The Paraclete-spirit in the Johannine Gospel: a Comparative Study of the Paraclete Statements and References to the Holy Spirit in the Johannine Gospel

There is no single obvious meaning of Paraclete in the Johannine Gospel. The Johannine Paraclete-Spirit figure fulfilled a very unique and specific function in the ancient world as portrayed in the Johannine narrative. Given the information gathered in my research we can say that in the Johannine milieu the Paraclete-Spirit functioned as a teacher, a guide and instructor, an advocate and a witness, an agent of renewal and a companion. Maybe one of the greatest deficiencies of some of earlier studies of this topic is the fact that scholars tried to lock these functions into one socio-cultural setting and tried to explain the whole concept from that vantage point. We find that in Johannine thought the foundation for a distinctive religious experience of believers would be the distinctive features of the Johannine Paraclete-Spirit and his relation to Jesus. The Paraclete-Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus ¿ that is, he continues the work of Jesus. We can put it more strongly in Johannine terms: He continues the presence of Jesus.