175; Abr. Phileo word is a Greek word, that word means love among the brothers or you can say, brotherly love. John 3:16 ESV / 10 helpful votes. The idea is that the distinction between the two words for love in Greek is always consistent and clearly distinctive. Philo is reworking biblical traditions in light of platonic cosmology as the Gnostics did later. Philo depicts God as the supreme demiurge (Opif. In the Bible, storge is the Greek word for family love, like the affection among mother, fathers, sisters and brothers. Second, it is interesting that Philo posits dual powers within the Logos (“God” and “Lord”) and various inferior powers begotten by the Logos (QE 2.62, 68; Fuga 95, 103; Mos. What does the Bible say? So C.K. 108-9). According to the Bible, we get to see 4 types of love, These are Phileo, Eros, Storge, and Agape and it is used for serval ways of love. The two interpretations, however, are not of equal importance: the literal sense is adapted to human needs; but the allegorical [enigmatical] sense is the real one, which only the initiated comprehend. The definitions, origins, and features of Gnosticism are deeply contested. The Romans, withtheir universal ambitions, had replaced … Yes, I want the Patheos Evangelical Newsletter as well, Identity Politics vs. Transactional Politics. 8), while incorporeal powers called Forms help things take shape much like Plato’s young gods (Spec. However, he mixed Scripture with Greek philosophy, such as that of Plato. To the point that some call Philo the “Cro-Magnon Man of Gnosticism” by his linking together biblical exegesis with platonic demiurgism. 1. of the Heb., but the second word is a technical term in Stoicism. 503]; Zeno, according to "Quod Omnis Probus Liber," § 8 [ii. . Philo regards the Bible as the source not only of religious revelation, but also of philosophic truth; for, according to him, the Greek philosophers also have borrowed from the Bible: Heraclitus, according to "Quis Rerum Divinarum Heres Sit," § 43 [i. At the same time, he claimed that God “has no distinctive qualities” and that God “is incomprehensible,” so calling him by a personal name is impossible. 3rd 4th 5th C. “a willing spirit” (RSV), or a “free spirit” (KJV), is in the LXX (v. 14) πνεύματι ἡγεμονικῷ, “guiding spirit.” The LXX is a good tr. 133-43, 156; Cher. The two latter Greek terms for love are not mentioned in the Bible, although we do see them expressed in certain stories. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Christians and Conspiracy Theories – An ...", My Deep Disappointment with Franklin Graham, John Swinton on Spirituality and Mental Challenges. Leg. 6) even while their creative work was never entirely independent of divine direction (Spec. Separate from Philo, possibly following Ex3:14 'ho on', possible following Greek philosophers' (Melissus of Samos etc.) Philo was Greek-speaking, as were many Jews living in Egypt at that time. An example of this is in Romans 12:10 in the word, philostorgos, which is a compound word made up of philos (the noun form of phileo) and storge. Outdo one another in showing honor” as “philadelphia” for which the “city of brotherly love” in Pennsylvania is called. Philo defended the existence of God. 70; Conf. A Jewish writer and philosopher who lived in Alexandria, Egypt. The Greek language has terms for four kinds of love. Glossary, Philo of Alexandria—Mixing Scripture With Speculation. To better understand phileo love, we need to take a brief look at the other types of love. Consisting of a retelling of the Hebrew Bible from Genesis to the end of 1 Samuel, Biblical Antiquities embellishes and often departs from the narrative as we know it today in small and large details. The thing is that Plato’s demiurge is good, not wicked or ignorant as per Gnostic schemes. Pseudo-Philo: Rewriting the Bible Frederick J. Murphy This is a literary and theological study of the Biblical Antiquities of Pseudo-Philo--a long, well-written reinterpretation of the Hebrew Bible written by a Palestinian Jew of the first century C.E. ... Strong's Number G5384 matches the Greek φίλος (philos), which occurs 29 times in 27 verses in the Greek concordance of the KJV. All. 2.49; Pot. 50 C.E.) Answer: Philo of Alexandria, sometimes known as Philo Judaeus, was a first-century philosopher who was born sometime between 15–30 BC in Alexandria, Egypt. Although this Greek term does not appear in the Bible, Eros, or erotic love, is portrayed in the Old Testament book, … Copyright © 2021 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. God as such is untouched by unreasonable emotions, as appears, e.g., from Exodus ii. 72-76; Fug. 5384phílos– a friend; someone dearlyloved (prized) in a personal, intimate way; a trusted confidant, held dear in a close bond of personal affection. 