View source for Agape

{{Short description|Greek word for love}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Love sidebar|cultural}}

'''{{transliteration|grc|italic=no|Agape}}''' ({{IPAc-en|ɑː|ˈ|g|ɑː|p|eɪ|,_|'|ɑː|g|ə|ˌ|p|eɪ|,_|ˈ|æ|g|ə|-}};<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/agape |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123190138/https://www.lexico.com/definition/agape |archive-date=November 23, 2021 |title=agape |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}
|2={{cite Dictionary.com|agape}}
}}</ref> {{etymology|grc|''{{wikt-lang|grc|ἀγάπη}}'' ({{grc-transl|ἀγάπη}})|}}) is "the highest form of [[Greek words for love|love]], [[Charity (virtue)|charity]]" and "the love of God for [human beings] and of [human beings] for God".<ref name="LiddellScott-1901">{{cite book|first1=Henry George|last1=Liddell|first2=Robert|last2=Scott|title=A Greek-English Lexicon|chapter={{lang|grc|ἀγάπη}}|year=1901|location=Oxford|publisher=Clarendon Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/greekenglishlex00lidduoft/page/6/mode/1up 6]}}</ref> This is in contrast to {{transliteration|grc|[[philia]]}}, brotherly love, or {{transliteration|grc|[[philautia]]}}, self-love, as it embraces a profound sacrificial love that transcends and persists regardless of circumstance.

The verb form goes as far back as [[Homer]], translated literally as [[affection]], as in "greet with affection" and "show affection for the dead".<ref name="LiddellScott-1901"/> 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 {{transliteration|grc|[[Eros (concept)|eros]]}} (an affection of a sexual nature).

In the [[New Testament]], {{transliteration|grc|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/662884/agape|title=agape|website=Encyclopædia Britannica Online|year=2011}}</ref> Some contemporary writers have sought to extend the use of {{transliteration|grc|agape}} into non-religious contexts.{{sfnmp|1a1=Oord|1y=2005|2a1=Oord|2y=2010}}

The concept of {{transliteration|grc|italic=no|agape}} has been widely examined within its Christian context.<ref>{{citation|author-link=Anders Nygren|last=Nygren|first=Anders|orig-date=1938–39|year=1953|title=Eros and Agape|title-link=Agape and Eros|translator-first=P.S.|translator-last=Watson|publisher=Harper & Row}}</ref> It has also been considered in the contexts of other religions,<ref>{{cite book | last=Templeton | first=John | author-link=John Templeton|title=Agape Love: Tradition In Eight World Religions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vQM8mKPjGgcC | publisher=Templeton Foundation Press | date=1999 | isbn=978-1-890151-29-4}}</ref> [[religious ethics]],<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Grant|first1= Colin|date=1996 |title=For the Love of God: Agape|journal=Journal of Religious Ethics|volume=4| issue=10|jstor=40016679|pages=3–21}}</ref> and science.{{sfnmp|1a1=Browning|1y=2002|2a1=Post|2y=2002}}

== Early uses ==
[[A_Greek–English_Lexicon|Liddell–Scott–Jones (LSJ)]] Lexicon lists many instances of the word {{transliteration|grc|agape}} in polytheistic Greek literature. Three basic descriptions appear: (1) "greet with affection," (2) to be fond of, prize, desire," and (3) "to be well pleased, contented."[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=a%29gaphqei%2Fh&la=greek&can=a%29gaphqei%2Fh0&prior=a)llh/lwn&d=Perseus:text:1999.01.0175:text=Lysis:section=215a&i=1#lexicon LSJ] Also, ''[[Bauer's Lexicon]]'' mentions a sepulchral inscription, most likely to honor a polytheistic army officer held in "high esteem" by his country.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Danker|first1=Frederick William|title=A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature|date=2001|publisher=University of Chicago Press}}</ref>

