Agape

So, I've been wasting a bit of time looking up people's home phone numbers and addresses on Baylor's online directory. I find it creepy that you can look up random people's information, but hey, that's just me. But for the real gist of this post, let's proceed.

1 Corinthians 13:4

I'm tired of seeing girls after getting their little hearts broken posting this to make themselves feel better. I recently heard that it gets read at weddings. What? Please let me explain.

YOU'RE READING IT WRONG!

Now, I have this small little beef with the English language. Love is used in multiple ways and it's not readily apparent what meaning it takes. So let me just cover the 3 main words for love in Greek (You know, the language the New Testament was actually written in?).

Eros
Phil-
Agape


Now, Eros, we all know. It's erotic love. Lust some would call it. Nah, it's just the love between man and woman. Keep that in mind for a little bit.

Phil- is basically a obsession or affinity for something. Most people know it in conjunction with sophia. Philosophia, the love of knowledge. Other uses are to label obsessive and unhealthy practices, pedophilia, the such.

Now agape. Agape is basically a divine love, often used in conjunction with god's love for man or man's need for brotherhood with his fellow man.

Now guess which word for love is used in 1 Corinthians 13:4. If you guessed agape, you're correct. Man needs agape to interact with humanity in a truly Christian way. You may say, well, it could count for love between two people too! No. If Paul meant eros, he would have said eros, instead he referred specifically agape. This is love for fellow man in a way that resembles god's love for man. Actually, a better translation of this word is found in the Latin translation of the New Testament. The word, which for life of me I can't spell, translates to Charity.

So, from now on, I expect you to use 1 Corinthians 13:4 in the correct way, not to mean the love between you and your boyfriend.

Thanks.