12, where Moses, torn by his emotions… Third, Philo begins to distance God from the creation of humanity because of the corruption of humanity, we see that when Philo says that although God made heaven, nonetheless, he needed the assistance of inferior subordinates to create something as inferior as humans (Opif. Philo, likewise, was plainly embarrassed by some of what he found in scripture. View results using the NASB Greek concordance. 1 Samuel 18:1 says that their souls were “knit together”. (c. 20-10 B.C.E.–c. It is the most general form of love in the Bible, encompassing love for fellow humans, care, respect, and compassion for people in need. He was often called Philo of Alexandria, but he was also known as Philo Judaeus because of his Jewish background. He used the Greek Septuagint version of the Hebrew Scriptures as the basis for his Biblical studies. The Greek word philophron, which translates directly to the English “courtesy,” is used only once in the Bible. Also, send me the Evangelical Newsletter and special offers. This is the love which is found between close friends. Eros love in the Bible . — the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. 10; Her. Stoic Influence. The word phileo is used several times throughout the New Testament. Thus, Philo read the stories and rules of the Bible as allegories that really taught — surprise! One example comes during the surprising event of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. I think you've ...". Yet, we see features in Philo that do, perhaps, pave the way for Gnostic cosmology, theology, and demiurgism in his account of the Logos. 109; Mut. . Of course, we see how phileo gets translated "love," because in modern culture we say we "love" things that we stro… I interact with your post here. 53; Fug. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon transliterates the word love in Romans 12:10 “Love one another with brotherly affection.  |  1.13-20). Barrett   (Gospel According to St. John, 155) was partly right when he said that Philo “must be reckoned among the witness to an early form of gnosis, which developed into gnosticism as primitive Christianity was added to the syncretism of Hellenism with Judaism and other oriental movements.”, Please also opt me in for Exclusive Offers from Patheos’s Partners, Pastoral Epistles Commentary by Chris Hutson, "Well if Augustus was only a god insofar as social conventions accepted him as one ...", "On another blog I came across an excellent quote from CS Lewis, taken (I believe) ...", "Greetings from Tennessee. Philo's deployment of allegory to harmonize Jewish scripture, mainly the Torah, with Greek philosophy was the first documented of its kind, and thereby often misunderstood. In the story from John 11, Jesus hears that his friend Lazarus is seriously ill. Two days later, Jesus brings His disciples to visit Lazarus's home in the village of Bethany. A … Also, send me the Evangelical Newsletter. It would probably be helpful if phileo were never translated "love" in the New Testament, because it refers to a strong liking or a strong friendship. 2.99-100) which mirrors the dyads and generation of aeons within the Gnostic pleroma. Church and ministry leadership resources to better equip, train and provide ideas for today's church and ministry leaders, like you. Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. Philos is love. Blue Letter Bible offers several daily devotional readings in order to help you refocus on Christ and the Gospel of His peace and righteousness. Colossians 2:7-8 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. To better understand phileo love, it must be defined as one part of these four terms. 31, 61; Her. 143; Legat. [25(agapáō) focuses on value-driven(an decision-based) love – which of course does not … These terms are phileo, agape, storge, and eros. ... James (in 4:4) says that whoever would be a friend (philos) of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Among the things he particularly disliked, being a devout disciple of Plato, was the notion that God might have a physical body. 137), specifically, the mother of the Logos (Fug. descriptions of 'being', possibly both, there's various Patristic references to 'ho on' (the he who is) 'peri tou ontos' (concerning he that is) in early Christianity. Would you like to read this article in %%? A member of the Jewish Diaspora, he was raised with a Jewish and Greek education, giving him an impressive status in a non-Jewish city like Alexandria. 