Parallelism
Parallelism is a rhetorical technique whereby equivalent grammatical constructions, semantic patterns, or conceptual schemas are repeated to create emphasis, cadence, and cohesion.
Definition
Parallelism creates recognizability through the repetition of like structures. In biblical rhetoric it is one of the most fundamental stylistic principles: the psalms, prophetic discourse, and NT epistles make systematic use of parallel constructions to buttress theological statements with force.
Occurrence in Stephen-Jones
1. Angelology — Origen of Alexandria, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa
Tripartite name pattern with geographical anchors
- Three Church Fathers with geographical markers: [Name] of [Place] × 3
2. Christology — Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory of Nazianzus read Scripture differently than Jerome and later Latin Fathers
Parallel subject-verb structure
- Construction: [Gregories] did X; [Latins] did Y (contrastive parallelism)
3. Ecclesiology — 1. Nicaea (325 AD) / 2. Chalcedon (451 AD) / 3. Fifth Council (553 AD)
Numbered conciliar pattern
- Three councils in numerical parallel: [Number]. [Council] ([Year])
4. Ecclesiology — Greek-Alexandrian / Latin-Roman Church Fathers
Double adjective-noun compounds, repeated
- Binary parallel structure: [Culture]-[Theological school] × 2
5. Hamartiology — intrinsically irreparable, or only functionally depraved
Or-or-parallel structure
- Two modalities in parallel: intrinsically X / or merely functionally Y
6. Prolegomena — all three hermeneutical traditions ground their theology in explicit Scripture passages
Universal-reach parallel
- Construction: all three [X] ground [Y] in [Z]
7. Soteriology — predestination and universal salvation are not modern innovation, but patristic orthodoxy
Negation + affirmation parallel
- Structure: [A] and [B] are not [X], but [Y]
8. Soteriology — Atonement / Godliness / Eschatology / Ethics
4-part enumeration
- Four disciplines in series without conjunctions (asyndeton-parallel)
Occurrence in George-Warnock
Prolegomena/Bibliology/Soteriology — Habakkuk 2:4 Pauline Trilogy
Three-fold parallel structure with single biblical reference, repeated three times
Warnock’s theology concentrates on a classic parallel structure in which Hab. 2:4 — “The just shall live by faith” — is cited by Paul in three epistles, each with different theological application:
-
Rom. 1:17 — “The just” — Justification
- How does one become just before God? Through faith, not works
- This answers the question: HOW to become just?
-
Gal. 3:11 — “Shall live” — Sanctification/Quality of life
- What quality of life does faith produce? Not flesh but Spirit
- This answers the question: WHAT kind of life?
-
Heb. 10:38 — “By faith” — Perseverance
- How does one continue to live faithfully in suffering and opposition?
- This answers the question: HOW to persevere?
These parallel repetitions of the same scriptural source with different theological applications form the backbone of Warnock’s Christological and soteriological thinking. The parallel structure makes clear that no single application is sufficient by itself: justification without living quality is formal; life without perseverance is unstable.
Soteriology — Divine Appointments with Covenant Figures (parallel transformation)
Repeated pattern: [Name] [Transformation] [Divine Formation]
- Abraham: God called him → before he knew the destination → faith as righteousness
- Isaac: Offering → promise → seed as stars
- Jacob: Wrestling at Jabbok → name change (Jacob → Israel) → formed by God
- Moses: 40 years wilderness → burning bush → appointed calling
The parallel structure shows that God’s appointments always follow the same pattern: transformation precedes calling, and suffering precedes fulfillment.
Hamartiology — Distinction between Two Kinds of Suffering (parallel modality)
Not-but construction
- Self-inflicted suffering (consequence of ignorance, unbelief, sin) versus
- Divinely appointed adversity (sovereign forming of the elect)
The parallel contrast makes clear that not all suffering is equal; the distinction determines whether suffering is punishment or formation.
Occurrence in Nee-Lee
Tripartite Parallel Structure of the Soul (Mind/Emotion/Will)
Repeated pattern with three constituents: [Soul part] × 3
Nee-Lee structures his analysis of the soul rigorously in parallel:
The soul is our individual personality, our ego; therefore, the soul is our self. That which is included in the soul, analytically speaking, is the mind, the emotion, and the will—these three parts.
The tripartite structure is repeated continuously in describing how each part functions:
- Mind: “organ of man’s thinking… meditating, considering, and memorizing”
- Emotion: “organ of man’s love, anger, sorrow, and joy… loves, detests, rejoices, mourns”
- Will: “organ of man’s decision making… decides, determines, judges, chooses, receives, and refuses”
Contrastive Parallel Structure: Soulish Man versus Spiritual Man
Binary parallel structure: [Soulish] versus [Spiritual]
This is the core structure of Chapter 8. Nee-Lee presents each distinction in parallel construction:
Soulish Man:
Regardless of whether a man is in the mind, in the emotion, or in the will, he is soulish.
