Meaning of 'Agapao' and 'Phileo' in the Greek New Testament
Publisher: Coronado Pr
Published: December 1977
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
ISBN-13: 9780872910898
Subjects: Religion
First sentence: "Despite the length of time that has passed since the New Testament was written, and despite the indefatigable labor of scholars of every description during that time on all the problems presented in the New Testament, real as well as imaginary, many questions remain unresolved or disputed. Among the disputed questions is the meaning of the two verbs used in the New Testament to express the idea of love—agapao and phileo."
Description: This short, punchy work takes aim at the very common view that ἀγαπάω (agapao) and φιλέω (phileo) indicate very different kinds of love in the NT. Butler fires rapidly but with great precision, and he takes the time to do what few scholars seem to have done: he actually looks at all the uses of the two Greek words in the NT. He shows convincingly that every kind of use of phileo is matched by a synonymous use of agapao. The two words are synonyms, not denominators of vast and mutually excluding theological systems. He concludes that agapao and phileo both mean the same thing, and we have a perfect English word for it: "love."

Butler fails almost entirely to discuss linguistics and how it might enlighten the problem. For example, a discussion of sense and reference might have helped him not to overstate his case when it comes to what Moisés Silva might call a "technically charged" use of one of the Greek words in question. But Butler's methods are still generally sound. Who can argue with usage? What this book may lack in linguistic sophistication, it makes up for in punchiness. A quick, genuinely helpful read—and this reviewer has been reading a lot on the topic.
Notes: Butler was particularly helpful with John 21:15-17. He also writes with real verve, personality, and humor without going over the top.
Table of contents: label: 1
title: The Problem: What Do Agapao and Phileo Mean?
pagenum: 9; label: 2
title: Review of Scholarly Opinion: Confusion is King
pagenum: 10; label: 3
title: The Method of Solution: Consult the Evidence
pagenum: 15; label: 4
title: The Evidence: The New Testament
pagenum: 19; label: 5
title: Summary of the Evidence: Idea by Idea
pagenum: 39; label: 6
title: The Evidence Analyzed: Textual Testimony
pagenum: 49; label: 7
title: The Evidence Analyzed: Adverbial Modifiers
pagenum: 51; label: 8
title: The Evidence Analyzed: Hate as an Antonym
pagenum: 53; label: 9
title: The Evidence Analyzed: Jesus' Use of the Greek
pagenum: 53; label: 10
title: The Evidence Analyzed: The New Testament Use of the Greek
pagenum: 54; label: 11
title: The Proof: From the New Testament
pagenum: 58; label: 12
title: The Conclusion: What Agapao and Phileo Mean
pagenum: 70; label: Appendix
title: Identification of Verbs
pagenum: 73; label: Notes
title: Footnotes
pagenum: 75; label: Bibliography
title: Bibliography
pagenum: 87