ἀγάπη, -ἧς, ἡ, ἃ purely bibl. and eccl. word (for Wyttenbach, following Reiske’s conjecture, long ago restored ἀγαπήσων in place of ἀγάπης, ὧν in Plut. sympos. quaestt. 7, 6, 3 [vol. viii. p. 835 ed. Reiske]). Prof. auth. fr. [Aristot.], Plut. on used ἀγάπησις. “The Sept. use ἀγάπη for 138, Cant. ii. 4, 5, 7; iii. 5, 10; v. 8; vii. 6; viii. 4,6, 7; [It is noticeable that the word first makes its appearance as a current term in the Song of Sol.;—certainly no undesigned evidence respecting the idea which the Alex. translators had of the love in this Song” (Zezschwitz, Profangraec. u. bibl. Sprachgeist, p. 63)]; Jer. ii. 2; Eccl. ix. 1,6; [2 S. xiii. 15]. It occurs besides in Sap. iii. 9; vi. 19. In Philo and Joseph. I do not remember to have met with it. Nor is it found in the N. T. in Acts, Mk., or Jas.; it occurs only once in Mt. and Lk., twice in Heb. and Rey., but frequently in the writings of Paul, John, Peter, Jude” (Bretschn. Lex. s. v.-); [Philo, deus immut. § 14]. In signification it follows the verb ἀγαπάω; consequently it denotes 1. affection, good-will, love, benevolence: Jn. xv. 13; Ro. xiii. 10; 1 Jn. iv. 18. Of the love of men to men; esp. of that love of Christians towards Christians which is enjoined and prompted by their religion, whether the love be viewed as in the soul or as expressed: Mt. xxiv. 12; 1 Co. xiii. 1-4, 8; xiv. 1; 2 Co. ii. 4; Gal. v. 6; Philem. 5, 7; 1 Tim. i. 5; Heb. vi. 10; x. 24; Jn. xiii. 35; 1 Jn. iv. 7; Rev. ii. 4,19, etc. Of the love of men towards θα ἡ ἀγάπη 4 ἀγαπητός τοῦ θεοῦ (obj. gen. [W. 185 (175)]), Lk. xi. 42; ὅπ. v. 42; 1 Jn. ii. 15 (τοῦ πατρός) ; iii. 17; iv. 12; v. 3. Of the love of God towards men: Ro. v. 8; viii. 39; 2 Co. xiii. 13 (14). Of the love of God towards Christ: Jn. xv. 10; xvii. 26. Of the love of Christ towards men: Jn. xv. 9 sq.; 2 Co. v. 14; Ro. viii. 35; Eph. iii. 19. In construction: dy. εἴς τινα, 2 Co. ii. 8 [?]; Eph. 1. 15 [L WH om. Tr mrg. br. τὴν ἀγάπην] ; τῇ ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐν ἡμῖν i. 6. love going forth from your soul and taking up its abode as it were in ours, i. q. your love to us, 2 Co. viii. 7 [W. 193 (181 sq.); B. 329 (283)]; μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν i. 6. is present with (embraces) you, 1 Co. xvi. 24; μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν i. 6. seen among us, 1 Jn. iv. 17. Phrases: ἔχειν ἀγάπην εἴς τινα, 2 Co. ii. 4; Col. i. 4 [L T Tr, but WH br.]; 1 Pet. iv. 8; ἀγάπην διδόναι to give a proof of love, 1 Jn. iii. 1; ἀγαπᾶν ἀγάπην τινά, In. xvii. 26; Eph. ii. 4 (v. in ἀγαπάω, sub fin.) ; dy. rod πνεύματος i. 6. enkindled by the Holy Spirit, Ro. xv. 30; ὁ vids τῆς ἀγάπης the Son who is the object of love, i. q. ἀγαπητός, Col. 1. 18 (W. 237 (222); [B. 162 (141)]); ὁ θεὸς τῆς dy. the author of love, 2 Co. xiii. 11; κόπος τῆς dy. troublesome service, toil, undertaken from love, 1 Th. i. 33 dy. τῆς ἀληθείας love which embraces the truth, 2 Th. ii. 10; ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν God is wholly love, his nature is summed up in love, 1 Jn. iv. 8,16; φίλημα ἀγάπης a kiss as a sign among Christians of mutual affeetion, 1 Pet. v. 14; διὰ τὴν dy. that love may have opportunity of influencing thee (‘in order to give scope to the power of love’ De W., Wies.), Philem. 9, cf. 14; ἐν ἀγάπῃ lovingly, in an affectionate spirit, 1 Co. iv. 21; on love as a basis [al. in love as the sphere or element], Eph. iv. 15 (where ἐν dy. is to be connected not with ἀληθεύοντες but with αὐξήσωμεν), vs. 16; ἐξ ἀγάπης influenced by love, Phil. i. 17 (16) ; κατὰ ἀγάπην in a manner befitting love, Ro. xiv. 15. Love is mentioned together with faith and hope in 1 Co. xiii. 13; 1 Th. i. 3; v. 8; Col. i. 4 sq.; Heb. x. 22-24. On the words ἀγάπη, ἀγαπᾶν, cf. Gelpke in the Stud. u. Krit. for 1849, p- 646 sq.; on the idea and nature of.Christian love see Késtlin, Lehrbgr. des Ev. Joh. ete. p. 248 sqq., 332 sqq.; Rickert, Theologie, ii. 452 sqq.; Lipsius, Paulin. Rechtfertigungsl. p. 188 sqq.; [Reuss, Théol. Chrét. livr. vii. chap. 13]. 2. Plur. ἀγάπαι, -ῶν, agapae, love-feasts, feasts expressing and fostering mutual love which used to be held by Christians before the celebration of the Lord’s supper, and at which the poorer Christians mingled with the wealthier and partook in common with the rest of food provided at the expense of the wealthy: Jude 12 (and in 2 Pet. ii. 13 L Tr txt. WH mrg.), ef. 1 Co. xi. 17 sqq.; Acts ii. 42, 46; xx. 7; Tertull. Apol. c. 39, and ad Martyr. ο. 3; Cypr. ad Quirin. 3,3; Drescher, De vet. christ. Agapis. Giess. 1824; Mangold in Schenkel i. 53 sq.; [B. D.s. v. Love-Feasts; Dict. of Christ. Antiq. 5. v. Agapae; more fully in McC. and S. s. v. Agape].

