ἀγάπη
agape
Love — the NT's distinctive term for self-giving, unconditional love
Etymology
Rare in classical Greek, chosen by the Septuagint translators and elevated by Paul to the supreme virtue (1 Corinthians 13). Agape is love as decision, not as feeling — the deliberate orientation of the will toward the other's good, regardless of return.
Why agape matters
Agape has no real Homeric antecedent, and its rarity in classical Greek is precisely the point: the Septuagint translators chose an underdetermined word to carry a meaning the existing vocabulary could not hold. Eros is desire; philia is loyalty between equals; charis is reciprocal gift. Agape introduces a category that disrupts all three — love that expects nothing in return and persists without reciprocity. Paul's hymn in 1 Corinthians 13 does not describe an emotion but a disposition of will, making agape the ethical counterpart of charis: grace received, then extended.
agape in the corpus
Grammatical voice
When agape appears in the middle voice, the subject acts upon or for itself — the grammatical home of interiority.
Which characters in Homer use agape most?
Related terms
Distribution by work
Key passages
Showing 30 of 226 passages containing ἀγάπη.
κλῦτε, φίλαι· πέρι γάρ μοι Ὀλύμπιος ἄλγεʼ ἔδωκεν ἐκ πασέων, ὅσσαι μοι ὁμοῦ τράφεν ἠδʼ ἐγένοντο· ἣ πρὶν μὲν πόσιν ἐσθλὸν ἀπώλεσα θυμολέοντα, παντοίῃς ἀρετῇσι κεκασμένον ἐν Δαναοῖσι...
pre-eminent in all manner of worth among the Danaans, my noble husband, whose fame is wide through Hellas and mid-Argos. And now again my well-loved son have the storm-winds swept away from our halls ...
τίπτε, κασιγνήτη, δεῦρʼ ἤλυθες; οὔ τι πάρος γε πωλέʼ, ἐπεὶ μάλα πολλὸν ἀπόπροθι δώματα ναίεις· καί με κέλεαι παύσασθαι ὀιζύος ἠδʼ ὀδυνάων πολλέων, αἵ μʼ ἐρέθουσι κατὰ φρένα καὶ κα...
“Why, sister, art thou come hither? Thou hast not heretofore been wont to come, for thou dwellest in a home far away. And thou biddest me cease from my grief and the many pains that distress me in min...
Ζεῦ πάτερ ἠδʼ ἄλλοι μάκαρες θεοὶ αἰὲν ἐόντες, μή τις ἔτι πρόφρων ἀγανὸς καὶ ἤπιος ἔστω σκηπτοῦχος βασιλεύς, μηδὲ φρεσὶν αἴσιμα εἰδώς, ἀλλʼ αἰεὶ χαλεπός τʼ εἴη καὶ αἴσυλα ῥέζοι· ὡς...
but let him ever be harsh, and work unrighteousness, seeing that no one remembers divine Odysseus of the people whose lord he was; yet gentle was he as a father. He verily abides in an island sufferin...
ἆ δειλὲ ξείνων, ἔνι τοι φρένες οὐδʼ ἠβαιαί· οὐκ ἀγαπᾷς ὃ ἕκηλος ὑπερφιάλοισι μεθʼ ἡμῖν δαίνυσαι, οὐδέ τι δαιτὸς ἀμέρδεαι, αὐτὰρ ἀκούεις μύθων ἡμετέρων καὶ ῥήσιος; οὐδέ τις ἄλλος ἡμετέρων μύθων ξεῖνος ...
that thou feastest undisturbed in our proud company, and lackest naught of the banquet, but hearest our words and our speech, while no other that is a stranger and beggar hears our words? It is wine t...
καὶ ἰδοὺ φωνὴ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν λέγουσα οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα
καὶ ὅστις σε ἀγγαρεύσει μίλιον ἕν ὕπαγε μετ’ αὐτοῦ δύο τῷ αἰτοῦντί σε δός καὶ τὸν θέλοντα ἀπὸ σοῦ δανίσασθαι μὴ ἀποστραφῇς Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθη ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου καὶ μισήσεις τὸν ἐχθρόν σου ἐγὼ...
σὺ δὲ νηστεύων ἄλειψαί σου τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου νίψαι ὅπως μὴ φανῇς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νηστεύων ἀλλὰ τῷ πατρί σου τῷ ἐν τῷ κρυφαίῳ καὶ ὁ πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυφαίῳ ἀποδώσει σοι Μὴ θησαυρί...
ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος ἰδοὺ ὁ παῖς μου ὃν ᾑρέτισα ὁ ἀγαπητός μου εἰς ὃν ηὐδόκησεν ἡ ψυχή μου θήσω τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπ’ αὐτόν καὶ κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀπαγγελεῖ οὐκ ἐρίσει οὐ...
Καὶ μεθ’ ἡμέρας ἓξ παραλαμβάνει ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὸν Πέτρον καὶ Ἰάκωβον καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναφέρει αὐτοὺς εἰς ὄρος ὑψηλὸν κατ’ ἰδίαν καὶ μετεμορφώθη ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν καὶ ἔλαμψεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτ...
ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῷ τί με ἐρωτᾷς περὶ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ εἷς ἐστιν ὁ ἀγαθός εἰ δὲ θέλεις εἰς τὴν ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν τήρησον τὰς ἐντολάς ποίας φησίν ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν τὸ οὐ φονεύσεις οὐ μοιχεύσεις οὐ κλέψεις οὐ ψευδομ...
καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ ὄχλοι ἐξεπλήσσοντο ἐπὶ τῇ διδαχῇ αὐτοῦ Οἱ δὲ Φαρισαῖοι ἀκούσαντες ὅτι ἐφίμωσεν τοὺς Σαδδουκαίους συνήχθησαν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό καὶ ἐπηρώτησεν εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν νομικὸς πειράζων αὐτόν διδάσκαλε π...
τότε παραδώσουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς θλῖψιν καὶ ἀποκτενοῦσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ ἔσεσθε μισούμενοι ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου καὶ τότε σκανδαλισθήσονται πολλοὶ καὶ ἀλλήλους παραδώσουσιν καὶ μισήσουσιν ἀλλήλους ...
Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις ἦλθεν Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ Ναζαρὲτ τῆς Γαλιλαίας καὶ ἐβαπτίσθη εἰς τὸν Ἰορδάνην ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου καὶ εὐθὺς ἀναβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος εἶδεν σχιζομένους τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ὡ...
καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι εἰσίν τινες ὧδε τῶν ἑστηκότων οἵτινες οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου ἕως ἂν ἴδωσιν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐληλυθυῖαν ἐν δυνάμει Καὶ μετὰ ἡμέρας ἓξ παραλαμβάνει ὁ Ἰησοῦς τ...
Καὶ ἐκπορευομένου αὐτοῦ εἰς ὁδὸν προσδραμὼν εἷς καὶ γονυπετήσας αὐτὸν ἐπηρώτα αὐτόν διδάσκαλε ἀγαθέ τί ποιήσω ἵνα ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσω ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ τί με λέγεις ἀγαθόν οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς εἰ μ...
Καὶ ἤρξατο αὐτοῖς ἐν παραβολαῖς λαλεῖν ἀμπελῶνα ἄνθρωπος ἐφύτευσεν καὶ περιέθηκεν φραγμὸν καὶ ὤρυξεν ὑπολήνιον καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν πύργον καὶ ἐξέδετο αὐτὸν γεωργοῖς καὶ ἀπεδήμησεν καὶ ἀπέστειλεν πρὸς τοὺς ...
ὅταν γὰρ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῶσιν οὔτε γαμοῦσιν οὔτε γαμίζονται ἀλλ’ εἰσὶν ὡς ἄγγελοι ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς περὶ δὲ τῶν νεκρῶν ὅτι ἐγείρονται οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ Μωϋσέως ἐπὶ τοῦ βάτου πῶς εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς...
καὶ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτὸν ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς συνέσεως καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος καὶ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν τὸν πλησίον ὡς ἑαυτὸν περισσότερόν ἐστιν πάντων τῶν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων καὶ τῶν θυσιῶν καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἰδὼν...
οὗ τὸ πτύον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ διακαθᾶραι τὴν ἅλωνα αὐτοῦ καὶ συναγαγεῖν τὸν σῖτον εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην αὐτοῦ τὸ δὲ ἄχυρον κατακαύσει πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ Πολλὰ μὲν οὖν καὶ ἕτερα παρακαλῶν εὐηγγελίζετο τὸν λαόν ὁ ...
