“For instance, Armstrong shows the revolutionary effect of the prophets in Judaism, beginning with Isaiah, at the time when the J and E material was still being written. She shows that prophetic Judaism was an ‘Axial religion,’ a development of the Axial age when cities became the centers of culture in Asia and the Mediterranean.
“This is reflected in numerous sayings. The Kingdom is like a treasure or a costly pearl whose possession outranks all other goods (Mt. 13:44-46). It is something to be sought here and now (Mt. 6:33) and to be received as children receive a gift (Mk. 10:15 = Lk. 18:16-17). In this saying the Kingdom is
“They are going, by the Holy Spirit’s power, to be part of the greatest miracle of all, bringing men to salvation.” “The theme of this section is reassurance and encouragement. Jesus gives the disciples three basic reasons they should cease being troubled in their spirits. First, He tells them that, although He is going away,
“While John uses the concept of the Spirit in a way very similar to other NT writers (e.g., 3:5ff.), he advances the Christian view of the Spirit with the concept of the ‘Paraclete.’ In five passages within the section called the farewell discourses (chaps. 14-16) John sketches a creative and original view of the Spirit.
“This utopian hope, even when modestly expressed, links Jesus and the prophets to a much wider history of human longing.”- H. Cox “Moving the focus from Jesus as an individual to his life purpose greatly widens his relevance in a religiously pluralistic world. When the Harvard faculty asked me to teach a course on Jesus
“The reaction of the world to the Paraclete will be much the same as the world’s reaction was to Jesus.”– Berard L. Marthaler “As the Christ, Jesus was at once the fulfillment of prophecy and at the same time the greatest of the prophets. In departing he promised, ‘I will ask the Father and he
While the Spirit-Paraclete is the true broker, the brokers they rely on are imposters. “As the spirit is in the Gospel proper, so the Spirit-Paraclete is a benefit that Jesus will broker to believers. But as with the other benefits that Jesus provides, the source of the Paraclete is with God. The Father sends the Paraclete via
“Five separate Paraclete sayings can be distinguished, all in the farewell discourses (1) 14:16-17; (2) 14:26; (3) 15:26-27; (4) 16:4, 6-11; (5) 16:12-15 (cf. 1 John 2:1-2). The brief form of the first two sayings modulates into the more expansive ones that follow. In the process there is also a shift in statements about the
“The Spirit acts in such an international situation as the revealer of “judgment” on the powers that rule the world.”- Michael Welker “Through the Paraclete, Jesus and Jesus’ word are made present in many experiential contexts in an authentic and concentrated manner. Unlike the fleshly-earthly Jesus, this advocate—and through this advocate, Jesus—can be with the
But She — the Spirit, the Paraclete… — will teach you everything Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi (1923-2011) was Christian by birth, Hindu by marriage, and Paraclete by duty. “The intention of the Spirit of truth is the restoration of an alienated, deceived humanity… The teaching role of the Paraclete tends to be remembered as a major
