Love of God

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Love of God can mean either love for God or love by God. Love for God (philotheia) is associated with the concepts of worship, and devotions towards God. [1]

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The Greek term theophilia means the love or favour of God, [2] and theophilos means friend of God, originally in the sense of being loved by God or loved by the gods; [3] [4] but is today sometimes understood in the sense of showing love for God. [5] [6] [7]

The Greek term agape is applied both to the love that human beings have for God and to the love that God has for them. [8]

Baháʼí Faith

The teachings of the Baháʼí Faith hold that the love of God (philanthropia). [9] [10] ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the religion wrote: "There is nothing greater or more blessed than the Love of God! It gives healing to the sick, balm to the wounded, joy and consolation to the whole world, and through it alone can man attain Life Everlasting. The essence of all religions is the Love of God, and it is the foundation of all the sacred teachings." [11]

Christianity

John Wesley Ame Zion Church, Washington D.C., 2018.jpg

The Old Testament uses a rich vocabulary to express the love of God, as a concept that appears in many instances. [12] The Lord expresses his love through the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah and says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness" (Jeremiah 31:2). [13] However, the exegesis of the love of God in the Old Testament has presented problems for modern scholars. [14] The love of God appears in a number of texts (e.g. Hosea 1–3, and then in Ezek 16 and Isa 62) but resolving the references to produce a consistent interpretation has been challenging and subject to debate. [14]

Emeritus Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 'The Difficult Doctrine of Love[ citation needed ], says both the love of God and the wrath of God are ratcheted up in the New Testament over the Old. Also the concluding verses of several epistles emphasis love (1 Corinthians 16:22, Ephesians 6:24, 2 Thess 3:5).

Many of the most stunning promises in the Bible are for those who love God, notably Romans 8:28 (all things working for good for those who love God) and Deuteronomy 7:9 part of the prelude to the 10 commandments (those loving God being blessed to a thousands generations, where many of the worst curses in the Old Testament where curses went to 4 or 10 generations). Jonathan Edwards said his chief obligation was to raise the affections of his congregation as high as he could toward God in volume 4 of the Yale edition of his works, entitled “The Great Awakening.” [15]

Both the terms love of God and love of Christ appear in the New Testament. In cases such as in Romans 8:35 and Romans 8:39 their use is related in the experience of the believer, without asserting their equality. [16] In John 14:31 Jesus expresses his love for God the Father. [17] This verse includes the only direct statement by Jesus in the New Testament about Jesus' love for God the Father. [17]

Greek polytheism

In polytheism, that which is loved by the gods (τὸ θεοφιλές) was identified as the virtuous or pious. Socrates famously asked whether this identification is a tautology (see Euthyphro dilemma ).

"Philotheos" and "theophilos"

In Greek, philotheos means "loving God, pious", as philosophos means a lover of wisdom (sophia). 2 Timothy 3:4, using the word philotheos in the plural form, speaks of certain people as φιλήδονοι μᾶλλον ἢ φιλόθεοι (lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God). The word Theophilos was and is used as a proper name, but does not appear as an adjective or common noun in Greek, [18] which uses instead the form theophilês, which means "dear to God" but also "loving God".

However, Eric Voegelin used theophilos to mean "lover of God": "In the Phaedrus , Plato has Socrates describe the characteristics of the true thinker. When Phaedrus asks what one should call such a man, Socrates, following Heraclitus, replies that the term sophos, one who knows, would be excessive: this attribute may be applied to God alone: but one might well call him philosophos , a lover of wisdom. Thus in the classic sense and reference of 'philosophy', actual knowledge is reserved to God; finite man can only be the lover of knowledge, not himself the one who possesses knowledge. In the meaning of the passage, the lover of the knowledge that belongs only to the knowing God, the philosophos, becomes the theophilos, the lover of God." [19]

Hinduism

Bhakti is a Sanskrit term meaning "loving devotion to the supreme God". A person who practices bhakti is called a bhakta. Hindu writers, theologians, and philosophers have distinguished nine forms of bhakti, which can be found in the Bhagavata Purana and works by Tulsidas. The philosophical work Narada Bhakti Sutras, written by an unknown author (presumed to be Narada), distinguishes eleven forms of love.

