Featured Study Words!!!

Christianity and Hedonism--seems almost oxymoronic.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love...not really.

God gave us agape love--we crucified Him.

According to my Online Etymology Dictionary: Ancient Greeks distinguished four ways of love: erao, phileo, agapao, and stergo.
The definitions certainly seem to be more than nuances. These words are not synonymous. This shows up in the Koine Greek--also used by the Roman Legions.

In the 21st of John, Jesus is showing Peter that he must feed His sheep to demonstrate agape love. Peter was at the phileo level. Jesus asked Peter in the same context: "Do you love me more than these--fish?

Beware of wolves dressed like sheep.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Bro. James

 

That passage where Jesus and peter interact regarding "do you love me?". would be THE case to make out what word study fallacies are all about!

 

So true, as before can learn Greek/Hebrew, need to relearn and apply proper English!

And you are correct. in that most Christians get tricked up by msiapplying/not using proper biblical study techniques, and not by the Greek text!

 

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Not lazy; certainly not scared; skeptical perhaps. What is the criteria for becoming a trusted bible scholar?

I am just trying to find out why Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him. Maybe because Peter denied Jesus three times.

Etymologies, analytical Greek and English lexicons, and concordances are all I use. Commentaries are not reliable--kind of like "Holy" Fathers. I use the Geneva Bible and the KJV-1611 as amended, appended, edited and revised. God wrote only one Bible and He did not stutter.

Methinks we have a serious abberration in our understanding of Hedonism in a Christian context. Mr. Piper has a large following; so does Benny Hinn. We seem to have a different set of paradigms.

God is not the author of confusion.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Bro. James

 

Not everyone agrees that phileo and agapao are exact synonyms. I have Greek prof friends that disagree with the esteemed Dr. Black as I do. Alas, my son, who got his PhD under Dr. Black, disagrees with me.

My main point would be that there is no such thing in semantics as exact synonyms. Words similar in meaning always have a nuance to them. For example, consider the English words nation and country. These two words have different ranges of meaning, though they are very close. For example, you wouldn't have a "picnic in the nation" but you would have a "picnic in the country."

 

Based upikn how John used the terms in his Gospel, would seem to best fit the idea that he saw them all as meaning the same thing!

 

maybe this has changed, but while i was in School, was taught to go first into studying the English passage directly, using valid pinciples of understanding the bible, and after doing all of that, look at a good commentary on the passage, and only after doing all of that, get into word studies, checking lexicons and grammars etc..

get a good overall view and thoughts of the passage, then use advanced tools to glean their insights...

 

That would be a better way to view this, as he intended the words to be speaking broadly in both case to how God loves, and how we should because he does...

 

My point still stands that there is no such thing as an exact synonym. All words have nuance. And I believe the context determines in John 21 also, since Jesus changes to phileo in v. 17.

 

Don;t think though it was a case of Jesus was going to keep asking peter until he said the right word for love, but that he was reminding him of denying him those 3 times...

 

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What cause would that be? You are correct, my trust circle does not include any Right Reverend Doctors of Divinity, including Augustine, etal.
However I do appreciate what Tertullian had to say about football in "De Spectaculus". This was before the NFL, Constantine, Nicea, and Easter, not Pascha.

I LOVE to study words--following them through various cultures is a real education in human nature.

Why did some translators translate pascha to easter?

Also why did the word baptize get transliterated?

These are all the convoluted conundrums for today.

Words are wonderful--every prefix, root and suffix is filled with meaning.

One more point: the whole counsel of God is in the Scripture. The Holy Spirit bears witness to the Scripture. Scripture interprets Scripture. A good concordance is helpful.

What about the functionally illiterate?

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Bro. James

 

What about them? Your lines have no rhyme or reason.

The functioally illiterate need to gave a good English teacher.

Initially, though they are not able to read they can at least hear the Word of God. Then someone needs to explain it to them. The NIrV would be an ideal version for them to hear the Word of God.

 

Aren't they both expressing the idea of coming to know someone/something in an intimate fashion?