IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 1883

ON LOVE; PART MDXXXII

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FIRST IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).

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WHAT THEN IS LOVE? In a general sense love is benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men. While this IS from an older definition of Charity, which IS rendered in the King James Bible from the same Greek word agape which IS generally rendered as Love, we should amend our own definition here to include the idea that in the reality of Love a man will accord to ALL men ALL things that he would accord to himself and to say that Love IS our thoughts and attitude of the equality of ALL men regardless of their outward nature or appearance…that ALL ARE equally children of Our One God.

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PLUS THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).

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While we ended the last essay with our trifecta, our main closing point was in regard to agape through the Master’s words saying “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” and the Apostle James’ words that amplify Jesus’ words saying “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: but if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors” (James 2:9). Our trifecta’s importance IS that it shows the need to keep the words of the Master and of the law as well as the associated rewards for DOING so but we should remember here that the primary idea to be taken from the Master’s words IS that “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself“. We discussed how that these words begin in the Old Testament Book of Leviticus where we read “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:18). These words ARE NOT a part of the Ten Commandments but, as we discussed, they ARE the very fabric of those commandments which tell us to refrain from adultery, killing, stealing and coveting as well as our obligation to “Honour thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12). That the importance of “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” IS understood by the religious before Jesus elevates the idea to be one of the Great Commandments should NOT be doubted; we KNOW that the Jews that ask the Master about the greatest commandments KNOW beforehand. In Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospels the Jews acknowledge the Master’s citation of the commandment while in Luke it IS the Jewish lawyer who cites the idea saying that the greatest commandments ARE “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself” (Luke 10:27).

While Leviticus IS the ONLY reference to the particular words that “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself“, this DOES NOT diminish its importance in Jewish history as the idea IS also cited by perhaps the most influential of Rabbi’s in the century before the Advent of the Master. Rabbi Hillel frames the idea a bit differently but in a way that captures what Paul would write a century later; the Rabbi says “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the entire Torah, and the rest is its commentary. Now go and study“****. To understand the Rabbi’s point we should look again to Paul’s words that tell us “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:14) and “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:8-10). While the words from the Master, from the Rabbi, from James and from Paul should show us the importance of the idea and the Power of agape, they have NOT had the necessary influence upon the Christian world save as a saying uttered with little understanding of its meaning. In this essay then we will continue to explore the meaning of the idea that “Thou shalt love agape thy neighbour as thyself“; to begin this in earnest we have struck out the rendering of Love in this statement and replaced it with the Greek word agape and while the proper usage would be agapao as a verb, agape IS the more familiar idea.

The saying that “Thou shalt love agape thy neighbour as thyself” appears seven times in the New Testament and once in the Old Testament. There ARE several other references to the idea such as the Master’s words saying “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44). From these words we should be able to see the Jews’ understanding of the idea as the Master seeks to change their understanding of this most important precept. Three times, once in each synoptic gospels, the phrase IS used in Jesus’ defining of the Great Commandments, twice these ARE the Master’s words and once they ARE offered by the lawyer as we cite above. Without much commentary Jesus offers us the idea of the Great Commandments saying in Mark’s Gospel that “There is none other commandment greater than these“, while in Matthew the Master tells us that “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40). From these commentaries on the phrase “Thou shalt love agape thy neighbour as thyself” the Christian world should see the importance of the precept but, again, it has NOT had the intended effect. One other gospel reference to the precept that “Thou shalt love agape thy neighbour as thyself” IS found in the discussion between the Master and the ‘rich young ruler in Matthew’s Gospel; there Jesus cites the commandments that this man should keep. Jesus says that the commandments ARE “Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 19:18-19). In the other gospel versions of this discussion it IS the ‘rich young ruler’ that answers citing a slightly different set of commandments sans the idea that “Thou shalt love agape thy neighbour as thyself“. One additional point here in regard to our ongoing discussion of the commandments that flow into the idea that “Thou shalt love agape thy neighbour as thyself” IS the way that the other commandments that DO NOT hold an agape related meaning ARE left out. Indeed they ARE left out of most ALL listings offered in the New Testament.

The first through the third commandments ARE in regard to the relationship of man with God and ARE encapsulated in the Master’s first Great Commandment so that these ARE NOT ignored entirely but ARE summarized into the idea that “The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” (Mark 12:29-30). The next regards the sabbath and, as we KNOW from the gospels, the Master downplays this idea save for keeping the tradition to some degree. Finally there ARE the six commandments that directly affect the expression of agape by the man in this world; these ARE what the Master cites; these ARE those that He sees as important. These ARE the commandments which He amplifies and changes the focus of from the purely carnal and rote to the deeper spiritual meaning although the deeper meanings ARE yet to be discovered by most.

