By the end of the 20th century, the theological importance of the Holy Spirit in
Johannine literature had been accepted by
New Testamentscholars, overshadowing the early 20th-century views that minimized its role in the writings of John.[1]
The terms
Three separate terms, namely Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth, and Paraclete, are used in
Johannine literature.[2] The "Spirit of Truth" is used in
John 14:17,
15:26 and
16:13.[3] The
First Epistle of John then contrasts this with the "spirit of error" in
1 John 4:6.[3]1 John 4:1–6 provides the separation between spirits "that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God" and those who in error refuse it—an indication of their being evil spirits.[4]
In
John 14:26 Jesus states: "But the Comforter, [even] the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things". The identity of the
"Comforter" has been the subject of debate among theologians, who have proposed multiple theories on the matter.[5]
Paraclete considered as the Spirit of Truth is used three times in the Gospel of John: in
14:15–17,
14:26, and
15:26–27, where it is viewed as the "Spirit which communicates Truth".[6] The concept of "truth" in Johannine writings is then intertwined with
John 16:13's statement of how the Spirit of Truth acts as guide that leads believers to truth, building on the assurance given in John 14:26 that the Paraclete facilitates and confirms the memory of "all that Jesus had taught his disciples" and John 15:26's statement that "Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall bear witness of me".[7]
References
^The anointed community: the Holy Spirit in the Johannine tradition by
Gary M. Burge 1987
ISBN0802801935 pages 3-5
^Spirit of Truth: The origins of Johannine pneumatology by John Breck 1990
ISBN0881410810 pages 1-5
^
abActs and Pauline writings by Watson E. Mills, Richard F. Wilson 1997
ISBN086554512X pages xl-xlx
^1, 2, and 3 John by John Painter, Daniel J. Harrington 2002
ISBN0814658121 page 324
^The anointed community: the Holy Spirit in the Johannine tradition by Gary M. Burge 1987
ISBN0802801935 pages 14-21
^The Johannine World: Reflections on the Theology of the Fourth Gospel by David J. Hawkin 1996
ISBN0791430650 pages 72-76
^The Holy Spirit and Christian Origins' by Graham Stanton, Bruce W. Longenecker, Stephen C. Barton 2005
ISBN0802828221 page 56