the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
Click here to join the effort!
Bible Encyclopedias
Comforter
Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature
or Comforter (Paracletus). The word thus rendered is applied to Christ in . Indeed, in that famous passage in which Christ promises the Holy Spirit as a paraclete to His sorrowing disciples, He takes the title Himself: 'I will send you another paraclete' (), implying that He was Himself one, and that on His departure He would send another. The question then is, in what sense does Christ denominate Himself and the Spirit sent from Him and the Father, paraclete? Origen explains the term where it is applied to the Holy Spirit by 'Consolator,' while in , he adopts the signification of 'Deprecator.' Others would translate it 'teacher.' But as both of these renderings are open to serious objections, the balance is in favor of a third sense, which is that of 'assistant,' 'helper,' 'advocate' (intercessor). This view is supported by , and, which is still more to the purpose, is appropriate to all the passages in the New Testament where the word occurs. The Authorized Version renders the word by 'advocate' in , but in other places (;;; ) by 'comforter.' How much better, however, the more extensive term 'helper' (including teacher, monitor, advocate) agrees with these passages than the narrow term 'comforter,' may be shown by a single instance. Jesus says to His disciples, 'I will send you another paraclete' (), implying that He Himself had been such to them. But He had not been in any distinguishing sense a 'comforter' or 'consoler,' because, having Him present with them, they had not mourned (). But He had been eminently a helper, in the extensive sense which has been indicated; and such as He had been to them—to teach, to guide, and to uphold—the Holy Spirit would become to them after His removal.
Public Domain.
Kitto, John, ed. Entry for 'Comforter'. "Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature". https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/kbe/c/comforter.html.
