The Passion Translation New Testament: With Psalms, Proverbs and Song of Songs

by Brian Simmons

t4:31 The Greek word is parresia. This involves more than confidence; it was a free-flowing, unrestrained boldness. It can also mean “freedom of speech.” Parresia carries nuances that are not easily brought over into English. The person who speaks with parresia will say everything that is on his mind with no restraint, flowing out of his heart with confidence. It involves being frank and honest, hiding nothing and speaking directly to the heart. Most often it is a word used for public speaking. It refers to speech that is not tailored to make everyone happy but to speak the truth, in spite of what that may cost. It is the courage to speak truth into the ears of others. This was reserved for only the highest rank of Greek citizens, not people of other lands or slaves. The right to speak freely was an essential aspect of Athenian democracy. Although it is sometimes associated with negative speech, in this context parresia refers to an unrestrained boldness. There was a Greek idiom that said essentially, “If you tell me the truth no matter what that truth turns out to be, I will not punish you.” This was known as the Parresiastic Contract. See M. Foucault, “Discourse and Truth: The Problematization of Parresia,” six lectures given at the University of California at Berkeley, 1983, ed. by Joseph Pearson in 1985. Parresia is found also in Mark 8:32; John 7:4, 13, 26; 10:24; 11:14, 54; 2 Cor. 3:12; 7:4; Eph. 3:12; 6:19; Phil. 1:20; and numerous other places.