The Daimonion of Socrates and the Pneuma-Paraclete of Jesus: Some Observations on the History-of-Religions Context of Johannine Pneumatology

Abstract

It is well known that the Spirit plays a central role in the Fourth Gospel. Nevertheless, the history-of-religions context of the Johannine Pneuma-Paraclete is a controversial issue in scholarship. So far, the discussion has mostly been oriented toward the meaning of πνεῦμα. Incontrast, the present article also asks what the discourse on the δαιμόνιον contributes to the Johannine understanding of the Spirit, which is why a special focus is placed on the Daimonion of Socrates in (Middle) Platonic philosophy. From here, new insights arise both for the history-of-religions context of the Johannine Pneuma-Paraclete and for Johannine pneumatology.