humans were made for fellowship with God

ἀγάπη, ης, ἡ (this term has left little trace in polytheistic Gk. lit. A sepulchral ins, prob. honoring a polytheistic army officer, who is held in ‘high esteem’ by his country [SEG VIII, 11, 6 (III A.D.)] sheds light on an ex. such as Philod., παρρ. col. 13a, 3 Oliv., but s. Söding [below] 294. The restorations in POxy 1380, 28 and 109f [II A.D.] are in dispute: s. New Docs 4, 259 [lit.]; Söding [end] 294f, n. 68 [lit.]. For other exx. from the Gr-Rom. world s. Ltzm., exc. after 1 Cor 13; L-S-J-M; ACeresa-Gastaldo, Αγάπη nei documenti anteriori al NT: Aegyptus 31, ’51, 269–306, has a new pap and a new ins ex. fr. III A.D. secular sources; in RivFil 31, ’53, 347–56 the same author shows it restored in an ins of 27 B.C., but against C-G. s. lit. Söding 293, n. 57. In Jewish sources: LXX, esp. SSol, also pseudepigr., Philo, Deus Imm. 69; Just., D. 93, 4. Cp. ACarr, ET 10, 1899, 321–30. Its paucity in gener. Gk. lit. may be due to a presumed colloq. flavor of the noun (but s. IPontEux I, 359, 6 as parallel to 2 Cor 8:8 below). No such stigma attached to the use of the verb ἀγαπαω (q.v.).

① the quality of warm regard for and interest in another, esteem, affection, regard, love (without limitation to very intimate relationships, and very seldom in general Greek of sexual attraction).

ⓐ of human love

α. without indication of the pers. who is the object of interest (cp. Eccl 9:1, 6; Sir 48:11 v.l.): ἀ. as subj. ἡ ἀ. οἰκοδομεῖ 1 Cor 8:1.—13:4, 8 (on 1 Cor 13 see the comm. [Maxim Tyr. 20:2 praise of ἔρως what it is not and what it is; s. AHarnack, SBBerlAk 1911, 132–63, esp. 152f; ELehmann and AFridrichsen, 1 Cor 13 e. christl.-stoische Diatribe: StKr Sonderheft 1922, 55–95]; EHoffmann, Pauli Hymnus auf d. Liebe: Dtsche Vierteljahrsschrift für Literaturwiss. u. Geistesgesch. 4, 1926, 58–73; NLund, JBL 50, ’31, 266–76; GRudberg, Hellas och Nya Testamentet ’34, 149f; HRiesenfeld, ConNeot 5, ’41, 1–32, Nuntius 6, ’52, 47f); Phil 1:9. ἡ ἀ. κακὸν οὐκ ἐργάζεται Ro 13:10; πλήρωμα νόμου ἡ ἀ. ibid.; ψυγήσεται ἡ ἀ. τ. πολλῶν Mt 24:12; ἡ ἀ. ἀνυπόκριτος let love be genuine Ro 12:9, cp. 2 Cor 6:6. As predicate 1 Ti 1:5; 1J 4:16b (cp. bα). As obj. ἀγάπην ἔχειν (Did., Gen. 221, 30) 1 Cor 13:1–3; Phil 2:2 φιλίαν ἢ ἀγάπην ἔχοντες Just., D. 93, 4; διώκειν 1 Cor 14:1; 1 Ti 6:11; 2 Ti 2:22; ἐνδύσασθαι τὴν ἀ. Col 3:14. ἀφιέναι Rv 2:4.—2 Pt 1:7; Col 1:8. ἐμαρτύρησάν σου τῇ ἀ. 3J 6. Attributively in gen. case ὁ κόπος τῆς ἀ. 1 Th 1:3; τὸ τ. ὑμετέρας ἀ. γνήσιον the genuineness of your love 2 Cor 8:8. ἔνδειξις τῆς ἀ. vs. 24; cp. πᾶσαν ἐνδεικνυμένους ἀ. Tit 2:10 v.l.—Hb 10:24; Phil 2:1; 1 Pt 5:14; 1 Cl 49:2.—In prep. phrases ἐξ ἀγάπης out of love Phil 1:16; παράκλησις ἐπὶ τῇ ἀ. σου comfort from your love Phlm 7; περιπατεῖν κατὰ ἀ., ἐν ἀ. Ro 14:15; Eph 5:2; ἐν ἀ. ἔρχεσθαι (opp. ἐν ῥάβδῳ) 1 Cor 4:21; ἀληθεύειν ἐν ἀ. Eph 4:15. Other verbal combinations w. ἐν ἀ., 1 Cor 16:14; Eph 3:17; 4:2; Col 2:2; 1 Th 5:13; cp. Eph 4:16 (on Eph 1:4 s. bα). ἐν τῇ ἀ. 1J 4:16b, 18. διὰ τῆς ἀ. δουλεύετε ἀλλήλοις Gal 5:13. πίστις διʼ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη 5:6. διὰ τὴν ἀ. παρακαλῶ for love’s sake I appeal Phlm 9. μετὰ ἀγάπης πολιτεύεσθαι live in love 1 Cl 51:2.—W. ἀλήθεια 2J 3; πίστις 1 Th 3:6; 5:8; 1 Ti 1:14; 2 Ti 1:13; Phlm 5; B 11:8; IEph 1:1; 9:1; 14:1 al. W. πίστις and other concepts on the same plane Eph 6:23; 1 Ti 2:15; 4:12; 6:11; 2 Ti 2:22; 3:10; Tit 2:2; Rv 2:19; Hm 8:9; cp. v 3, 8, 2–5. The triad πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη 1 Cor 13:13; s. also Col 1:4f; 1 Th 1:3; 5:8; B 1:4 (cp. Porphyr., Ad Marcellam 24 τέσσαρα στοιχεῖα μάλιστα κεκρατύνθω περὶ θεοῦ• πίστις, ἀλήθεια, ἔρως, ἐλπίς and s. Rtzst., Hist. Mon. 1916, 242ff, NGG 1916, 367ff; 1917, 130ff, Hist. Zeitschr. 116, 1916, 189ff; AHarnack, PJ 164, 1916, 5ff=Aus d. Friedens-u. Kriegsarbeit 1916, 1ff; PCorssen, Sokrates 7, 1919, 18ff; ABrieger, D. urchr. Trias Gl., Lbe, Hoff., diss. Heidelb. 1925; WTheiler, D. Vorbereitung d. Neuplatonismus 1930, 148f). W. δύναμις and σωφρονισμός 2 Ti 1:7. Cp. B 1:6.—Attributes of love: ἀνυπόκριτος Ro 12:9; 2 Cor 6:6. γνησία 1 Cl 62:2. φιλόθεος and φιλάνθρωπος Agr 7. σύμφωνος IEph 4:1 ἄοκνος IPol 7:2. ἐκτενής 1 Pt 4:8. It is a fruit of the Spirit καρπὸς τοῦ πνεύματος Gal 5:22, and takes first rank among the fruits. ἀ. τοῦ πνεύματος Ro 15:30; cp. Col 1:8. Since the term denotes concern for another, the sense alms, charity ISm 6:2 is readily apparent (cp. ἀ. λαμβάνειν ‘receive alms’ PGen 14, 7).—ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς ἡ ἀγάπη τῶν ἀδελφῶν the members greet you with love IPhld 11:2; ISm 12:1, cp. ITr 13:1; IRo 9:3. In these passages the object of the love is often made plain by the context; in others it is

