I’ve been trying to find out why the Latin translation of the Greek Bible translated ‘agape’ as ‘caritas.’ So far, it seems that ‘caritas’ was originally not used as a spiritual term, but merely seemed like some sort of a term of endearment. But then I guess that’s not very surprising, because at the time of the translation, Latin was not a language with spiritual words.
That means that it was left to the churches and monasteries to do what Paul did, and that is make sure the word is given spiritual meaning. If that is not done, then ‘caritas’ was not a good translation of ‘agape.’ But at least there seemed to have been one similarity: just as ‘agape’ in the Greek language was not used as a normal word for love, so ‘caritas’ was not the normal Latin word for love.
So during the centuries after Paul’s letters became part of the New Testament corpus, when churches spread throughout the Mediterranean regions and then into Europe and Asia, those churches were supposed to keep alive the original spiritual meaning of ‘the agape of God.’ But… unfortunately… somehow that meaning got lost, until finally by the 18th Century, churches no longer were aware of the main thing that was meant to form their identity.
Now, we’re faced with the daunting task of recovering what agape was meant to do for Christians and communities of faith. And in the process of fulfilling that task, churches will need to reformulate the main identity (as set forth in John 13:35 when agape is not mistranslated as 'love'). That task has been the main purpose of this blog. I hit upon 2 methodologies for doing that: (1) through direct experience of God’s agape in my prayer life; and (2) through Bible study, starting with Paul's efforts, and then following Paul’s influence on Greek-speaking Christians as they translated the teachings of Jesus into Greek.
In my previous posting I explored the way Paul went about explaining the spiritual meaning of agape (especially in Romans and 1 Corinthians). I began with Paul’s great hope that by receiving and living by God’s gift of agape, faithful people could find peace with God through Jesus Christ, and then through faithfully living in the power of agape people would gain access to God’s grace. Paul showed that through that power and grace, faithful people can gain endurance for troubles in such a way that their character is built up. (Rom. 5:1-5) He proclaimed that the agape of God gives such a strong binding force that nothing in the world can separate a person from God’s divine Presence when a person learns to live by the spiritual power of agape. (Rom. 8:35-39 when agape is not mistranslated as 'love')
I took to heart Paul’s advice in Rom. 12 to let the Holy Spirit use the power of agape to transform my mind to keep me from conforming to the patterns of the present age of history. In my prayer practice I try to follow Paul’s advice to open up to spiritual agape’s help in opening me to its spiritual flow, and then I try letting agape flow through the relationships of my life. Paul wrote very specifically about the way agape’s power works in our relationships, helping us work for good against evil. Of course, at first I found that to be very difficult to let happen. I have to admit that I haven’t always been able to follow Paul’s advice to be welcoming and hospitable to strangers, and bless people who harass me. But I keep trying because I’m sure that he’s right -- if I can learn to let the spiritual power of agape work in me, I will experience a more charitable and hospitable attitude develop in me, and I’ll be better able to keep frustrations from getting the best of me.
And I agree with Paul -- when we open our heart to agape and let it slowly transform our living, we find that it is patient and kind. That seems to mean that patience and kindness are of the very essence of what the spiritual power is. And that’s why he said that agape “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Cor. 13:3-7 when agape is not mistranslated as 'love')
Such profound understanding of the power of agape is why Paul said in Galatians that agape is the first fruit of the Holy Spirit, because its spiritual power opens us up and draws us close both to God and to other people in such a way that what comes into our being is a profound sense of joyous wellbeing. That deep spiritual sense allows us to accept other people in a life-affirming way, such that we become neither agitated with them nor attach any degree of importance to anything they may to do us. (Gal. 5:16-23) And when we hear such impossible-sounding teachings, then -- especially then -- we know that only through God’s agape working within us to transform us are we able to fulfill such teachings.
So we see that it is through the power of agape that we are able to show respect and honor toward other people. We stop acting in conceited or proud ways, but live in harmony and peace with everyone, even to the point of blessing those we disagree with or who would persecute us. He emphasized the important power agape had to help people have more empathy. (Rom. 12:15-23)
So he was showing that agape guided by the Holy Spirit can overcome that most dangerous part of human societies -- if enough people are able to open up to God’s agape, then there can be a breakdown of that old destructive worldly pattern of taking revenge against enemies -- that mistakenly tries to overcome evil with evil. Through agape, God gives the power to free minds and hearts from the old pattern of history in order to take part in the new way of living. That is ultimately what agape is all about -- bringing about a new world. But enough people need to let that happen.
Near the end of 1 Cor., Paul said that we should use agape to do everything that we do in life (1 Cor. 16:14 when agape is not mistranslated as 'love'). It is that spiritual power of agape that brings to the center of our being the peace that is the spiritual power of patience itself; the spiritual strength of kindness; the wise rejoicing in the truth; and the basis of true, profound compassion. So that brings us back to 1 Cor. 13, where the implication of that whole chapter is this: our lives will amount to nothing until we are willing to work with the all-important spiritual power of agape.