== Christianity ==
[[File:Agape feast 03.jpg|thumb|[[Fresco]] of a female figure holding a chalice at an early Christian [[Agape feast]]. [[Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter|Catacomb]] of Saints [[Marcellinus and Peter]], [[Via Labicana]], [[Rome]].]]
{{See also|First Epistle to the Corinthians#Agape}}
The word {{transliteration|grc|agape}} received a broader usage under later Christian writers as the word that specifically denoted Christian love or [[charity (virtue)|charity]] ({{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|13:1–8|KJV}}), or even [[God in Christianity|God]] himself. The expression "God is love" ({{lang|grc|ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν}}) occurs twice in the [[New Testament]]: [[First Epistle of John|1 John]] [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+4:8;16&version=kjv;sblgnt 4:8;16]. {{transliteration|grc|Agape}} was also used by the early Christians to refer to the self-sacrificing love of God for humanity, which they were committed to reciprocating and practicing towards God and among one another (see {{transliteration|grc|[[kenosis]]}}). This understanding is built upon the foundational Hebrew concept of {{transliteration|he|[[chesed]]}}, or the loving kindness of God, which is taught throughout the [[Old Testament]].

{{transliteration|grc|italic=no|Agape}} has been expounded by many Christian writers in a specifically Christian context. [[C. S. Lewis]] uses {{transliteration|grc|italic=no|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.{{sfnmp|1a1=Lewis|1y=2002|2a1=Kreeft|2y=1988}}

The Christian use of the term comes directly from the canonical [[Gospel]]s' accounts of the teachings of [[Jesus]]. When asked what was the [[Great Commandment|great commandment]], "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second ''is'' like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." ({{bibleverse||Matthew|22:37-40|KJV}}) In [[Judaism]], the first "love the {{LORD}} thy God" is part of the [[Shema Yisrael|Shema]] ({{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|6:5|KJV}}), while the second "love thy neighbour as thyself" is a commandment from {{bibleverse||Leviticus|19:18|KJV}}.

[[Image:Bloch-SermonOnTheMount.jpg|thumb|right|''The Sermon on the Mount'', [[Carl Bloch]], 1877]]
In the [[Sermon on the Mount]], Jesus said:

{{blockquote|You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love ({{transliteration|grc|agapēseis}}) your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love ({{transliteration|grc|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?|{{Bibleverse|Matthew|5:43-46|nrsv}}|[[Revised Standard Version|RSV]]}}

[[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{{'"}} (''[[Apologetics|Apology]]'' 39).

Anglican theologian [[Oliver Chase Quick|O. C. Quick]] writes that {{transliteration|grc|agape}} within human experience is "a very partial and rudimentary realization," and that "in its pure form it is essentially divine."

{{blockquote|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.<ref>{{cite book|last=Quick|first=O.C.|author-link=Oliver Chase Quick|title=Doctrines of the Creed|location=New York|publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons|year=1938|page=[https://archive.org/details/doctrinesofthecr028274mbp/page/n72/mode/1up 55]}}</ref>}}

In the [[New Testament]], the word {{transliteration|grc|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 [[wikt:ἀγαπάω|{{transliteration|grc|agapaō|nocat=yes}}]]. Examples include:

* {{bibleverse|2|Timothy|4:10|KJV}}— "for Demas hath forsaken me, having loved [{{transliteration|grc|agapēsas}}] this present world...".
* {{bibleverse||John|12:43|KJV}}— "For they loved [{{transliteration|grc|ēgapēsan}}] the praise of men more than the praise of God."
* {{bibleverse||John|3:19|KJV}}— "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved [{{transliteration|grc|ēgapēsan}}] darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."

[[Karl Barth]] distinguishes {{transliteration|grc|agape}} from {{transliteration|grc|[[Eros (concept)|eros]]}} on the basis of its origin and depth of devotion without want. With {{transliteration|grc|agape}}, humanity does not merely express its nature, but transcends it. {{transliteration|grc|Agape}} identifies with the interests of the neighbor "in utter independence of the question of his attractiveness" and with no expectation of reciprocity.<ref>{{cite book|title=Church Dogmatics|volume=IV.2|translator-first=G.W.|translator-last=Bromiley|year=1958|page=745}}</ref>

=== Meal ===
{{Main|Agape feast}}
The word {{transliteration|grc|agape}} is used in its plural form ({{transliteration|grc|agapai}}) in the New Testament to describe a meal or feast eaten by early Christians, as in [[Epistle of Jude|Jude]] {{bibleverse-nb||Jude|1:12|KJV}} and [[Second Epistle of Peter|2nd Peter]] {{bibleverse-nb|2|Peter|2:13|KJV}}. The {{transliteration|grc|agape}} love feast is still observed by many Christian denominations today, especially among [[Brethren (religious group)|Brethren]] and other Plain, [[Anabaptist]] churches. For example, among the [[Old Order River Brethren]] and [[Old Brethren]], a weekend is still set aside twice a year for special meetings, self examination and a communal Love Feast as part of their three-part Communion observance.