Bhakti movements

Devotees of Krishna worship him in different emotional, transcendental raptures, known as rasas . Two major systems of Krishna worship developed, each with its own philosophical system. These two systems are aishwaryamaya bhakti and madhuryamaya bhakti. Aishwaryamaya bhakti is revealed in the abode of queens and kingdom of Krishna in Dwaraka. Madhuryamaya Bhakti is revealed in the abode of Braja . Thus Krishna is variously worshipped according to the development of devotee's taste in worshipping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, as father, friend, master, beloved and many different varieties which are all extraordinary. Krishna is famous as Makhanchor, or butter thief. He loved to eat butter and is the beloved of his little village in Gokul. These are all transcendental descriptions. Thus they are revealed to the sincere devotees in proportion to the development in their love of Godhead. Vaishnavism is a form of monotheism, sometimes described as 'polymorphic monotheism', with implication that there are many forms of one original deity, defined as belief in a single unitary deity who takes many forms. In Krishnaism this deity is Krishna, sometimes referred as intimate deity – as compared with the numerous four-armed forms of Narayana or Vishnu. [20] It may refer to either of the interrelated concepts of the love of God towards creation, the love of creatures towards God or relationship between the two as in bhakti.

Islam

The love of God, and the fear of God, are two of the foundations of Islam. The highest spiritual attainment in Islam is related to the love of God. "Yet there are men who take (for worship) others besides God, as equal (with God): They love them as they should love God. But those of Faith are overflowing in their love for God." (Quran 2:165). Another Islamic concept is that God's love leads towards good deeds "And feed with food the needy, the orphan and the prisoner, for love of Him (i.e. God)."

Islam, as Christianity, has numerous mystics and traditions about the love of God, as in:

"O lovers! The religion of the love of God is not found in Islam alone.
In the realm of love, there is neither belief, nor unbelief." (Rumi) [21]

The concept of Divine Love, known as Ishq-e-Haqeeqi (Persian), is elaborated by many great Muslim saints to date. Some Sufi writers and poets may have taken human love as a metaphor to define Divine Love but the prominent mystics explain the concept in its entirety and reveal its hardcore reality. Rabia Basri, the famous 7th century mystic, is known as the first female to have set the doctrine of Divine Love. [22] In Islamic Sufism, Ishq means to love God selflessly and unconditionally. For Rumi, 'Sufism' itself is Ishq and not the path of asceticism (zuhd). [23] According to Sultan Bahoo, Ishq means to serve God by devoting one's entire life to Him and asking no reward in return.

Judaism

The love of God has been called the "essence of Judaism". "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." (Deut 6:5)

