PARADOX
PARALYSIS
319
Literature. — As bearing upon Christ's use of the word, special ref. niav be made to Salmond, Christian Doct. of Immortalitif, 346 ff. fEdersheim, LT ii. 600 f. ; W. H. BrookJBeld, Sennoiu, 13ff. ; Cairns, Christ the Morninfj Star, 270 5.; Maclaren, Sermons Preached in Manchester, i. 160 ff. ; C. H. H. Wright, The IiUermediate State, 152 ff. ; R. E. Hutton, The Soul in the Unseen World, 155B. M. P. JOHN'STONE.
PARADOX. — The paradoxes of the Gospels may be divided into three kinds. (1) Tnitb^ maj- be expressed in a \\a,y to shock opinion from its dogmatic slumber. Brief and vivid statements are made without qualification or explanation ; metaphors are used to arrest the attention and stimulate the imagination, rather than to give a definite picttire of the truth ; a contrast which will force the hearer to tliink for himself is pre- ferred to an argument which he need only follow. ' Paradoxes,' it has been said, ' are the burrs of literature — they stick.' (2) Truth often appears paradoxical at the time of its discoverj', because it runs contrarj- to current conventions. Our \-iew of men and tilings contains little knowledge, but much opinion. Custom alone makes us forget that we are living upon a volcano, tintil the revelation of some new truth revolutionizes all. So the fact that the world moves appeared para- doxical enough in the 16th century. Its strange- ness was due to the environment into which it was tlirust. (3) But sometimes the most adequate exjiression of a truth that we can reach still retains its paradoxical character in spite of time and familiarity, owing to the conflict of tlie con- ceptions united in its expression. We believe that the opposition is harmonized in realitj% but we have as yet no clear and distinct idea of the reconciliation.
Each of these three kinds of paradox may be abundantly illustrated from the Gospels ; and some of the most remarkable of the sayings of Jesus exemplify all three (Mt 5^'', Jn 12-^-'^).
1. Much of the teaching of Jesus naturally took the form of condensed and vivid aphorisms. Systematic discourse, such as a moral philoso]dier miglit attempt, would not have been appropriate. It could hardly have been recorded ; it would not have been understood. Moreover, Jesus was setting forth fundamental princijiles which could not be demonstrated, but appealed directl,y to the moral intuition for acceptiince (Mt 5^^- ^'^•'). Fur- tlier. He often suggested spiritual trtiths tlirough analogies or metapliors, which, liowever suggestive, cannot be pressed in detail (Mt IP- 17-", Lk lS-% Jn 13^-^"). Again we find contrasts that were clearly intended to enforce reflexion (Mt 7'"^ I0»^-39, Lk 14-*, Jn 15^" i7)_ in short, Jesus would naturally avoid expressions wliich could be taken quite literally (Mt o^-"^ IS-^--- &^ 25i-i^). For He came to give a new spii'it to the world, not to lay down a detailed scheme of life and order of societj-, \yhich in time must have become antiquated, if not lifeless.
2. The moral and religious teaching of Jesus, though foreshadowed by the Law and the Prophets, came into sharp conflict with the formalism that petrified Jewish life in His day (Mt lo'""-", Mk 2'8-^ S^-"). ilore paradoxical still nmst have appeared His condemnation of the Pharisees (Mt 23'-**'), His friendsliip with publicans and sinners (Mt 99-l^ Mk 2''^- '«, Lk 19'-i«), His con- ception of the Messiah (Mk 10^^ S^^--'^).
3. Finally, tliere is the important class in which opijosite and apparently conflicting aspects of trutli, life, and duty are expressed in a form which does not completely liarmonize them. In the teaching of Jesus Ave have unworldly simplicitv united with worldly shrewdness (Mt 7'^ 10'®- '" 16" 18" ^, Lk 16'''-), the universal beneficence and compassion of God bound up with severe and
inexorable justice (Mt o^^ ll-""*' lS"-^20'-'«25'-'-=") ; we have the great and deep conceptions of life through death, joy through suflering, love through severance, peace through conflict, victory through surrender, self-realization throtigh self-renuncia- tion, tlie conqtiest of the world through the cross of shame (Lk ir-^-^, Jn 12--'--=« 16-^'- "^ 12*-). Here are the profoundest truths, and yet the most paradoxical, for they are expressed through ideas that are partially contradictory to one another. "NVe believe that if we could apprehend the whole truth, if we could understand through and througli the whole meaning and purpose of creation, we could express these truths in a manner that would not shock our reason. But in the twilight of our knowledge Ave must be content to hold fa,st to half-truths, none of whicli is quite free from error or, at any rate, indetiniteness. Some wlio prefer consistency to comprehensiveness would sacrifice one part of the antithesis and elaborate the other. But though these may play a useful part in the dialectical movement of progress, tliey appear to be furtlier removed from the whole trutli than those who embrace the seeming contradiction, unable to fathom its depths, yet assured that in it is realized a perfect reconciliation. See also art. Parable, p. 314^ A. J. Jexkixsox.
PARALYSIS.— In the NT the terms nafxiXvTiKds (Mt 9'-^ Mk 21-'-) and napaXeXvaevoi (Lk o'""-^) are employed to designate the nervous aflection variously known as paralysis or palsy. Palsy commonly denotes loss of motor power in a muscle or set of muscles, and is equivalent to motor paralj'sis. When the power of transmitting sen- sorj- impressions to the brain centres is lost, Ave have sensory jxiralysis. The affliction is due to disease of the cereural centres or of the nerves, OAA'ing to injuiy or morbid changes. In some cases the paralysis depends on removable causes ; most commonly, hoAvever, upon alteration of structure involving permanent loss of function. There are tAAO forms of paralysis : hemiplegia, Avhere one side of the l>ody is aflected ; and paraplegia, Avliere the lower luubs are rendered useless. In the instance above given in the Synoptics the term used bj- Lk. {■n■apa\€\v^JLivos) indicates that it Avas not a case of hysterical paralysis Avhere a shock Avould be avail- able to remove the trouble (Bennett), but that it Avas rather paralysis arising from serious nervous disease. All three Evangelists make prominent the impression of Divine poAver and majestA' caused by this significant healing Avork of Jesus. And St. Luke prefaces his account Avith the additional reference to the poAver of God. ' The poAver of the Lord Avas Avith him to heal ' (eh to ido-^ai). All the accounts likeAvise record a mighty expectation of healing on the part of the friends, leading them to overcome all o))stacles in the path to the great Healer — an expectation Avhich Ave may believe energized also in the one to be healed. The com- bination of a vitalizing faith on the part of tlie people, and the activity of Divine poAver and heal- ing jnirpose in Jesus, Avas precisely such as Avas most favouralde to efficient curative action. St. Lukes account may 1)e placed side by side Avitii his record of our Lords words ascribing His heal- ing to the direct action of the DiA-ine poAver (Lk 11-'^'), and the Avhole compared Avith tlie state- ment rejieatedly ascribed to Jesus in the Fourth Gospel, that the source of all healing poAver (as of true Avisdom) Avas in the DiA-ine indwelling (see art. Miracles). For the question arising here as to the connexion betAveen the infirmity and human sin, see art. IMPOTEN'CE.