The following is from
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Thebes/4610/lifelines/love3.html -
please note that agape is caritas in Latin, more or less; caritas is not
the 3rd term completing the 2 Greek terms. We're talking serious
theology here. The author, Leon Stump (who later has a fascinating
discussion of the Hebrew words & concepts for love), shows in the
course of the article that the agape word did not originally have the
definite meaning later associated with it by Christians.
>>The /Theological Dictionary of the New Testament /("Kittel's") says
regarding classical Greek:
In the word /agapan /("to love") the Greek finds nothing of the
power or magic of /eran/ and little of the warmth of
/philein....//Agapan/ must often be translated "to show love"; it is
a giving, active love on the other's behalf....Yet the meaning of
/agapan/ is still imprecise, and its individuation still tentative,
as may be seen when it is conjoined or interchanged with /eran/ or
/philein./ For in these cases /agapan/ is often a mere synonym which
is set alongside the other two for the sake of emphasis or stylistic
variation. (/Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, /ed. by
Gerhard Kittel, translated and edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley;
Eerdmans: Grand Rapids,MI; 1964, Vol.1, pp.36,37)
... despite the fact that /agapao,/ /phileo, /and /erao/ overlap in
their range of meaning or may even at times be used as synonyms, there
remains at least some distinction between them. /Phileo /is "warmer"
than /agapao/ in that /phileo /is more often associated with
"friendship," as can be seen from the facts that the verb can mean "to
kiss;" that one noun derived from it, /philema, /means "a kiss;" that
another noun, /philos, /means "friend;" and that another, /philia,/
usually means "friendship." /Agape/ often has the sense of "to prefer,"
indicating more of choice than emotion, but it would be a great mistake
to assume by this that /agape /is an emotionless term, without
affection. It is significant, however, that even though /phileo /is used
on occasion in the NT of God's love for His Son or His children, it is
never used for His loving sinners. Jesus was derogatorily referred to as
"the friend (/philos/) of sinners" by His enemies (Mt.11:19; Lk.7:34),
but in the same statement they also slanderously called Him "a glutton
and a winebibber." Jesus was not "friends" with the sinners in the
ordinary sense of the word; He met with them only for the purpose of
calling them to repentance (Mt.9:13; Mk.2:17; Lk.5:32). We may compare
James 4:4-
You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship (/philia/)
with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a
friend (/philos/) of the world becomes an enemy of God.
We may also see the parallel to this in 1 John 2:15-
Do not love (/agapate/) the world or anything in the world. If
anyone loves (/agapa/) the world, the love (/agape/) of the Father
is not in him.
Since James and John seem to be saying the very same thing in different
words, these two verses show again the closeness of meaning of /phileo/
and /agapao/ and their related words...<< etc
Difficult to condense all this stuff...Hope it helps
mj
Robin Hamilton wrote:
>From: "Christopher Walker" <[log in to unmask]>
>
>
>
>>whereas *caritas* is what's
>>immanent in behaviour (Cf Faith and Hope) or the state out of which it
>>comes.
>>
>>
>
>THAT'S the third term I was trying to wrap my tired brain around -- in
>Latin, eros, agape, and caritas.
>
> "caritas" is social love.
>
>Thanks, Christopher.
>
>Charity.
>
>
>
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