Other

Goethe expresses the sentiment of love of God alongside the opposite sentiment of hatred of God in his two poems Ganymed and Prometheus, respectively.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Liddell and Scott: φιλοθεΐα
  2. ↑ Liddell and Scott: θεοφιλία
  3. ↑ Liddell and Scott: θεόφιλος (refers the reader to θεοφίλητος
  4. ↑ Liddell and Scott: θεοφίλητος
  5. ↑ Teofil Archived 2010-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ The Baby Name Bible: The Ultimate Guide
  7. ↑ Theophilos Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ ἀγάπη, Liddell and Scott: Greek-English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  9. ↑ Smith, Peter (2000). "love" . A Concise Encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 227–228. ISBN   1-85168-184-1 – via Internet Archive.
  10. ↑ Hatcher, William S.; Martin, J Douglas (1989). "God, His Manifestations, and Man" . The Baháʼí Faith: The Emerging Global Religion. New York City: Harper & Row. pp. 100–101. ISBN   0-06-065441-4 – via Internet Archive.
  11. ↑ ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (1912). Paris Talks. Baháʼí Distribution Service (published 1995). pp. 82–83. ISBN   1-870989-57-0.
  12. ↑ Theology of the Old Testament, Volume One by Walther Eichrodt 1961 ISBN   0-664-22308-7 pages 250–251
  13. ↑ "God in Old Testament / God in New Testament". WELS Topical Q&A. Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Archived from the original on 2 January 2008. Retrieved 29 Jan 2015.
  14. 1 2 Theologies in the Old Testament by Erhard Gerstenberger 2007 ISBN   0-567-08812-X page 87
  15. ↑ "Edwards Quote Success! | by Faith We Understand".
  16. ↑ The Epistle to the Romans by Douglas J. Moo 1996 ISBN   0-8028-2317-3 page 547
  17. 1 2 Preaching the Gospel of John: proclaiming the living Word by Lamar Williamson 2004 ISBN   0-664-22533-0 page 192
  18. ↑ The word does not appear in the great Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek-English Lexicon
  19. ↑ Eric Voegelin, Science, Politics, and Gnosticism (ISI Books ISBN   1-932236-48-1), p. 41
  20. ↑ Scheweig, (2004) pp. 13–17
  21. ↑ Rumi's Quatrain no. 768, translated by Gamard & Farhadi. Versions of this quatrain have been made by Shahram Shiva, "Hush: Don't Tell God", p. 17 and by Azima Kolin (based on Mafi), "Rumi: Whispers of the Beloved", p. 71. [`âshiq to yaqîn dân, ke musulmân na-bûd dar maZhab-é `ishq, kufr-o îmân na-bûd]
  22. ↑ Regunathan, Sudhamahi (29 Nov 2010). "Rabia Basri and her Divine Love". New Age Islam.
  23. ↑ Seyed Ghahreman Safavi, Simon Weightman (October 2009). Rumi's Mystical Design: Reading the Mathnawi Book One. SUNY Press. ISBN   978-1-438-42796-6.

Related Research Articles

Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the love of a mother differs from the love of a spouse, which differs from the love for food. Most commonly, love refers to a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment.

Monotheism is the belief that God is the only deity, and that the world is a separate reality in which God intervenes, often through supernatural means. A distinction may be made between exclusive monotheism, in which the one God is a singular existence, and both inclusive and pluriform monotheism, in which multiple gods or godly forms are recognized, but each are postulated as extensions of the same God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krishna</span> Major deity in Hinduism

Krishna is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one of the most popular and widely revered among Hindu divinities. Krishna's birthday is celebrated every year by Hindus on Krishna Janmashtami according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar, which falls in late August or early September of the Gregorian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worship</span> Act of religious devotion

Worship is showing regard with great respect, honor, or devotion. This may be encountered in religious settings. In such instances it may represent divine worship; reverence for a divine being or supernatural power. This activity may have other focuses, such as hero worship. Worship may involve one or more of activities such as veneration, adoration, praise, supplication, devotion, prostration, or submission. An act of worship can be performed as simple prayer or through elaborate ceremony, individually, in an informal or formal group, or by a designated leader. The focus of worship is ultimately honoring the subject in some manner.

Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or an anthropomorphic form of a god. It is used to mean a god, deity, or Divine Being in human or animal form on Earth. The proper noun, Incarnation, refers to the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ.

In Christianity, agape is "the highest form of love, charity" and "the love of God for man and of man for God". This is in contrast to philia, brotherly love, or philautia, self-love, as it embraces a profound sacrificial love that transcends and persists regardless of circumstance.

Bhakti is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love. In Indian religions, it may refer to loving devotion for a personal God, a formless ultimate reality or for an enlightened being. Bhakti is often a deeply emotional devotion based on a relationship between a devotee and the object of devotion.

Many Wikipedia articles on religious topics are not yet listed on this page. If you cannot find the topic you are interested in on this page, it still may already exist; you can try to find it using the "Search" box. If you find that it exists, you can edit this page to add a link to it.

Proselytism is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Carrying out attempts to instill beliefs can be called proselytization.

