To
press my point further (See Part #1 below), that biblical love words must be
defined by their individual contexts in Scripture -- and pop definitions which
do not match the scriptural evidence, abandoned -- I invite you to look with me
at some more synonymous usages of various verbal forms of AGAPE and PHILEO.
These will demonstrate that there are places in the NT where AGAPE and PHILEO
mean essentially the same thing.
First I've already mentioned Joh 20:2 ...
"... the other disciple, whom Jesus loved (EPHILEI -- from PHILEO) ..."
... and compared it with:
"... one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved..." (EGAPA -- from AGAPE, Joh 13:23; See also Joh 19:26; 21:7: 21:20 which all use EGAPA).
Both verses from John's gospel refer to the same disciple, probably John himself. Honestly ask yourself: does the above evidence mean that in one instance Jesus loved this same disciple less than in the other instance ...?
Now let's look at some other examples. For instance, Matthew writes about those scribes and Pharisees who were hypocritical, that they ...
"... love (PHILOUSIN -- from PHILEO) the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces ..." (Mat 23:6, 7).
However, which word does Luke choose when translating a similar indictment by Jesus?
"... [You hypocritical Pharisees] love (AGAPETE -- from AGAPE) the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces ..." (Luk 11:43).
Even in the same book, in a similar context, Luke changed "love words" (from AGAPE to PHILEO) to describe the actions of those scribes who were hypocritical:
"[They] love (PHILOUNTON -- from PHILEO) greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts ..." (Luk 20:46).
It should be clear by now that both PHILEO and AGAPE mean essentially the same thing in these verses. And neither kind of love here is very wholesome ... All of the above evidence demonstrates that AGAPE and PHILEO can be synonymous in some contexts, and that this is only clarified by their usages in Scripture, ... not by some simplistic definition imposed on the data from the outside (E.g. "unconditional love" vs. "brotherly love").
Part #3 to come …
-Michael Millier
hmmm very interesting points. Agape here means what agape means that the hypocritical pharisees who love the best seats and greetings etc are giving their priority to those things, they are giving those things the "highest place" in their hearts, that's what agape does, it gives the "highest place in the heart," at least that's one aspect of agape. Now, about phileo, again phileo isn't just "brotherly affection" it is other things like affection, fondness or a liking for others. These pharisees had a fondness or liking for those best seats and those greetings by others, to the point of idolatry, misplacing their phileo and agape....
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