[B-Greek] AGAPAO in the NT

Daniel Gleason info at revelationjesuschrist.com
Thu Feb 5 14:47:02 EST 2004


re agape and philio in John 21:15-17.

There is a lot of word play going on in the ten lines of dialog between
Jesus and Simon. What is the target of all the word play? A definition of
the word "Love" or something else? Let's look at the entire passage.

After the disciples have breakfast of Fish and Loaves (two kinds of food),
Jesus engages Simon the Rock in ten lines of dialog that is filled with five
sets of synonyms or repeated names. There are two different Greek verbs for
love (philio and agape), two nouns for sheep (arni, probaton), two verbs for
feeding sheep (bosko, poimaino), two verbs for knowing (eido, ginosko), and
two aliases for the names of Jesus (Lord) and Simon Petros (of-John).

Religious scholars have written extensively about the kind of love (philio
or agape) Simon the Rock had for Jesus. The word ag-ah-pay means "to love
something dearly" while the word phil-eh-o means "to like, be fond of, or to
be associated with something." So is Simon's love for Jesus a brotherly kind
of love or a love of deep genuine affection? Some scholars say the meaning
of the two words is significantly different, others say the two words are
virtually interchangeable.

I think the target of the word agape between Simon and Jesus really points
to the "Disciple whom Jesus was-loving." Is the "love" Jesus has for Simon
anything like the love Jesus has for the unnamed Beloved Disciple mentioned
in verses 21:7 and 21:20-25? Is there any connection between Simon the Rock
and this unnamed Beloved Disciple? Do you think it has anything to do with
why Jesus calls Simon "of John."??

Daniel Gleason






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