The other references to the phrase “Thou shalt love agape thy neighbour as thyself” ARE found in the epistles, twice in Paul’s writings and one in James; these ARE ALL cited above. Paul IS showing us the Power of agape, the Power of its expression in this world; he DOES this by telling us that ALL of the commandments ARE accomplished through our expression of agape. In Galatians Paul IS discussing the Power of agape against the wiles of the flesh as he outlines his list of “the works of the flesh” and “the fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:19, 22). It IS important to note that “the works of the flesh” ARE the same works, done by the man in this world, which ARE contrary to the Master’s list of the commandments. Each of the ideas presented: “Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like” (Galatians 5:19-21) finds a home in the Master’s list of the commandments that a man should follow. We should note as well that the first of the Great Commandments IS NOT listed in Jesus’ list of commandments that the ‘rich young ruler’ should follow nor in the list that Paul shows us in Roman and perhaps there IS a rather simple reason for what seems to be an omission. Simply, if one follows, lives by if you will, the commandments that ARE cited as “Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 19:18-19) then one IS in reality keeping the first Great Commandment. As we move on, we should remember that the ideas that ARE understood from the commandments and from the list of “the works of the flesh” that Paul provides ARE carnally oriented ideas, they ARE the carnal effects of spiritual premises. We have discussed this in previous posts and will NOT address these again here, but we should try to see that most ALL of the ideas have a spiritual component and perhaps the easiest to recognize IS adultery and fornication as these can be acts against God by men whose focus IS purely carnal. In this regard we should note James words calling ALL “adulterers and adulteresses” because of their focus on the idea of “the friendship of the world” (James 4:4).

Our greater point today IS the reality of agape as a concept and a principle by which we should live. Understanding that we CAN NOT “love thy neighbour as thyself” under the common understanding of the idea of Love IS perhaps our first step towards Truly being able to DO so and to fulfill the Golden Rule that tells us “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12). These words ARE markedly similar to those of the Rabbi Hillel’s saying that “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the entire Torah, and the rest is its commentary. Now go and study“****. Again, this IS the same point that we should take from both the commandment that “Thou shalt love agape thy neighbour as thyself” and the framing by Paul of the Power of agape saying “all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:14). The current understanding of Love DOES NOT fit into the reality of the idea of agape and perhaps this IS why the King James Translators chose the idea of charity as their rendering of agape in certain places in the New Testament. Charity was defined at the time as: In a general sense, love, benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men1. Here there IS little that resembles the ideas attached to the word Love from the same dictionary; regarding Love Webster’s 1828 Dictionary tells us: In a general sense to be pleased with; to regard with affection, on account of some qualities which excite pleasing sensations or desire of gratification. We love a friend, on account of some qualities which give us pleasure in his society. We love a man who has done us a favor; in which case, gratitude enters into the composition of our affection. We love our parents and our children, on account of their connection with us, and on account of many qualities which please us. We love to retire to a cool shade in summer. We love a warm room in winter. we love to hear an eloquent advocate. The christian loves his Bible. In short, we love whatever gives us pleasure and delight, whether animal or intellectual; and if our hearts are right, we love God above all things, as the sum of all excellence and all the attributes which can communicate happiness to intelligent beings. In other words, the christian loves God with the love of complacency in his attributes, the love of benevolence towards the interest of his kingdom, and the love of gratitude for favors received1.

From these ‘general sense’ defining ideas it should be easy to see the reasoning behind the King James choice of charity over Love as their rendering for agape especially in places where the idea of agape IS itself being defined. Websters offers us secondary ideas for Love saying that to Love IS: To have benevolence or good will for1 but as they go on into the idea more deeply they also tell us first that Love IS: An affection of the mind excited by beauty and worth of any kind, or by the qualities of an object which communicate pleasure, sensual or intellectual. It is opposed to hatred. Love between the sexes, is a compound affection, consisting of esteem, benevolence, and animal desire. Love is excited by pleasing qualities of any kind, as by kindness, benevolence, charity, and by the qualities which render social intercourse agreeable. In the latter case, love is ardent friendship, or a strong attachment springing from good will and esteem, and the pleasure derived from the company, civilities and kindness of others1. While the current defining ideas on Love embody the same ideas as we see from Webster’s in the nineteenth century, they ARE at the same time more crudely stated. Our online dictionary defines Love as: a strong feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, such as for a parent, child, friend, or pet; a profoundly tender, passionate affection, often mingled with sexual desire, for another person; sexual passion or desire*. It IS from these as well as other sources of definition that we cite our own defining ideas for Love as an: our emotional and mental attraction and attachment to others and to things in this world. Our point IS that under these defining ideas for Love it IS difficult at best to put the Master’s words saying “Thou shalt love agape thy neighbour as thyself” to work in one’s Life as we try to understand the neighbor to be everyman.

While charity DOES NOT offer us much of an alternative today, it DID reflect some of the more virtuous ideas regarding agape when the idea was used by the King James Translators. Today’s ideas of charity have taken on a distinctively noticeable change from Webster’s 1828 entry of charity as: love, benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men1. In today’s dictionary charity IS defined as: generous actions or donations to aid people who are poor, ill, or needy; something given to a person or persons in need; alms; a charitable act or work; a charitable fund, foundation, or institution; benevolent feeling, especially toward those in need or in disfavor; leniency in judging others; forbearance; Christian love; agape. How the idea of charity went from Webster’s idea in 1828 to today’s ideas IS a mystery to us especially when considering that in Webster’s 1913 edition the defining idea for charity was: Love; universal benevolence; good will1. While we can’t be sure of the motivations involved, we can presume that it IS because of the nineteenth century ideas of charity that the King James translators chose to render Paul’s use of agape as charity rather than as Love in this most important and popular segment of his First Epistle to the Corinthians. We read:

Aspect of  GodPotencyAspect of ManIn Relation to the Great InvocationIn relation to the Christ
GOD, The FatherWill or PowerSpirit or LifeCenter where the Will of God IS KNOWNLife
Son, The ChristLove and WisdomSoul or Christ WithinHeart of GodTruth
Holy SpiritLight or ActivityLife WithinMind of GodWay

Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road

Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher

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