Definition of Love
According to the Bible and Other
Philosophical Figures
Kayla Soewito 122040027
What is Love According to the Bible?
❖ Unconditional love from God
❖ Forgiving those who have
sinned
❖ Bringing forth his Son to save
humanity
What is Expected of Us As a Result
of God’s Agape?
❖ Reciprocating His love by loving
others and himself
❖ Love in the interpersonal and
personal level
Evidences from the Bible
Evidence #1
“Hear, O Israel: the Lord our
God, the Lord is one, you shall
love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your
mind and strength”
Mark 12:29
Evidence #2
“You shall love your
neighbor as yourself”
Mark 12:31
How does Jesus Treat Other People in the
Gospels’? What did he do?
❖ Healing the sick
Curing the deaf and mute man (Mark 7:31-37); Curing a blind man (Mark 8:22-26); Curing
a man with withered hand during sabbath (Mark 3:1-6)
❖ Helping the poor
The Widow’s Offering (Mark 12: 41-44); Restoring the girl’s life(Mark 5:21-43)
❖ Attempting sinners better
Eating with the sinners and tax collectors- Mark 2:16-17
Other Evidences of His
Unconditional Love
● Healing the daughter of a Gentile, of a
Syrophoenician origin (Mark 7: 24-30)
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Canaanite origins, a Romanian
tribe who resides in a nearby area
● The parable of the Good Samaritan
(Luke 10:30-35) & Jesus’ encounter
with a Samaritan woman (John 4:519)
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Samaria has a partly pagan
ancestry, does not completely
adhere to Judaism - unlike the
Jews
Is such unconditional
love possible?
Thought of any examples?
Do you think Agape is truly
altruistic (selfless)?
Open Question: Selfless or Selfish
Agape in Comparison with Plato’s Eros
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Agape
An unconditional feeling of love that exist to reciprocate God’s love for us
humans
Personal and interpersonal sense
Plato’s Eros
Desire for everlasting possession of good
A motivation for oneself to be good
Personal sense
Agape in Comparison with Aritotles’ Friendship
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Agape
An unconditional feeling of love that exist to reciprocate God’s love for us
humans
Personal and interpersonal sense
Aristotle
3 types of Friendship:
○ Of goodness
○ Of Pleasure
○ Of Utility
Non-realistic idea, non attainable form of friendship
Agape in Comparison to Confucius’ Ren(仁)
Similarity
○ “You shall love thy neighbor as
yourself” (Mark 12:31)
○ “Love thy neighbor as thyself.
Do not do to others what thou
wouldst not wish to be done to
thyself”
Differences
○ Aristotle acknowledges God and
divine beings
○ But didn’t think they’re
relevant
○ All the rules can be
developed by humans too
○ Interpersonal sense
○ Bible emphasizes on doing good
to be repaid back in good, while
Confucius emphasize about not
doing what is bad, so that it
won’t be done unto you
Agape in Comparison with Buddha’s Compassion
Love is seen as a form of humane desire.
Unconditional feeling of interconnectivity with others as a result of shared empathy for
others sufferings
● Immersing oneself in other people’s suffering on order to understand their pain
● Can be seen as cold or non-personal, since it’s something that concerns humanity
as a whole
● It can sometimes be not helping others, since what it focuses is for the greater
good, for the good of all
References
Amir, L. (2001). Plato’s theory of love: Rationality as passion. Society-for-philosophy-in-practice.org. http://society-forphilosophy-in-practice.org/journal/pdf/4-3%2006%20Amir%20-%20Plato%20Love.pdf
Aristotle’s theory of friendship: Pleasure, goodness, utility. (2021). Edubirdie. https://edubirdie.com/examples/aristotlestheory-of-friendship-goodness-pleasure-utility/
Benevolence in Confucianism – Confucius Institute blog. (n.d.). Gold.ac.uk. Retrieved March 4, 2023, from
https://sites.gold.ac.uk/confucius-institute/benevolence-in-confucianism/
Lake, T. (2022). Ritual, virtue, and benevolence in the philosophy of Confucius. TheCollector.
https://www.thecollector.com/ritual-virtue-benevolence-confucius/
Newman, R. (2016). The Role of Compassion in Buddhism. GraduateWay. https://graduateway.com/the-role-of-compassionin-buddhism/
Pangle, L. S. (2003). Aristotle and the philosophy of friendship. Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews.
https://ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/aristotle-and-the-philosophy-of-friendship/
Research on Buddhist conceptions of compassion: An annotated bibliography. (n.d.). Greater Good. Retrieved 4, 2023, from
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/buddhist_conceptions_of_compassion_an_annotated_bibliography
Holy Bible. Chinese New Version. New International Version Bilingual (Shen Edition). The Worldwide Bible Society Ltd.,
2006.