A beautiful way of life
June 11, 2010 (Friday)
Language is fascinating to many people, including me. After writing about “friends” a couple of times, I began to ask myself about the origin of the word. It comes as no surprise that the original words meant “to love, to favor.” The next question comes to mind, what is “love,” anyway?
A search of the dictionary brings numerous meanings, all related directly, indirectly or just loosely connected. The Greek language, however, was more definite when it came to “love,” and they had three distinct words that separated the meanings quite clearly. The words were “eros,” “philos,” and “agape.” Each word expresses “love” in its own way.
“Eros” is probably immediately recognized, even by a casual reader, as related to our English word, “erotic.” It is associated with the physical more than the spiritual.
“Philos” is the word for “friend” and in its verb form means “to love as a friend.” It is not a weak word; it is very strong. As a matter of fact, some scholars believe it is used interchangeably with the stronger word, “Agape,” in some New Testament verses.
“Agape” is the word for love used in John 3:16 when we are told that God loved the people of the world so much that He gave His only begotten son to be their savior. When the word is used, it describes a love that acts in the interests of someone else, regardless of the cost.
I think all of us know what we’re talking about when we use the word, “Love,” even if we have never heard of the Greek words. When the Beatles sang, “All you need is love,” we knew what that meant, and we still know today. The simple truth is that Jesus Christ loves each of us and wants us to share that love with others…with everyone.