parenesis

9.9

Advice telling people to live better lives for moral or religious reasons

noun
/pəˈrɛnɪsɪs/

Literature

: parenesis

Parenesis has an ethical orientation: it exhorts believers to better conform their lives at the practical level to realities illumined by faith.

Examples

Biblical scholars sometimes distinguish between two types of biblical material: catechesis and parenesis.

Academic text (2010)
The pastor's parenesis during the sermon inspired the congregation to lead more virtuous lives.
Catechesis is instruction for those who believe; parenesis seeks the further conversion of people whose Christian identity is in formation.

Academic text (2010)
In her speech, she included a parenesis that urged listeners to treat one another with kindness and respect.
The author's book on ethics contains several examples of parenesis aimed at guiding readers in their moral choices.

Synonyms

preachment

vsparenesis

Archaic

1 9.9

A religious speech that gives moral advice

is usually shorter and more direct exhortation than a sermon

allocution

vsparenesis

Formal

1 9.9

A formal speech that gives advice and urges people to act

is a moral or religious urging without the formal authority tone

parenetic

vsparenesis

Literature

9.9

A short piece of advice urging people to behave morally

is a general moral exhortation without stressing brevity

How Forceful

rebuke

22 6.8

exhortation

Formal

10 8.4

parenesis

Literature

9.9

admonition

17 7.4

advice

∞ 1.0

suggestion

759 1.4

Surface Forms

parenesis singular

pareneses plural

Etymology

Parenesis comes from the Greek verb parainein, which means 'to advise', and the part para-, which means 'beside', so it originally named advice placed beside a main speech. That's why parenesis now means a short moral 'advice' or urging meant to guide people to better behaviour.