it in the active sense=παρακαλῶν or παρακλήτωρ (s. Lampe s.v. παράκλητο, esp. Eusebius of Caesarea, Theodore of Mopsuestia, and Ammonius; s. also Ephraem the Syrian in RHarris, Fragments of the Comm. of Ephrem Syr. 1895, 86). In our lit. the act. sense helper, intercessor is suitable in all occurrences of the word (so Goodsp, Probs. 110f). τίς ἡμῶν παράκλητος ἔσται; 2 Cl 6:9. πλουσίων παράκλητοι advocates of the rich B 20:2; D 5:2.—In 1J 2:1 (as AcJ in a damaged fragment: POxy 850, 10) Christ is designated as παράκλητος: παράκλητον ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν δίκαιον we have Jesus Christ the righteous one, who intercedes for us. The same title is implied for Christ by the ἄλλος παράκλητος of J 14:16. It is only the Holy Spirit that is expressly called παρ.=Helper in the Fourth Gosp.: 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7.—HUsener, Archiv für lat. Lexikographie 2, 1885, 230ff; HSasse, Der Paraklet im J: ZNW 24, 1925, 260–77; HWindisch, Johannes u. die Synoptiker 1926, 147f, Die fünf joh. Parakletsprüche: Jülicher Festschr. 1927, 110–37; RAsting, ‘Parakleten’ i Johannes-evangeliet: Teologi og Kirkeliv. Avh. etc. ’31, 85–98; SMowinckel, D. Vorstellungen d. Spätjudentums v. Hl. Geist als Fürsprecher u. d. joh. Paraklet: ZNW 32, ’33, 97–130 (supported now by 1QS 3:24f; 1QM 17:6–8); JMusger, Dicta Christi de Paracleto ’38; EPercy, Untersuchungen üb. den Ursprung d. joh. Theol. ’39; Bultmann, J ’40, 437–40; NJohansson, Parakletoi: Vorstellgen. v. Fürsprechern f. d. Menschen vor Gott in d. atl. Rel., im Spätjudent. u. Urchristent. ’40.; NSnaith, ET 57, ’45, 47–50 (‘Convincer’); WHoward, Christianity acc. to St. John ’47, 71–80; WMichaelis, Con. Neot. 11, ’47, 147–62; GBornkamm, RBultmann Festschr. ’49, 12–35; CBarrett, JTS, n.s. 1, ’50, 8–15; JDavies, ibid. 4, ’53, 35–8; TPreiss, Life in Christ, ’54, 19–25; OBetz, Der Paraklet, ’63; MMiguens, El Paráclito (Juan 14–16) ’63; GJohnston, The Spirit-Paraclete in J, ’70; RBrown, The Paraclete in Modern Research, TU 102, ’68, 158–65; JVeenhof, De Parakleet ’77.—DELG s.v. καλέω. M-M. EDNT. TW. Sv.