54, 115-17; Ebr. The same holds good also as regards God's anthropopathicattributes. Scripture, he says, adapts itself to human conceptions; and for pedagogic reasons God is occasionally represented as a man. Philo was Greek-speaking, as were many Jews living in Egypt at that time. 126-27), who demiurges through the Logos (Sacr. The word phileo is expressly used in the Bible and refers to the warmth and affinity shared by close friends, almost as if those friends were actual siblings. Eros is the physical, sensual love between a husband and wife but can happen between the unmarried. Philo characterizes as a monstrous impiety the anthropomorphism of the Bible, which ascribes to God hands and feet, eyes and ears, tongue and windpipe. I've written before about the tragedy of allowing screens into our sanctuaries,... To be honest, my Connect page is an experiment. Nice post, Mike. “Philo bases his hermeneutics on the assumption of a twofold meaning in the Bible, the literal and the allegorical [enigmatical]. Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! It is impossible to give precise dates for Philo’s birth. Moreover, Philo’s teaching on the Logos (or, the Word) contributed to the development of the non-Biblical teaching of the Trinity. PRIVACY POLICY, https://assetsnffrgf-a.akamaihd.net/assets/a/nwtstg/univ/wpub/nwtstg_univ_lg.jpg, Publication download options 126-27), who demiurges through the Logos (Sacr. He was often called Philo of Alexandria, but he was also known as Philo Judaeus because of his Jewish background. Notwithstanding, whereby one actually re… Theconsensus is that he lived between the end of the first century BCEand the middle of the first century CE, during a period of acuteagitation and interethnic tensions in Alexandria. However, most scholars agree that it was not written by Philo, and it is hence sometimes called 'Pseuophilo'. All 3.207). Both are Greek terms and appear at different points throughout Scripture. TERMS OF USE Answer: The Bible speaks of two types of love: phileo and agape. Get updates from Euangelion delivered straight to your inbox. Many critics of Philo assumed his allegorical perspective, would lend credibility to the notion of legend over historicity. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that … His use of certain Greek terms that are also found in the Christian Greek Scriptures may shed light on their meaning and can therefore be of interest to Bible students.—See study note on Mt 19:28. Philo depicts God as the supreme demiurge (Opif. (c. 20-10 B.C.E.–c. Philo of Alexandria, also called Philo Judaeus, was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt. 133-43, 156; Cher. The Greek language also had terms for two other types of love, eros and storge, which do not expressly appear in the Bible. It was not my intention to take two whole days off of... Why is our society so dysfunctional? Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and … A Jewish writer and philosopher who lived in Alexandria, Egypt. Philia (pronounced FILL-ee-uh) conveys a strong feeling of attraction, with its antonym or opposite being phobia. In one sense, however, it is clearly rooted in Platonic philosophy, especially in Plato’s separation of God from the demiurge, with the demiurge creating the world in co-operation with the young gods and leaving the maintenance of the world to the world-soul. This is different from the “agapē” mentioned in Romans chapter 12 an… The Quakers described this love (philia) as a kind, benevolent love that they themselves practiced. In Philo's words, the literal meaning is the body of the Bible, but the allegorical one is its soul; both must be kept in due consideration (On the Migration of Abraham 16.92-3). Therefore, the tendency of the King James translators to ignore this distinction and to translate these two very different words both as love is an absolute proof of the failure of the King James Bible in translation. Philo’s writings were among the influences that led many nominal Christians to adopt the unscriptural doctrine of the immortality of the soul. Fourth, on the “knowledge” side of things, Philo’s Logos resembles a Gnostic demiurge when he declares that the Logos “is called a god by those of us with imperfect knowledge, while the wise and perfect know the first God” (Leg. Note: The root (phil-) conveys experiential, personalaffection – indicating 5384(phílos) expresses experience-basedlove. 10; Her. Fourth, Philo anticipates the Sophia mother by his emphasis on God as the Father of the universe and Wisdom as its Mother (Leg. 'S anthropopathicattributes Zeno, according to `` Quod Omnis Probus Liber, '' § 8 [.! 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