who ts called to another's side to aid him, as an advocate in a court of justice. The later, Hellenistic use of rapaxaneiv and mapdkdnos, to denote the act of consoling and consolation, gave rise to the rendering Comforter, which is given in every instance in the Gospel, but is changed to advocate in 1 John ii. 1, agree- ably to its uniform signification in classical Greek. The argu- ment in favor of this rendering throughout is conclusive. It is urged that the rendering Comforter is justified by the fact that, in its original sense, it means more than a mere consoler, being derived from the Latin confortare, to strengthen, and that the Comforter is therefore one who strengthens the cause and the courage of his client at the bar: but, as Bishop Lightfoot ob- serves, the history of this interpretation shows that it is not reached by this process, but grew out of a grammatical error, and that therefore this account can only be accepted as an apology after the fact, and not as an explanation of the fact. The Holy Spirit is, therefore, by the word tapd«Antos, of which Paraciete is a transcription, represented as our Advocate or Counsel, “who suggests true reasonings to our minds, and true courses of action for our lives, who convicts our adversary, the world, of wrong, and pleads our cause before God our Father.” It is to be noted that Jesus as well as the Holy Spirit is repre- sented as Paraclete. The Holy Spirit is to be another Para- clete, and this falls in with the statement in the First Epistle, “we have an advocate with God, even Jesus Christ.” Compare Rom. viii. 26. See on Luke vi. 24. Note also that the word another is ddXov, and not érepov, which means different. The advocate who is to be sent is not different from Christ, but an- other similar to Himself. See on Matt. vi. 24.*
With you (wed tuav). Notice the three prepositions used in this verse to describe the Spirit’s relation to the believer. With you (werd), in fellowship; by you (rapa), in His personal
*The student will find the whole question discussed by Bishop Lightfoot (“On a Fresh Revision of the New Testament,” p. 58 sqq.) ; JuliusCharles Hare (‘‘ Mission of the Comforter,” p. 348) ; and Canon Westcott (Introduction to the Commentary on John’s Gospel, Speaker’s Commentary, p. 211). See also his note on 1 John ii. 1, in his Commentary on the Epistles of John.