Agape
Part of a series on |
Love |
---|
In
The verb form goes as far back as Homer, translated literally as affection, as in "greet with affection" and "show affection for the dead".[3] Other ancient authors have used forms of the word to denote love of a spouse or family, or affection for a particular activity, in contrast to eros (an affection of a sexual nature).
In the New Testament, agape refers to the covenant love of God for humans, as well as the human reciprocal love for God; the term necessarily extends to the love of one's fellow human beings.[4] Some contemporary writers have sought to extend the use of agape into non-religious contexts.[5]
The concept of agape has been widely examined within its Christian context.
Early uses
There are few instances of the word agape in polytheistic Greek literature. Bauer's Lexicon mentions a sepulchral inscription, most likely to honor a polytheistic army officer held in "high esteem" by his country.[10]
Christianity
The word agape received a broader usage under later Christian writers as the word that specifically denoted Christian love or
Agape has been expounded by many Christian writers in a specifically Christian context. C. S. Lewis uses agape in The Four Loves to describe what he believes is the highest variety of love known to humanity: a selfless love that is passionately committed to the well-being of others.[11]
The Christian use of the term comes directly from the canonical
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:
You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love (agapēseis) your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love (agapāte) your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?
Tertullian remarks in his 2nd century defense of Christians that Christian love attracted pagan notice: "What marks us in the eyes of our enemies is our loving kindness. 'Only look,' they say, 'look how they love one another'" (Apology 39).
Anglican theologian O. C. Quick writes that agape within human experience is "a very partial and rudimentary realization," and that "in its pure form it is essentially divine."
If we could imagine the love of one who loves men purely for their own sake, and not because of any need or desire of his own, purely desires their good, and yet loves them wholly, not for what at this moment they are, but for what he knows he can make of them because he made them, then we should have in our minds some true image of the love of the Father and Creator of mankind.[12]
In the New Testament, the word agape is often used to describe God's love. However, other forms of the word are used in an accusatory context, such as the various forms of the verb agapaō. Examples include:
- 2 Timothy 4:10— "for Demas hath forsaken me, having loved [agapēsas] this present world...".
- John 12:43— "For they loved [ēgapēsan] the praise of men more than the praise of God."
- John 3:19— "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved [ēgapēsan] darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."
Karl Barth distinguishes agape from eros on the basis of its origin and depth of devotion without want. With agape, humanity does not merely express its nature, but transcends it. Agape identifies with the interests of the neighbor "in utter independence of the question of his attractiveness" and with no expectation of reciprocity.[13]
Meal
The word agape is used in its plural form (agapai) in the New Testament to describe a meal or feast eaten by early Christians, as in
As law
According to 1 Timothy, agape that "comes out of a pure heart, and of good conscience and of faith unfeigned" is the "end of the commandment" (
Romans 13 teaches that "love is the fulfillment of the law", referencing the "armor of light" (see Armor of God), which becomes the foundation for the miles Christianus: "let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light".[16]
See also
- Agape,
- Agape feast – Communal meal shared among Christians
- Agapism
- Altruism (ethics) – Ethical belief that actions are morally good only if they benefit others
- Brotherly love (philosophy) – Extension of the natural affection associated with near kin
- Charity (virtue)– One of the seven theological virtues
- Compassionate love – Love that focuses on the good of the other
- Love styles– Idea created by psychologist John Alan Lee
- Metta – Buddhist term meaning "loving-kindness"
- The Four Loves – 1960 book by C. S. Lewis
- Theological virtues – Christian ethics
- Virtue – Positive trait or quality deemed to be morally good
Judaism
- Jewish views on love – Jewish views on love
- Chesed – Hebrew word referring to love or kindness
- Sephirot– Ten emanations in Kabbalah
- Dveikut– Jewish concept referring to closeness to God
Other religions
- Mettā– Buddhist term meaning "loving-kindness" (Sanskrit: Maitrī)
- Ishq – Arabic word meaning 'love' or 'passion'
- Ren– Confucian virtue
References
- ^
- "agape". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021.
- "agape". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
- ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1901). "ἀγάπη". A Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 6.
- ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1901). "ἀγaπάω". A Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 6.
- ^ "agape". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2011.
- ISBN 978-1-58743-257-6.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (linkFurther reading
- Drummond, Henry (1884), The Greatest Thing in the World. Address first delivered in Northfield, England.
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ISBN 0-7394-1944-7.
- ISBN 978-0-691-05916-7.
- ISBN 978-0-8272-0828-5.
- Outka, Gene H. (1972). Agape: An Ethical Analysis. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-02122-6.
External links
- "agape". Balashon—Hebrew Language Detective.
- "Deus Caritas Est"—Former Pope Benedict XVI's 2005 encyclical letter contrasts agape and eros
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link)