[B-Greek] question about parakleitos

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Tue Jun 6 13:27:54 EDT 2006


On Jun 6, 2006, at 10:52 AM, George F Somsel wrote:

> At Jn 14.25 where what the function of the PARAKLHTOS will be is  
> stated, it speaks of teaching and reminding
>
>   hO DE PARAKLHTOS, TO PNEUMA TO hAGION, hO PEMYEI hO PATHR EN TWi  
> ONOMATI MOU, EKEINOS ** DIDACEI ** PANTA KAI ** hUPOMNHSEI ** hUMAS  
> PANTA hA EIPON hUMIN [EGW]
>
>   It seems necessary to circumnavigate the barn in order to reach a  
> conclusion that this has anything to do with consoling.

George, have you read the article to which Yancy referred? I have  
not. But I would hesitate to rule out that sense of comforter --  
especially inasmuch as (1) "comfort" is a common sense of PARAKALEW,  
(2) some English versions have actually used the word, "comforter" to  
translate PARAKLHTOS in the Johannine passages; (3) BDAG gives as a  
basic sense, "‘one who is called to someone’s aid’ ... 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" I think  
that the entire article on PARAKLHTOS in BDAG is worth reading  
carefully.


>   ________________
>
> yancywsmith <yancywsmith at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>   The way I am using term the term "consoler" puts it very close to  
> our
> term "grief counsellor" indeed. I am only suggesting "consoler" to
> make the relation to ancient consolation more explicit. Chrysostom,
> who was schooled in rhetoric by Libanius, was familiar with the
> consolatory genre and argued in his commentaries that Philippians,
> Hebrews, and John 14-17 represented examples of the consolatory genre.
>
> Yancy Smith
> Y.W.Smith at tcu.edu
> yancywsmith at sbcglobal.net
> Brite Divinity School
> Texas Christian University
>
>
>
>
> On Jun 6, 2006, at 8:45 AM, George F Somsel wrote:
>
>> It's my understanding of PARAKLHTOS that it has more to do with
>> being a counsellor than a consoler.
>> ____________
>>
>> yancywsmith wrote:
>> In the context of John 13-17 one sense that should be considered is a
>> bit more specific. In a recent article, Paul Holloway, "Left Behind:
>> Jesus' Consolation of His Disciples in John 13, 31-17, 26" ZNW 96
>> (2005): 1-34, argues persuasively for a connections between this
>> section of John and Greco-Roman consolatory literature. What makes
>> this relevant to Greek lexicography, and thus this list, is that
>> recognizing Jesus' going away speech as consolation makes sense of
>> the Holy Spirit being "another PARAKLHTOS," since this section of
>> John shows Jesus to be, in terms of Hellenistic consolation rhetoric,
>> a very effective PARAKLHTOS (Consoler), the appropriateness of the
>> term is confirmed. John, however, plays with various senses of the
>> term. It might be helpful to recognize that a consoler is much more
>> than someone that says, "there, there." Ancient consolation could
>> include rebuke, encouragement, moral instruction and command to
>> uproot grief entirely or assuage it effectively.
>>
>> Yancy Smith
>> Y.W.Smith at tcu.edu
>> yancywsmith at sbcglobal.net
>> Brite Divinity School
>> Texas Christian University
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Jun 5, 2006, at 2:57 PM, George F Somsel wrote:
>>
>>> The word PARAKLHTOS appears 5 times in NA27.
>>>
>>> Jn 14.16, 26; 15.26; 16.7; 1 Jn 2.1
>>>
>>> BDAG should be consulted here. Since the entry is relatively
>>> lengthy, I will leave it to the reader to look up the article.
>>>
>>> LSJ gives this
>>> PARAKLHTOS, ON, called to one’s aid, in a court of justice: as
>>> Subst., legal assistant, advocate, D.19.1,
>>> Lycurg.Fr.102, etc.
>>> 2. summoned, äïῦëïé D.C.46.20, cf.
>>> BGU601.12 (ii a.d.).
>>> II. intercessor, Ph.2.520: hence in NT,
>>> PARAKLHTOS, of the Holy Spirit, Ev.Jo.14.16, cf.
>>> 1Ep.Jo.2.1.
>>>
>>> Liddell, H. G., Scott, R., Jones, H. S., & McKenzie, R. (1996). A
>>> Greek-English lexicon. "With a revised supplement, 1996." (Rev. and
>>> augm. throughout) (1313). Oxford; New York: Clarendon Press; Oxford
>>> University Press.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Tunç SABUNCU wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>> I found this word (parakleitos) in several texts and i would like
>>> to know all of its senses.
>>> In general is is translated as "advocate" or "demander of charity"
>>> but it does not fit.
>>> Thank you for help
>>> ---
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>>>
>>>
>>> george
>>> gfsomsel
>>> _________
>>>
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>>
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>>
>> george
>> gfsomsel
>> _________
>> __________________________________________________
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>
> george
> gfsomsel
> _________
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Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad2 at mac.com
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/





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