Bhakti yoga, also called Bhakti marga, is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards any personal deity. It is one of the three classical paths in Hinduism which lead to Moksha, the other paths being Jnana yoga and Karma yoga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theophany</span> Appearance of a deity in an observable way

Theophany is an encounter with a deity, in which it manifests in an observable and tangible form. Where the deity does not take tangible form, the broader term used for inward manifestation is divine revelation or divine inspiration. Where the god indwells in a human person, the terms used are divine incarnation, an avatar, or, poetically, the personification of that deity. Theophanies, tangible appearances of a god, are distinguished from epiphanies, which are powerful internal changes in outlook caused by a theophany or other divine revelation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Names of God</span> Forms of address or reference to the deity of a religion

There are various names of God, many of which enumerate the various qualities of a Supreme Being. The English word god is used by multiple religions as a noun to refer to different deities, or specifically to the Supreme Being, as denoted in English by the capitalized and uncapitalized terms God and god. Ancient cognate equivalents for the biblical Hebrew Elohim, one of the most common names of God in the Bible, include proto-Semitic El, biblical Aramaic Elah, and Arabic ilah. The personal or proper name for God in many of these languages may either be distinguished from such attributes, or homonymic. For example, in Judaism the tetragrammaton is sometimes related to the ancient Hebrew ehyeh. It is connected to the passage in Exodus 3:14 in which God gives his name as אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה, where the verb, translated most basically as "I am that I am" or "I shall be what I shall be", "I shall be what I am" In the Hebrew Bible, YHWH, the personal name of God, is revealed directly to Moses. Correlation between various theories and interpretation of the name of "the one God", used to signify a monotheistic or ultimate Supreme Being from which all other divine attributes derive, has been a subject of ecumenical discourse between Eastern and Western scholars for over two centuries. In Christian theology the word is considered a personal and a proper name of God. On the other hand, the names of God in a different tradition are sometimes referred to by symbols. The question whether divine names used by different religions are equivalent has been raised and analyzed.

Religious views on love vary widely between different religions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">God in Hinduism</span> Hindu conception of God

In Hinduism, the concept of God varies in its diverse religio-philosophical traditions. Hinduism comprises a wide range of beliefs about God and Divinity, such as henotheism, monotheism, polytheism, panentheism, pantheism, pandeism, monism, agnosticism, atheism, and nontheism.

Conceptions of God in monotheist, pantheist, and panentheist religions – or of the supreme deity in henotheistic religions – can extend to various levels of abstraction:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unconditional love</span> Concept of love without conditions

Unconditional love is known as affection without any limitations, or love without conditions. This term is sometimes associated with other terms such as true altruism or complete love. Each area of expertise has a certain way of describing unconditional love, but most will agree that it is that type of love which has no bounds and is unchanging.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaishnavism</span> Major Hindu tradition that reveres Vishnu as the Supreme Being

Vaishnavism is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, Mahavishnu. Its followers are called Vaishnavites or Vaishnavas, and it includes sub-sects like Krishnaism and Ramaism, which consider Krishna and Rama as the supreme beings respectively. According to a 2010 estimate by Johnson and Grim, Vaishnavism is the largest Hindu sect, constituting about 641 million or 67.6% of Hindus.

Cataphatic theology or kataphatic theology is theology that uses "positive" terminology to describe or refer to the divine – specifically, God – i.e. terminology that describes or refers to what the divine is believed to be, in contrast to the "negative" terminology used in apophatic theology to indicate what it is believed the divine is not.

Rasa refers to the creation and reception of a distinct 'flavor' or quality of something. As a Sanskrit theological concept, rasa was popularized Krishna-centered bhakti traditions, such as Gaudiya Vaishnavism from the fifteenth century. The theological use of the word can be found early, about two thousand years before the Nimbarka or Chaitanya schools of bhakti, in 2.7.1 of the Taittiriya Upanishad: "Truly, the Lord is rasa" This statement expresses the view that God is the one who enjoys the ultimate rasa, or spiritual rapture and emotions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baháʼí Faith and Hinduism</span>

Hinduism is recognized in the Baháʼí Faith as one of nine known religions. Krishna is included in the succession of Manifestations of God.

References

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