Presentation on eros,agape,& philos.Any ideas where to get some exmpls: of these notions of love by the Greeks

Answer 1

There's a serious problem with the eros-philia-agape studies. "Philia" was the ordinary, everyday word for "love" in CLASSICAL Greek (that Attic Greek of Plato, et.al.), while "agape" served the same role in HELLENISTIC Greek -- a form of the language that came MUCH later (and the form of the language into which the Hebrew Old Testament was translated, and the New Testament was written).

So the studies that try to claim that the Greek writers of either classical times or the New Testament made a careful distinction between these two words (usually "philia" for "friendship" and "agape" for "divine love" --along with their related verb forms, phileo and agapao) are seriously mistaken! A simple list of all the place in the Greek Old Testament translation and the New Testament will show you MANY examples of agape/agapao used for something that is HARDLY "divine love" -- from "the love of money" and the "love of the world" (instead of God) to Amnon's "love" (actually more LUST) for his sister Tamar (in 2 Samuel). Philia/phileo on the other hand is only rarely used for "love" -- it mostly is used in the meaning of "kiss" and in fixed COMPOUND forms like "philadelphia" ("love for brothers").

On th other hand, the agape/agapao forms are not even found in Attic Greek, in which, as noted above, the phil- forms are common. Do notice that these two forms of the language are quite different, and several centuries apart.

So, while it is true that some later writers have USED these words to try to show, it is NOT true that the original uses of these made such distinctions. And for New Testament readers the key to understanding what GOD's love is all about is NOT to fasten onto this one word, but to look at all the specific ways his love is described and especially what it looks like in ACTION.

Answer 2

Best source on Eros is Plato's Symposium. A lot of early Christian writers discussed Agape - not so sure about this but maybe Thomas Aquinas? (get secondary sources - Anthony Kenny maybe - Aquinas is a pain in the a*s to read in the original). Re Philia, Aristotle - should be covered in most secondary sources on Aristotle (eg, Gerard J Hughes, Aristotle on Ethics), not sure of primary reference.

Depends on how in-depth you want to go - most introductory books on the philosophy or history of love will cover it somewhere and should give you a few examples.

Answer 3

It would have been nice for us that are answering this question what Church you belong too. If I were you I visit some other churches and listen to what they have to say about what you are wrongly being taught. Heaven is being surrounded by God's love and the love of our friends and family who will be there to greet us with open loving arms. Whoa, I am sorry that the church you belong to teaches lies and not the truth of the love we will all feel from God and our families.

Answer 4

Eros is erotiic sexual love...philos is brotherly love....and agape is unconditional,divine love!

Answer 5

This article explains each one, with examples.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_words_for_love