==Thelema==
In [[Thelema]], a [[new religious movement]] developed by [[Aleister Crowley]] in the early 20th century, the term ''agape'' holds significant importance. Derived from Greek, agape traditionally denotes a selfless, unconditional love. In Thelemic practice, agape represents the highest form of love and is often associated with [[True Will]] and the central tenet of the religion: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will." Within this context, agape is seen as the expression of one's divine will and the harmony of individual purpose with universal love. It encompasses both love for others and the self, transcending personal desires and attachments. In Thelemic rituals, the term is invoked to cultivate a sense of unity, compassion, and spiritual connection among practitioners.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Campbell |first1=Colin D. |title=Thelema: An Introduction to the Life, Work & Philosophy of Aleister Crowley |year=2018 |location=Woodbury, Minnesota |publisher=[[Llewellyn Worldwide]] |isbn=978-0-7387-5523-6}}</ref>

== See also ==
* {{annotated link|[[Bodhicitta]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Greek words for love]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Love styles]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Dveikut]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Mettā]]}}
* {{annotated link|[[Ren (Confucianism)|Ren]]}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book | last=Browning | first=Don S. | chapter=Science and Religion on the Nature of Love | title=Altruism and Altruistic Love | year=2002 | pages=335–45}}
* {{cite book|last=Kreeft|first=Peter|chapter-url=http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0019.html|chapter=Love|access-date=May 22, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213134859/http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0019.html|archive-date=2009-02-13|title=Fundamentals of the Faith|location=San Francisco|publisher=Ignatius Press|year=1988|pages=181–187}}
* {{cite book |last=Lewis |first=C. S. |author-link=C. S. Lewis |title=The Four Loves |publisher=Fount |location=London |date=June 5, 2002  |orig-date=1960 |isbn=0-00-628089-7 |title-link=The Four Loves}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Oord |first1=Thomas Jay |author-link=Thomas Jay Oord |title=The love racket: Defining love and ''agape'' for the love-and-science research program |journal=Zygon |date=December 2005 |volume=40 |issue=4 |pages=919–938 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-9744.2005.00717.x |url=http://www.calvin.edu/~jks4/city/Oord~Defining%20Love.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925082810/http://www.calvin.edu/~jks4/city/Oord~Defining%20Love.pdf |archive-date=25 September 2006}}
* {{cite book |title=Defining Love: A Philosophical, Scientific, and Theological Engagement |last=Oord |first=Thomas Jay  |year=2010 |publisher=Brazos Press |location=Grand Rapids, Mich. |isbn=978-1-58743-257-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/defininglovephil0000oord |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book | last=Post | first=S. G. | chapter=The Tradition of Agape|editor-last1=Post | editor-first1=S. G. | editor-last2=Underwood | editor-first2=L. G. | editor-last3=Schloss | editor-first3=J. P. | editor-last4=Hurlbut | editor-first4=W. B. | title=Altruism and Altruistic Love: Science, Philosophy, and Religion in Dialogue | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2002 | isbn=978-0-19-534944-3 |pages=51–68}}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last =Kierkegaard |first =Søren |author-link=Søren Kierkegaard |title =Works of Love |publisher =Princeton University Press |location=Princeton |year =1998  |orig-date=1847 |isbn =978-0-691-05916-7 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |title=The Nature of Love: A Theology|last=Oord |first=Thomas Jay |author-link=Thomas Jay Oord |year=2010 |publisher=Chalice Press |location=St. Louis, Mo. |isbn=978-0-8272-0828-5 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book | last=Outka | first=Gene H. | title=Agape: An Ethical Analysis | publisher=Yale University Press | year=1972 | isbn=978-0-300-02122-6 |ref=none}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
{{wiktionary}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est.html|title=Deus Caritas Est}} – Former Pope Benedict XVI's 2005 encyclical letter contrasts {{transliteration|la|agape}} and {{transliteration|la|eros}}

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[[Category:Christian practices]]
[[Category:Love and religion]]
[[Category:Magic words]]
[[Category:New Testament Greek words and phrases]]
[[Category:Thelema]]
[[Category:Words and phrases with no direct English translation]]