Spiritual Man:
Since a soulish person lives by the soul and not by the spirit, then a spiritual person must live in the spirit and not in the soul.
The parallel structure makes theologically clear how salvation works: not thinking differently, but transitioning from soul to spirit.
Threefold Obstacle Pattern
Repeated “obstacle” construction with three instances
Nee-Lee describes how each part of the soul becomes hindrance to spiritual understanding:
- Mind as obstacle: “Thinking is frequently the difficulty and hindrance of the brothers in spiritual things.”
- Emotion as obstacle: “Just as the mind is the difficulty of the brothers in spiritual things, so the emotion is frequently the hindrance of the sisters.”
- Will as obstacle: “For many brothers, the will is also a difficulty and hindrance as to their understanding of spiritual things.”
The parallel repetition makes clear that no part of the soul can serve as a means to reach God; all must be subordinated to the spirit.
Three-Women Parallel Schema — Three Dispensations of God’s Purpose (Nee-Lee b10)
Tripartite parallel schema with theological applications
Nee-Lee presents a classical parallel structure of three women figures, each representing a different aspect of God’s purpose:
“The woman in Genesis 2 speaks of God’s eternal purpose; the woman in Ephesians 5 speaks of the position and future of the church; and the woman in Revelation 12 reveals the things at the end of the ages.”
The three-fold parallel structure shows:
- Genesis 2 — God’s eternal purpose in thought (divine plan)
- Ephesians 5 — Position and future of the church (realization in history)
- Revelation 12 — Eschatological unveiling and consummate (fulfillment)
Each stage parallels the same woman-figure in progressive realization.
Four Women Parallel Progression (Nee-Lee b10)
Fourfold parallel pattern: [Woman] [Theological moment] [Divine purpose]
Nee-Lee extends the structure to four phases:
- Eve (Genesis 2) — creation; God’s plan in origin
- Church (Ephesians 5) — redemption; church history
- Woman in Revelation 12 — end-times; warfare and overcoming
- Bride (Revelation 21-22) — glorification; consummation
The four-fold parallel structure unfolds how God’s purpose realizes progressively—not as isolated moments, but as four stages of one continuous reality.
Occurrence in Noordzij
Threefold Baptism Order (Noordzij b10)
Tricolon with ascending fulfillment
Noordzij presents baptism theology as three parallel stages of transformation:
Water baptism begins the process; Spirit-baptism confirms it; baptism into Christ completes it.
The three clauses in parallel form constitute an ascending progression:
- Water baptism — beginning (outward symbolic act)
- Spirit-baptism — confirmation (ongoing transformation)
- Baptism into Christ — completion (spiritual maturity and sonship)
The parallel structure makes clear that baptism is not a series of disconnected rituals but one integral process of spiritual formation. “Three” symbolizes biblical completeness (Father-Son-Spirit; spirit-soul-body). The effect is identical to Jones, Warnock, and Nee-Lee: systematic thinking and deductive certainty.
Rhetorical Effect
Parallel structures create recognizability and intellectual clarity. In Jones, Warnock, Nee-Lee, and Noordzij they mark:
- Systematic thinking: ordering of complex theological concepts
- Legal logic: parallel construction as deductive proof
- Biblical ground: the triplet form refers to scriptural structures (Rom./Gal./Heb. trilogy)
- Patristic heritage: the tripartite form echoes Nicaea, Chalcedon, Fifth Council
- Existential structure: parallelism between soul and spirit, obstacle and liberation, submission and sovereignty
George-Warnock — Beauty for Ashes (examples)
Bethel-Peniel Parallelism (Warnock)
Ecclesiology/Pneumatology — Two phases of God’s action:
Warnock (Ecclesiology) — “First Bethel, then Peniel. First the House of God; then the Face of God. God does not rest His people at Bethel.”
The parallelism is obligatory progression: churches can install themselves at Bethel — they know God’s plans, receive vision, function religiously correctly — but without Peniel (identity-rupture, surrender of self-will) they never reach God’s fullness.
The Problem of Divided Hearts:
Warnock (Ecclesiology) — “Joseph’s brothers seemed one family in Canaan, but the trial of famine unveiled jealousy, fear, and unresolved guilt.”
The parallelism between superficial unity (Bethel-phase) and unveiled fragmentation (Peniel-confrontation) shows that Bethel-knowledge does not guarantee the old nature is transformed.
Anthropology — Conversion as Peniel-experience:
Warnock — “Peniel is where the old name (Jacob = deceiver) is laid down and a new name (Israel = wrestler with God) is given.”
Bethel without Peniel = religion without transformation. Peniel = the rupture in which personality is remade.
Related Figures
- antithesis — in antithesis, parallel pairs are opposed; in parallelism they are equivalent
- inclusio — parallelism is structural repetition; inclusio is frame-closure
- anaphora — repeated opening words introduce parallel clauses
- chiasmus — inversion mirrors parallelism’s structural emphasis