ἀγάπη agapē 116x

love, generosity, kindly concern, devotedness; pl. love-feasts, Jude 12

† ἀγάπη, -ης, ἡ

[in LXX for אַהֲבָה, which is also rendered by ἀγάπησις and φιλία;]

love, goodwill, esteem. Outside of bibl. and eccl. books, there is no clear instance (with Deiss., LAE, 18:4, 70:2, cf. the same writer in Constr. Quar., ii, 4; and with MM, VGT, s.v., cf. Dr. Moulton in Exp. Times, xxvi, 3, 139). In NT, like ἀγαπάω, -ῶ, Of men's love: to one another, Jo 13:35;

to God, I Jo 2:5.

Of divine love; God's love: to men, Ro 5:8; to Christ, Jo 17:26;

Christ's love to men: Ro 8:35.

In pl., love feasts: Ju 12 (DB, iii, 157).

SYN.: φιλία. ἀ., signifying properly (v.s. ἀγαπάω) love which chooses its object, is taken over from LXX, where its connotation is more general, into NT, and there used exclusively to express that spiritual bond of love between God and man and between man and man, in Christ, which is characteristic of Christianity. It is thus distinct from φιλία, friendship (Ja 4:4 only), στοργή, natural affection (in NT only in compounds, v.s. ἄστοργος) and ἔρως, sexual love, which is not used in NT, its place being taken by ἐπιθυμία. (Cf. ἀγαπάω; and v. Abbott, Essays, 70f.; DB, vol. i., 555; Cremer, 13, 593; MM, VGT, s.v.).

ἀγαπη use in connexion with Ptolemy on the Rosetta stone, OG/S got (B.C. 196) ἠγαπημένου ὑπὸ τοῦ POa. Cf. a Munich papyrus in Chrest. I. 1091" (end of iii/B.c.), where Wilcken restores [Πτολεμαῖ]ος αἰωνόβιος ἠγα[πημένος ὑπὸ τῆς Ισιδος]. It may be noted that in Mk 10% Field (Λίοζες, Pp. 34) suggests the translation ‘‘caressed” for ἠγάπησεν, comparing Plut. Peric/. 1: ξένους τινὰς ἐν ἹΡώμῃ πλουσίους, κυνῶν τέκνα καὶ πιθήκων ἐν τοῖς κόλποις περιφέροντας καὶ ἀγαπῶντας (fondling) ἰδὼν ὁ Καῖσαρ. .. ἠρώτησεν εἰ παιδία παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς οὐ τίκτουσιν αἱ γυναῖκες. Β. L. Gildersleeve (Justin Martyr, p. 135) suggests that ‘the larger use of [ἀγαπᾶν] in Christian writers is perhaps due to an avoidance of φιλεῖν in the sense of ‘kissing.”” He says Xenophon made the two words absolute synonyms, comparing MZemorahsilia ii. 7. 9 with 12; while he deprecates refinements in Jn 2111", since ‘the Evangelist himself did not see the point, as Augustin notes (Czv. Dez vii. 11). This seems undeniable in Xenophon Zc., though in so severely simple a writer as Jn it is extremely hard to reconcile ourselves to a meaningless use of synonyms, where the point would seem to lie in the identity of the word employed. Gildersleeve’s remark that “ ἀγαπᾶν is a colder word than φιλεῖν and less intimate’’ will hold for “profane” Greek ; but this is emphatically a case where the needs of a new subject take up a rather colourless word and indefinitely enrich it. In NT ἀγαπᾶν is purged of all coldness, and is deeper than φιλεῖν, though the latter remains more human. See R. H. Strachan’s references and discussion in Zxfos. VIII. vii. 263-7 (March 1914). A Christian metrical epitaph (Ca/der 69 — after midd. iv/A.D.) has &. with infin. as in Class. Οὐκ; νῦν ἀγαπᾷς od μαθεῖν τίς ἐγὼ ξένος ἢ πόθεν ἦλθα.

ἀγάπη (agapē) — love. ἀγάπ-η, ἡ, love, [LXX+2nd c.BC+] O; of the love of husband and wife, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]

2. especially love of God for man and of man for God, [LXX+1st c.AD+]:—also brotherly love, charity, [NT]

II. in plural, love-feast, [NT]

III. alms, charity, [Refs 4th c.AD+]

IV. ἀγάπη θεῶν, title of Isis, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]