Skip to main content

Greek love

 Greek love!

The Greeks know it well.... Love that is.. And good food. I have traveled through out Greece and studied the history, culture and words. 



  1. Mania – Manic love is almost not a love at all.  The word “lust” is probably not strong enough – “obsession” is closer to the word.  This is the love of possession.  I “mania” that which I obsessively desire to own.  It is generally seen as taking over the “lover” like insanity – thus the connection to modern concepts of madness (kleptomania, pyromania).  It is like the opposite of a phobia  – an obsessive need to avoid something. “Mania” is translated as “madness” and “beside yourself” in Acts 26.

  1. Eros – Eros is obviously the root word for “erotic,” but it does not describe sexual love only, it actually describes all emotional love; the feeling of love.  Eros love is that insatiable desire to be near the target of this love.  The exciting, passionate, nervous feelings that sweep over people in the appropriate circumstances.  This is the love that says “I love how you make me feel.”  As an emotion, Eros changes, sometimes suddenly.  Remember that it is entirely based on circumstances and on the target of its emotion.  As an emotion, alone it is morally neutral, however, it can just as easily lead to lust (sinful desire) as it can passion. It is also a good picture to think of Eros as the fruit and flowers of a new relationship.  Eros is not a bad thing, but it is also not a “good” thing. The word Eros does not appear in the Bible.  I have some more thoughts on the way “eros” thinking affects our interaction with sex and intimacy athttp://chrismlegg.com/2011/03/01/309/ .

Philos – Philos love, or brotherly/friendship love, is the next kind we will look at.  Philos describes the love between two people who have common interests and experiences, or a fondness for.  Hemophiliacs apparently seemed to ancient doctors to have a “fondness” to bleeding, for example.  Unlike Eros, which pulses up and down like waves on the ocean, Philos steadily grows, like a building being constructed stone by stone.  For this reason, when close friends are separated for a while and reunited, they will often say “it is like we picked up exactly where we left off.”  Philos is half about the circumstances, and half about the commitment of two people to one another; it says “I love who we are together,” or in case of a non person:  “I am fond of this food.”  Philos love generally grows over time except in the case of some kind of betrayal.  It is commonly used in the New Testament, as in Matt. 10:37, John 12:25, and Revelation3:19.
  1. Storgy – We will not spend much time here; storgy is the love one has for a dependent.  It is commonly called “motherly love.”  It is entirely based on the relationship between the “lover” and the “lovee.”  When the dependent is no longer dependent, this love remains only in its emotional remnants.  It is one of the stronger loves, because it involves a commitment that relies on only one trait of the receiver – that he or she is dependent.   This type of love is toxic to a marriage under normal circumstances.  Marriages that look more like a mother/son or father/daughter relationship is moving quickly downhill.
  1. Agapeo – Agape love is the final of the five loves we look at here.  Agape love is entirely about the lover, and has nothing whatsoever to do with the one loved.  Agape love, in its purest form, requires no payment or favor in response.  The most common word for God’s love for us is Agape (I John, John 3:16) and the love we are commanded to have for one another (Matt. 5:44, I Cor. 13).  This lack of input from the recipient makes it possible for us to love our enemies even though we may not like them or the situation they have put us in – because Agape love is not in any way dependent on circumstances; it says “I love you because I choose/commit to.”  Unlike eros or philos, Agape creates a straight line that neither fades or grows (!) in its perfect form (which of course only exists from God outward)  Oddly enough, even though many people marry out of eros love alone, they make vows that speak of commitment despite any circumstance:  richer/poorer, better/worse, sickness/health.  This kind of love is about a commitment to the very best for another, no matter what emotions or feelings exist!  You can see why in the King James Version of the Bible, Agape was usually translated as “charity.”  It is a love freely given, and freely committed to.  For a more in depth look at its aspects, look at I Corinthians chapter 13.
THE REAL THING












Comments

Mark Mattern said…
Marlena's only true valentine.

Popular posts from this blog

5 Things you need to know before you open your restaurant

5 Things to Consider Before Opening Up a Restaurant If you're thinking about starting up a restaurant, here are the top 5 things you need to consider to make sure your restaurant is a success.  1. Concept:  The most important element of your restaurant is the concept. This is one of those areas that appears deceptively easy, but the reality is this requires a lot of thought and research.  2. Work with a consultant:  hire a brand consultant to work with you to develop a strategy for branding your business based on your target audience and your goals for your restaurant. 3.  Menu design:  When people think of the menu, they often think just about the food on it. But how that food is organized and displayed is important for maintaining your concept. 4. Be accessible:  Location is extremely important when it comes to opening a restaurant, and your success will largely depend on how easily people can get to your restaurant. 5. Work with a head chef you...

Echo food 2

Echo food  Salmon with minted pea cream fraiche and pickled beets and watermelon radish salad     Prime beef tenderloin asparagus and horseradish whipped potatoes 

The Demographics of Buying a Business

The Demographics of Buying a Business   A white paper published by BizBuySell recently covered the demographics of those buying a business.  It was fascinating reading with some of their key findings (quoted directly from page 2 of the report below). Business ownership runs in families: 55 percent of sellers have a parent or grandparent that owned a small business. 49 percent of sellers plan to exit their small businesses in the next five years, but only 29 percent are currently prepared for the sale process. Younger buyers are more ethnically diverse than their elders: 49 percent of 18 to 29 year-old buyers identify as a minority, compared to 19 percent of buyers in their 50s or older. The number one motivation for purchasing a small business is the chance to be your own boss, cited by 63 percent of all buyers. 12 percent of sellers and almost 10 percent of buyers are veterans. These are just the key findings of this report but there are many more findings we will describe an...