Bible Lexicons

";ask,"; ";beseech,"; as frequently in the NT, is a common formula in papyrus private letters, e.g. P Par 42.8 (B.C. 156) (= UPZ i. p. 318) παρεκάλεσα αὐτὸν ἔρχεσθαι, περὶ ὧν ἂν βούληται, BGU IV. 1141.10 (B.C. 14) ἐρωτῶ σε οὖν καὶ παρακαλῶι καὶ τὴν Καίσαρος τύ [χη ]ν σε ἐξορκιζῶι, and P Oxy IV. 744.6 (B.C. 1) ἐρωτῶ σε καὶ παρακαλῶ σε ἐπιμελήθ <ητ >ι τῷ παιδίῳ.

For παρακαλέω c. semi-final ἵνα, as in 1 Thessalonians 4:1 B, cf. P Ryl II. 229.17 (A.D. 38) παρακάλεσον οὖν τὴν γυναῖκά σου τοῖς ἐμοῖς λόγοις, ἵνα ἐπιμελῆται τῶν χοιριδίων, and the Christian P Heid 6.14 (iv/A.D.) (= Selections, p. 126) παρακαλῶ [ο ]ὖν, δέσποτα, ἵνα μνημον [ε ]ύῃς μοι εἰς τὰς ἁγίας σου εὐχάς : see Proleg. p. 206 ff.

Similarly παρακληθείς is used, much as we use ";please";—P Fay 109.3 (early i/A.D.) παρακληθεὶς τοὺς τρεῖς στατῆρες (= ας) οὓς εἴρηκέ σοι Σέλευκος δῶναί μοι ἤδη δὸς Κλέωνι, ";please give to Cleon the three staters which Seleucus told you to give me"; (Edd.), and so.10, P Ryl II. 230.6 (A.D. 40) παρακληθ [εὶ ]ς οὖν ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου ποίησον, ";please do your utmost,"; and P Tebt II. 448 (ii/iii A.D.) παρακληθεὶς δέ, ἄδελφε, συνλαβοῦ τῷ ἀναδίδοντί σοι τὸ ἐπιστόλιον.

The somewhat stronger meaning ";exhort,"; ";urge,"; is seen in P Oxy VII. 1061.4 (B.C. 22) ἀνάγκην ἔσχον παρακαλέσαι Πτολεμαῖον, ";I have been obliged to urge Ptolemaeus,"; P Amh II. 130.15 (A.D. 70) παρακέκλημαι ἐπὶ μίσονος (l. μείζονος) ναύλου, ";I have been called on to pay (?) a higher freight,"; BGU III. 846.10 (ii/A.D.) (= Selections, p. 94) παρακα [λ ]ῶ σοι, μήτηρ, δ [ι ]αλάγητί μοι, ";I beg of you, mother, be reconciled to me,"; and P Oxy I. 117.3 (ii/iii A.D.) κατ᾽ ὄψιν σὲ παρακέκληκα, ";I have urged you in person"; (Edd.).

For 2 Corinthians 12:8 Deissmann (LAE, p. 311) cites Syll 804 (= .31170).31 where a man, who was cured at the shrine of Asclepius in Epidaurus, records regarding one of his ills—καὶ γὰρ περὶ τούτου παρεκάλεσα τὸν θεόν, ";and concerning this thing I besought the god"; : see also P Leid K.9 (B.C. 99) (= I. p. 52) πα [ρακα ]λῶ δὲ κ [αὶ ] αὐτοὺς τοὺς θεούς, ὅπῶς δῶσιν αὐτοῖς χ [άριν, and P Lond 1244.6 (iv/A.D.) (= III. p. 244) εὐχόμενος καὶ παρακαλῶν τὸν θεόν.

With 1 Corinthians 4:13 (cf. Acts 16:39) Lietzmann (HZNT ad l.) compares the use of the verb in Aristeas 229, 235, 238, 264. See also Menander Fragm. p. 241—

οὐχὶ παρακληθέντας ὑμᾶς δεῖ γὰρ ἡμῖν εὐνοεῖν,

ἀλλ᾽ ὑπάρχειν τοῦτο,

";you ought not to wait to be called on for goodwill to us : we should have that already.";

A triple compd. προσεπιπαρακαλέω is found in BGU I. 248.4 (i/A.D.), 249.18 (ii/A.D.).