I have always been delighted to watch, You see, God loves the word but the world does not love Him in return. But that doesn’t mean ἀγαπάω means self-sacrificial love.
AGAPE – GREEK WORD FOR LOVE. Jesus said to feed the lambs and shepherd the sheep.
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it would fit better on. In this way he represented the difference in Aramaic, by using different words in Greek. Until then, I will interpret the Bible as best I can understand it with the direction of the Holy Spirit and the aid of every commentator who believes the Bible to be the inerrant Word of God and a thorough study of the original languages. which language was used to enterpret the Bible direct from the time of moses with the ten commandments on the tablets of stones to bible writers who were led and inspired by the holy spirit to write the entire Bible, from old testament to new testament? Jesus isn’t invoking two radically different kinds of love in his conversation with Peter. There are several explanations for this, but no consensus. Translations are unable to expose the “joints” or “seams” of the units of thought to the degree that a working knowledge of the original languages is able to give. How do Bible scholars reconcile the differences between Greek and Aramaic in John 21:15-17? Peter stayed honest about the kind of love he knew he had for Jesus. Mr. Peters is not calling Carson's exegesis fallacious. al. Is there a name for paths that follow gridlines? By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. The man whom God loves has not any value in himself. I actually remember the day as a college freshman when I was given the (supposed) secret Greek key to unlocking Jesus’ famous conversation with Peter in that passage. It is the tracing of these connecting points in the syntax of a passage that is so vital in constructing sermons that reflect the original authority of the word of God. My concern, actually, is not so much whether or not Jesus intended any difference between the verbs here. I know some extremely skilled and trustworthy exegetes who take the opposite view, Dr. Randy Leedy (who did the BibleWorks diagrams of the entire Greek New Testament) being one of them. “The Four Loves” by C.S.Lewis): eros (commonly understood as a kind of physical/sensual love); storge (affection or heartily kind of love); philea (friendship or emotional kind of love) and agape(sacrificial or spiritual love). Stack Exchange network consists of 176 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. It is indeed a very powerful interaction (as discussed elsewhere) ... but it only works in Greek. I noticed in a place or two in Peter's epistles that he too uses the two terms for literary variety. But it runs afoul of the Bible study guidelines I laid out earlier, because it relies heavily on alleged Greek word meanings instead of a contextually sensitive reading of the entire passage in its context. do not consider the word variation to be meaningful. We know it by reading the New Testament. I do it all the time—and if you’re curious as to what I think “love” really means, I actually believe the standard Greek dictionary (BDAG) defines it pretty well if you put senses one and two together: “to have a warm regard for and interest in another; to have high esteem for or satisfaction with something, cherish, have affection for, love, take pleasure in.” (citation). The Aramaic shows something you will not see in the Greek or the English text. There’s a broader, theological reason that this discussion is significant; and that is that the difference between the two verbs is very commonly taken to be that one (φιλέω) is emotional and therefore inferior, and the other (ἀγαπάω) is non-emotional, willed, self-sacrificial, “spontaneous and creative of value.” Beyond the fact that Koine usage in and outside the NT doesn’t fit this view (in my opinion), my concern is that if this is the kind of love we are called to have for our neighbors—and for God—we are actually lowering the bar set by the New Testament.
. They might not have ready access to the primary resources to recheck their work but might have to rely on the work of other exegetes of bygone generations spanning back to the church fathers who tried to assign alleged meanings to Greek/Hebrew words. Agape is the direct opposite of that love which is called out by the worthiness of its object and so may be said to be a recognition of the value and attractiveness of its object. I respond to him that the new covenant gives me a new heart that responds precisely to God’s value. Great article, great argumentive points in favor of the absolute value of contextual definition as opposed to simple word definition! These include: 1) He often spoke Greek; 2) He did on this occasion; 3) agape and phileo are synonymous anyway : 4) the conversation was in Aramaic and two different Aramaic words for love (chav and racham) were used; and 5) the conversation was allegorical and represented Peter's dawning comprehension of his role. Is God’s love for you just, This is my favorite scent and I love the fact that this flower is the most fragrant at night, Watch this video to learn more about this beautiful tree at, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fL2Zz_zOU0#t=77, Intimacy With God Whom My Soul Loveth Bundle, Ten Words That Will Change Everything You Know About God, Learning Gods Love Language Book-Workbook Bundle, HEBREW WORD STUDY – AND IT WAS IN THE DAYS. On this view the question of what language the imaginary conversation took place in is not relevant. Sheep are the adults and teens that need shepherding; watching closely because they will look for better pasture or desire to wander too far from the group and are, therefore, easily picked off by predators. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. Have a look here. This approach to John 21 is a start to learning by what standard we will give account to Jesus when we appear before Him. It has often been said that the Greek words agapao, phileo, erao mean different kinds of “love”.