| In the
Farewell Discourse Jesus promised to send the Paraclete to his disciples after his departure, depiction from the Maesta by Duccio, 1308–1311 |
Here is the context of the passage in John14:15-27 with the translation of Paraclete as Advocate shown in bold:
Philo speaks several times of primarily in the sense of human intercessors. The word later went from Hellenistic Jewish writing into rabbinical Hebrew writing.15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another paraclete to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
The word is not used in the Septuagint, the word "comforters" being different in Job. Other words are used to translate the Hebrew word מְנַחֵם ( "comforter") .
In modern Hebrew, the cognate 'praklit' (פרקליט) means 'solicitor' or 'legal counsel', 'praklit ha-mechoz' mean district attorney, and 'praklitut ha-medina' the Israeli equivalent of the solicitor-general.
Paraclete from Wikipedia:
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In the Greek New Testament the word is most prominent in the Johannine writings. It appears in the Gospel of John where it may be translated into English as "counselor", "helper", encourager, advocate, or "comforter".[7] The New Testament Studies peer-reviewed journal, published by Cambridge University Press, describes a “striking similarity” between the defined attributes of what the Paraclete is, and is to do, and what the outcome of Christian prophecy has spoken to, explaining the Paraclete as the post-Passover gift of the Holy Spirit. “The Paraclete represents the Spirit as manifested in a particular way, as a pneumatic Christian speech charisma. Every verb describing the ministry of the Paraclete is directly related to his speech function.”[8] The early church identified the Paraclete as the Holy Spirit.[9]
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While the Roman Church adopts the masculine Jewish version of the male aspect of the Logos, the Orthodox Church retains the feminine aspect of the Greek