Difference between revisions of "Agape"
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There are two [[homograph]]s in English written '''agape'''. They have completely separate origins, meanings and pronunciations. | There are two [[homograph]]s in English written '''agape'''. They have completely separate origins, meanings and pronunciations. | ||
| − | *The more common is an [[adverb]] derived from an Old [[North Germanic]] [[verb]] ''gapa'', 'to gape', 'hold the mouth wide open', [[prefix]]ed by the common [[Old English]] '''a-''' suggesting position. It means 'with the mouth held [wide] open [in wonder, shock etc]'. This word is pronounced 'er-GAPE' {{IPA|ə'geɪp}}. If used as an [[adjective]], 'agape' must be placed after the [[noun]] it qualifies (i.e., [[postpositive]]ly): before a [[noun]], 'gaping', or 'wide open' might suit, or use the idiom 'with his jaw dropped', or 'jaw-dropping[ly]'. | + | *The more common is an [[adverb]] derived from an Old [[North Germanic]] [[verb]] ''gapa'', 'to gape', 'hold the mouth wide open', [[prefix]]ed by the common [[Old English]] '''a-''' suggesting position. It means 'with the mouth held [wide] open [in wonder, shock etc]'. This word is pronounced 'er-GAPE' {{IPA|ə'geɪp}}. If used as an [[adjective]], 'agape' must be placed after the [[noun]] it qualifies (i.e., must be used [[postpositive]]ly): before a [[noun]], 'gaping', or 'wide open' might suit, or use the idiom 'with his jaw dropped', or 'jaw-dropping[ly]'. (For other [[adjective]]s which, like 'agape', cannot be used before the [[noun]] they qualify, see [[Adjectives not used in the attributive position]].) |
*A word more likely to be found in academic English, specifically in Theology, is the [[noun]] '''agape'''. It is derived from the [[Greek]] ἀγάπη (''agape''), 'brotherly love'. From this origin come its trisyllabic pronunciation 'A-gerp-i', {{IPA|'ægəpɪ}}, and the [[plural]] form preferred in academic circles '''agapae''' or '''agapai'''. It is a term used in the Christian religion, where it is a commonplace to distinguish '''agape''' ('holy love', first that of Man to God, later extended to that between individuals in a completely non-sexual way) from '''eros''' (ἔρως, 'bodily love' or the natural sexual bond). This distinction was later extended by [[C.S.Lewis]], in ''[[The Four Loves]]'' (1960), a book written in his role as a popular theologian, to '''agape''', '''eros''', '''storge''' (στοργή, 'affection') and '''philia''' (φιλία, 'friendship'). | *A word more likely to be found in academic English, specifically in Theology, is the [[noun]] '''agape'''. It is derived from the [[Greek]] ἀγάπη (''agape''), 'brotherly love'. From this origin come its trisyllabic pronunciation 'A-gerp-i', {{IPA|'ægəpɪ}}, and the [[plural]] form preferred in academic circles '''agapae''' or '''agapai'''. It is a term used in the Christian religion, where it is a commonplace to distinguish '''agape''' ('holy love', first that of Man to God, later extended to that between individuals in a completely non-sexual way) from '''eros''' (ἔρως, 'bodily love' or the natural sexual bond). This distinction was later extended by [[C.S.Lewis]], in ''[[The Four Loves]]'' (1960), a book written in his role as a popular theologian, to '''agape''', '''eros''', '''storge''' (στοργή, 'affection') and '''philia''' (φιλία, 'friendship'). | ||
::The current use of ἀγάπη (''agape'') is translated in the [[AV]] as "charity", reflecting the [[Vulgate]] [[Latin]] ''caritas''. | ::The current use of ἀγάπη (''agape'') is translated in the [[AV]] as "charity", reflecting the [[Vulgate]] [[Latin]] ''caritas''. | ||
Revision as of 16:59, 25 March 2015
There are two homographs in English written agape. They have completely separate origins, meanings and pronunciations.
- The more common is an adverb derived from an Old North Germanic verb gapa, 'to gape', 'hold the mouth wide open', prefixed by the common Old English a- suggesting position. It means 'with the mouth held [wide] open [in wonder, shock etc]'. This word is pronounced 'er-GAPE' IPA: /ə'geɪp/. If used as an adjective, 'agape' must be placed after the noun it qualifies (i.e., must be used postpositively): before a noun, 'gaping', or 'wide open' might suit, or use the idiom 'with his jaw dropped', or 'jaw-dropping[ly]'. (For other adjectives which, like 'agape', cannot be used before the noun they qualify, see Adjectives not used in the attributive position.)
- A word more likely to be found in academic English, specifically in Theology, is the noun agape. It is derived from the Greek ἀγάπη (agape), 'brotherly love'. From this origin come its trisyllabic pronunciation 'A-gerp-i', IPA: /'ægəpɪ/, and the plural form preferred in academic circles agapae or agapai. It is a term used in the Christian religion, where it is a commonplace to distinguish agape ('holy love', first that of Man to God, later extended to that between individuals in a completely non-sexual way) from eros (ἔρως, 'bodily love' or the natural sexual bond). This distinction was later extended by C.S.Lewis, in The Four Loves (1960), a book written in his role as a popular theologian, to agape, eros, storge (στοργή, 'affection') and philia (φιλία, 'friendship').
- Historically, ἀγάπη in the context of Christianity was first used to mean the 'love-feast' of the early Christians, roughly equivalent to the modern Eucharist.