β. expressly mentioned

א. impers. ἀ. τῆς ἀληθείας 2 Th 2:10; ἀ. τῆς πατρίδος love for the homeland 1 Cl 55:5.

ב. human beings ἀ. εἴς τινα love for someone εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους Eph 1:15; Col 1:4. εἰς ἀλλήλους καὶ εἰς πάντας 1 Th 3:12; 2 Th 1:3; cp. 2 Cor 2:4, 8; 1 Pt 4:8; 2J 6. ἐν ἀλλήλοις J 13:35. ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐν ὑμῖν 2 Cor 8:7; ἡ ἀ. μου μετὰ ὑμῶν 1 Cor 16:24.

ג. God or Christ (πρὸς τὸν θεόν Orig., C. Cels. 3, 15, 12) ἀ. τοῦ θεοῦ love toward God (but in many cases the gen. may be subjective) Lk 11:42; J 5:42; 2 Th 3:5; 1J 2:5, 15; 3:17; 4:12; 5:3; 2 Cor 7:1 P 46 (for φόβος); ἀ. εἰς θεὸν καὶ Χριστὸν καὶ εἰς τὸν πλησίον Pol 3:3; ἀ. εἰς τὸ ὄνομα θεοῦ Hb 6:10.

ⓑ of the love of God and Christ

α. to humans. Of God (cp. Wsd 3:9): 1J 4:10; ἐν ἡμῖν 1J 4:9, 16. εἰς ἡμᾶς Ro 5:8, cp. vs. 5. τετελείωται ἡ ἀ. μεθʼ ἡμῶν 1J 4:17 (s. HPreisker app. to HWindisch Comm. 167); ἀπὸ τῆς ἀ. τοῦ θεοῦ τῆς ἐν χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ Ro 8:39. ἀγάπην διδόναι bestow love 1J 3:1; ἐν ἀ. προορίσας ἡμᾶς εἰς υἱοθεσίαν Eph 1:4f: the rhythm of the passage suggests the believers as agents for ἀ. in vs. 4 (cp. vs. 15), but 2:4 favors God; s. the comm.—2 Cor 13:13; Jd 2 and 21. God is the source of love 1J 4:7, the θεὸς τῆς ἀ. 2 Cor 13:11, and therefore God is love 1J 4:8, 16. Christians, embraced by God’s love, are τέκνα ἀγάπης B 9:7; 21:9.—Of Jesus’ love J 15:9, 10a, 13 (s. MDibelius, Joh 15:13: Deissmann Festschr. 1927, 168–86); 1J 3:16.—Ro 8:35; 2 Cor 5:14; cp. Eph 3:19. Perh. the ἀληθὴς ἀγάπη of Pol 1:1 is a designation of Jesus or his exemplary concern for others.

