I - Comparison: How Jesus used AGAPE and PHILEO.
A 1. Luke 11:42 the love of God
A 8. Luke 11:43 ye love the uppermost seats
I personally believe there is much too much made of "agape" (noun) and "agapao" (verb). But the above -- technically, it has some problems. For example, Luke 11:42, the word "agape" is used and in the next verse, 11:43, the word is "agapao". The first is a noun and the second is a verb. Contextual comparisons are alway valuable, no doubt -- extremely valuable, in fact. But, this list confuses "agape" and "agapao" and indicates a home-grown Greek education for the author. Nothing wrong with that -- but when we put a lot of stock in the writings of those who challenge biblical scholarship -- well, we had better be right on. And the above author is not. Lk 11:43 does not have the word "agape" in its text as the headline for the list suggests.
More than that -- the scholars I have, the real tech-no giants do not treat "agape" in the special ways of the modern church. The difference, however, does not rise to the level of "false doctrine."
Agape is a biblical word - not often found in the common language of the day (first century). Agapao, on the other hand (the verb) is a work-horse word and is used in the common Greek to mean, show of affection, to pet or caress, to be fond of a prize, to desire, seldom of sexual love (but it is included), to tolerate, to be content with ( all of these nuances from Liddell and Scott.)
Agape does have usage outside the biblical text and if we take the common usage into view, we have the following: manliness, contentment, desire, love-feast, brotherly love, the love of a man and wife.
The writer above says this: The statement is this: There was absolutely NO DIFFERENCE in New Testament times between "agape" and "phileo" and that BOTH are used interchangeably by Jesus Christ and the writers of the New Testament. REGARDLESS of what Greek grammars, Greek teachers and Greek preachers may say!
This is not correct. There is a difference in terms. For one thing, as said before, one is a noun and the other (phileo) is a verb. Phileo is not used as often as agapao, in scripture, and it's usage is more specific. That agape or agapao are special words indicating the highest forms of love, perhaps this is not true -- but neither does a difference of opinion on this merit the harsh attack of the (above ) author. There is much to said of the exchange of Christ and Peter and the question of love in that encounter -- but later days.
JD