οὐαὶ ὑμῖν οἱ ἐμπεπλησμένοι νῦν ὅτι πεινάσετε οὐαί οἱ γελῶντες νῦν ὅτι πενθήσετε καὶ κλαύσετε οὐαὶ ὅταν καλῶς εἴπωσιν ὑμᾶς πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ γὰρ ἐποίουν τοῖς ψευδοπροφήταις οἱ πατέρες αὐτ...
καὶ γὰρ ἐὰν ἀγαθοποιῆτε τοὺς ἀγαθοποιοῦντας ὑμᾶς ποία ὑμῖν χάρις ἐστὶν καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ποιοῦσιν καὶ ἐὰν δανίσητε παρ’ ὧν ἐλπίζετε λαβεῖν ποία ὑμῖν χάρις ἐστίν καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἁμαρτωλοῖς δανίζου...
Ἐπειδὴ ἐπλήρωσεν πάντα τὰ ῥήματα αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰς ἀκοὰς τοῦ λαοῦ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς Καφαρναούμ Ἑκατοντάρχου δέ τινος δοῦλος κακῶς ἔχων ἤμελλεν τελευτᾶν ὃς ἦν αὐτῷ ἔντιμος ἀκούσας δὲ περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἀπέστειλεν π...
Δύο χρεοφειλέται ἦσαν δανιστῇ τινι ὁ εἷς ὤφειλεν δηνάρια πεντακόσια ὁ δὲ ἕτερος πεντήκοντα μὴ ἐχόντων αὐτῶν ἀποδοῦναι ἀμφοτέροις ἐχαρίσατο τίς οὖν αὐτῶν πλεῖον ἀγαπήσει αὐτόν ἀποκριθεὶς Σίμων εἶπεν ὑπ...
Καὶ ἰδοὺ νομικός τις ἀνέστη ἐκπειράζων αὐτόν λέγων διδάσκαλε τί ποιήσας ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσω ὁ δὲ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τί γέγραπται πῶς ἀναγινώσκεις ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τ...
πλὴν τὰ ἐνόντα δότε ἐλεημοσύνην καὶ ἰδοὺ πάντα καθαρὰ ὑμῖν ἐστιν ἀλλὰ οὐαὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς Φαρισαίοις ὅτι ἀποδεκατοῦτε τὸ ἡδύοσμον καὶ τὸ πήγανον καὶ πᾶν λάχανον καὶ παρέρχεσθε τὴν κρίσιν καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ...
καὶ ἐγὼ ὑμῖν λέγω ἑαυτοῖς ποιήσατε φίλους ἐκ τοῦ μαμωνᾶ τῆς ἀδικίας ἵνα ὅταν ἐκλίπῃ δέξωνται ὑμᾶς εἰς τὰς αἰωνίους σκηνάς ὁ πιστὸς ἐν ἐλαχίστῳ καὶ ἐν πολλῷ πιστός ἐστιν καὶ ὁ ἐν ἐλαχίστῳ ἄδικος καὶ ἐν...
Ἤρξατο δὲ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν λέγειν τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην ἄνθρωπός ἐφύτευσεν ἀμπελῶνα καὶ ἐξέδετο αὐτὸν γεωργοῖς καὶ ἀπεδήμησεν χρόνους ἱκανούς καὶ καιρῷ ἀπέστειλεν πρὸς τοὺς γεωργοὺς δοῦλον ἵνα ἀπὸ τοῦ καρ...
ἀπεκρίθη Νικόδημος καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ πῶς δύναται ταῦτα γενέσθαι ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ σὺ εἶ ὁ διδάσκαλος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ταῦτα οὐ γινώσκεις ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι ὅτι ὃ οἴδαμεν λαλοῦμεν καὶ ὃ ἑωράκαμ...
οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον ἀλλ’ ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος δι’ αὐτοῦ ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν οὐ κρίνεται ὁ μὴ πιστεύων ἤδη κέκριται ὅτι μὴ πεπίστευκεν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ μ...
ὁ λαβὼν αὐτοῦ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἐσφράγισεν ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἀληθής ἐστιν ὃν γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ θεός τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ θεοῦ λαλεῖ οὐ γὰρ ἐκ μέτρου δίδωσιν τὸ πνεῦμα ὁ πατὴρ ἀγαπᾷ τὸν υἱόν καὶ πάντα δέδωκεν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ...
Explore agape in the texts
226 passages across Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, and the New Testament contain agape.
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