# G3875 - parakletos **Strong's:** [G3875](https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3875/) · BLB lookup **Pronunciation:** par-ak'-lay-tos **Part of speech:** masculine noun **Etymology:** *para* (alongside) + verbal root *kaleō* (to call), literally "called-alongside"; one summoned to help. **NT occurrences:** 5, all in Johannine literature (4× in John 14-16, 1× in [1 John 2:1](/codex/1-john-2-1/)). ## Semantic range (Thayer / BDAG) 1. **Legal advocate / counselor for defense**, one who pleads another's cause before a judge. The classical Greek courtroom usage. 2. **Intercessor / mediator**, one who pleads on behalf of another with a third party. 3. **Helper / comforter / encourager**, broader sense: anyone called alongside to provide support. The word is **untranslatable** by a single English equivalent, every translation choice loses something: - **"Comforter"** (KJV), captures the emotional-pastoral dimension, but loses the legal-advocacy sense. - **"Helper"** (NASB95), generic, captures the basic function. - **"Advocate"** (NIV; some passages), captures the legal-courtroom dimension, but loses the affectionate-supportive nuance. - **"Counselor"**, captures the wisdom-imparting role. The semantic range is intentionally broad; the word names a *role* (called-alongside-helper) rather than a single function. ## Theological force, the dual application The word's theological weight comes from its **dual application** in Johannine literature, applied to both the **Holy Spirit** and **Christ Himself**: **1. The Holy Spirit as Paraclete.** [John 14:16](/codex/john-14-16/), [26](/codex/john-14-26/); 15:26; 16:7, Jesus promises "another Paraclete" (*allon paraklēton*), the Greek *allos* implying *another of the same kind* (as opposed to *heteros*, "another of a different kind"). The Spirit is *another* helper *like Jesus*. Functions of the Spirit-Paraclete: - Be with the disciples *forever* (14:16), perpetually present, unlike Jesus's bodily presence - *Teach* them all things (14:26) - *Bring to remembrance* what Jesus said (14:26) - *Bear witness* about Jesus (15:26) - *Convict* the world of sin, righteousness, judgment (16:8) - *Guide* into all truth (16:13) - *Glorify* Christ (16:14) **2. Christ as Paraclete.** [1 John 2:1](/codex/1-john-2-1/), "if anyone sins, we have a Paraclete with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." Christ as our advocate before the Father in the heavenly courtroom. **Both Spirit and Christ are *Paracletes*.** This grounds Trinitarian Christology: the Spirit is "another Paraclete", "another" implying same-category, not lesser. The Spirit's function in believers' lives is the on-earth equivalent of Christ's intercession in heaven. The two together comprise the "double advocacy" of the Christian: Christ pleads our cause in heaven; the Spirit advocates for us in our hearts and circumstances. ## The "another Paraclete" argument for Trinity The Trinitarian implication is direct: - Jesus is one *Paraclete*. - Jesus promises *allon paraklēton*, "another Paraclete", *of the same kind*. - The Spirit is *of the same kind* as Jesus (i.e., divine person). - Therefore the Spirit is divine; Jesus + the Spirit + the Father = three of the same divine kind, distinguished as persons. The argument was developed by Athanasius (*Letters to Serapion*, c. AD 360) against the Pneumatomachi who denied the Spirit's full divinity. ## Notable verses ### Spirit as Paraclete - **[John 14:16](/codex/john-14-16/)**, "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper [*paraklēton*], that He may be with you forever" - **[John 14.26](/codex/john-14-26/)**, "the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name… He will teach you all things" - **[John 15:26](/codex/john-15-26/)**, "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth" - **[John 16:7](/codex/john-16-7/)**, "if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you" - **[John 16:13](/codex/john-16-13/)**, "the Spirit of truth, He will guide you into all the truth" (same context as Paraclete saying) ### Christ as Paraclete - **[1 John 2:1](/codex/1-john-2-1/)**, "we have an Advocate [*paraklēton*] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" ### Cognate verb (*parakaleō*), "comfort / encourage" - **[2 Corinthians 1:3-7](/codex/2-corinthians-1-3-7/)**, "the God of all comfort, who comforts us" - **[Romans 12:8](/codex/romans-12-8/)**, "he who exhorts (*parakalōn*), in his exhortation" - **[1 Thessalonians 4:18](/codex/1-thessalonians-4-18/)**, "comfort one another with these words" ## Patristic / scholarly note Origen (*Commentary on John* II.6, c. AD 230) develops the Paraclete-Christology of the Spirit. Athanasius (*Letters to Serapion*, c. AD 360) makes the *allon paraklēton* argument central against the Pneumatomachi. The Council of Constantinople (AD 381) creedal addition, "the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life", is the formal triumph of Athanasian / Cappadocian *paraklētos*-pneumatology. The patristic tradition typically renders *paraklētos* with combinations of comforter / advocate / counselor depending on context. The Latin *Paracletus* preserves the Greek and is itself untranslatable in Latin, reflecting the same semantic-range problem. Sinclair Ferguson (*The Holy Spirit*, 1996; *Devoted to God*, 2016) and Wayne Grudem (*Systematic Theology* ch. 30) develop the modern Reformed Paraclete-pneumatology. The Reformation distinguishes the Spirit's *intercessory* function ([Romans 8:26](/codex/romans-8-26/)) from Christ's *advocacy* function ([1 John 2:1](/codex/1-john-2-1/)), but both are *paraklētos* roles. ## Verses in this codex _See Obsidian's backlinks pane for every verse page linking here._ ## See also - [G4151 - pneuma](/codex/g4151-pneuma/), *pneuma* (Spirit), the Paraclete in Johannine usage - G3870 - parakaleo, the cognate verb "to call alongside" - [G2316 - theos](/codex/g2316-theos/) - [John 14.26](/codex/john-14-26/), locus classicus - [John 16.13](/codex/john-16-13/), paired Paraclete-Spirit-of-truth saying