β. of the relation betw. God and Christ J 15:10b; 17:26 (on the constr. cp. Pel.-Leg. 12, 21 ὁ πλοῦτος ὅν με ἐπλούτισεν ὁ σατανᾶς). τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἀ. αὐτοῦ of the son of (God’s) love, i.e. of (God’s) beloved son Col 1:13 (s. PsSol 13:9 υἱὸς ἀγαπήσεως).—WLütgert, D. L. im NT 1905; BWarfield, PTR 16, 1918, 1–45; 153–203; JMoffatt, Love in the NT 1929; HPreisker, StKr 95, 1924, 272–94, D. urchr. Botschaft v. der L. Gottes 1930; RSchütz, D. Vorgeschichte der joh. Formel ὁ θεὸς ἀγ. ἐστίν diss. Kiel 1917; CBowen, Love in the Fourth Gosp.: JR 13, ’33, 39–49; GEichholz, Glaube u. L. im 1 J: EvTh ’37, 411–37. On ἔρως and ἀ. s. Harnack, SBBerlAk 1918, 81–94; ANygren, Eros u. Agape I 1930, II ’37 (Eng. tr. Agape and Eros, AHebert and PWatson ’32, ’39; on this JRobinson, Theology 48, ’45, 98–104); LGrünhut, Eros u. Ag. ’31. Cp. CTarelli, Ἀγάπη: JTS n.s. 1, ’50, 64–67; ELee, Love and Righteousness: ET 62, ’50/51, 28–31; AŠuštar, Verbum Domini 28, ’50, 110–19; 122–40; 193–213; 257–70; 321–40; TOhm, D. Liebe zu Gott in d. nichtchristl. Religionen, ’50; WHarrelson, The Idea of Agape: JR 31, ’51, 169–82; VWarnach, Agape: Die Liebe als Grundmotiv der ntl. Theol. 1951; JSteinmueller, Ἐρᾶν, Φιλεῖν, Ἀγαπᾶν in Extrabiblical and Bibl. Sources: Studia Anselmiana 27f, ’51, 404–23.—Full bibliog. in HRiesenfeld, Étude bibliographique sur la notion biblique d’ ἀγάπη, surtout dans 1 Cor 13: ConNeot 5, ’41, 1–32; s. also EDNT.

② a common meal eaten by early Christians in connection with their worship, for the purpose of fostering and expressing mutual affection and concern, fellowship meal, a love-feast (the details are not discussed in the NT, although Paul implicitly refers to it 1 Cor 11:17ff; cp. D 9–10; s. also Pliny Ep. 10, 96, 7; AcPlTh 25 [Aa I 252]; Clem. Al., Paed. 2, 1, 4, Strom. 3, 2, 10; Pass. Perp. et Felic. 17, 1; Tertull., Apolog. 39, De Jejun. 17; Minucius Felix 31) Jd 12 (v.l. ἀπάταις; in 2 Pt 2:13 ἀγάπαις is v.l. for ἀπάταις; the same v.l. Eccl 9:6, where ἀπάτη in ms. S is meaningless: s. RSchütz, ZNW 18, 1918, 224; s. ἀγαπάω 3 on J 13:1, 34). ἀγάπη ἄφθαρτος IRo 7:3. ἀγάπην ποιεῖν hold a love-feast ISm 8:2, in both pass. w. prob. ref. to the eucharist (s. ἀγαπάω 2 and 3).—Meals accompanied by religious rites and in a religious context were conducted by various social groups among the Greeks from early times (s. Bauer’s Introduction, pp. xxvii–viii, above). A scholion on Pla. 122b says of such meals among the Lacedaemonians that they were called φιλίτια, because they φιλίας συναγωγά ἐστιν. Is ἀγ. perhaps a translation of φιλία into Christian terminology?—JKeating, The Ag. and the Eucharist in the Early Church 1901; HLeclercq, Dict. d’Arch. I 1903, 775–848; FFunk, Kirchengesch. Abhdlgen. 3, 1907, 1–41; EBaumgartner, Eucharistie u. Ag. im Urchr. 1909; RCole, Love Feasts, a History of the Christian Ag. 1916; GWetter, Altchr. Liturgien II 1921; HLietzmann, Messe u. Herrenmahl 1926 (on this ALoisy, Congr. d’Hist. du Christ. I 1928, 77–95); KVölker, Mysterium u. Ag. 1927; DTambolleo, Le Agapi ’31; BReicke, Diakonie, Festfreude u. Zelos in Verbindung mit der altchristlichen Agapenfeier, ’51.—TSöding, Das Wortfeld der Liebe im paganen und biblischen Griechisch: ETL 68, ’92, 284–330.—DELG s.v. ἀγαπάω. M-M. TW. Spicq. TRE s.v. Liebe.