The Four Loves Dathan & Carsten Hamann

The Importance of Love  1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  Mark 12:31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.  1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  Mark 12:31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.

Introduction & First Distinctions  Gift-Love  Working Father  God the Father for Christ the Son  How close can we come to Gift-Love for God?  Gift-Love  Working Father  God the Father for Christ the Son  How close can we come to Gift-Love for God?  Need-Love  Child running to a parent’s arms  Adults turning to others for company  Our love for Christ  Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

Implications of Our Need-Love with Christ  The healthiest, highest and most realistic relationship with Christ  Happiness, strength  Longing, needing  Jeremiah 31:25 "For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes."  Likeness/Nearness with God?

Likings And Loves For the Sub-human  ”Love begins to be a demon the moment he begins to be a god”  Lucifer and his pride  I Love Strawberries!  Two contrasting types of pleasure:  Need-pleasures  water  Pleasures of appreciation.  wine  I Love Strawberries!  Two contrasting types of pleasure:  Need-pleasures  water  Pleasures of appreciation.  wine

The Four Loves  Storge  Philia  Eros  Agape  Storge  Philia  Eros  Agape

Storge

 Affection  Family- Mother/Child  Most similar to love found in animals  Least discriminating of all loves  Old or “vieux”  Humblest of all loves  Baby talk and kisses  Brings out the good the gardener  Affection  Family- Mother/Child  Most similar to love found in animals  Least discriminating of all loves  Old or “vieux”  Humblest of all loves  Baby talk and kisses  Brings out the good the gardener

στοργή  Strorge blends with other loves  Affection does not make the happy home  Need-love of Gift-love  “If you want to be loved be lovable” -Ovid-  Storge cannot be taken for granted  Jealousy of affection  Mrs. Fidget  Pets  Don’t let love become a demon  Strorge blends with other loves  Affection does not make the happy home  Need-love of Gift-love  “If you want to be loved be lovable” -Ovid-  Storge cannot be taken for granted  Jealousy of affection  Mrs. Fidget  Pets  Don’t let love become a demon

Philia

 Modern Conceptions of Friendship  Ancient Conceptions of Friendship  “Un-natural” quality  “Fall of Philia”  Modern Conceptions of Friendship  Ancient Conceptions of Friendship  “Un-natural” quality  “Fall of Philia”  Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.  John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Qualities of Philia  Otherworldly, “Unnatural” quality  Friend’s “stance”  Least jealous  Seeking a common truth  Sharing a common vision  Otherworldly, “Unnatural” quality  Friend’s “stance”  Least jealous  Seeking a common truth  Sharing a common vision

Relationship Distinctions  Friendship vs. Companionship  Friendship vs. Allegiance  Friendship vs. Sexual Love  Homosexuality  Friendship vs. Companionship  Friendship vs. Allegiance  Friendship vs. Sexual Love  Homosexuality

Lover’s Question  Which is more powerful, Eros or Philia?  “ Either you two will cease to be lovers but remain forever joint seekers of the same God, the same beauty, the same truth, or else losing all that, you will retain as long as you live the raptures and ardors, all the wonder and the wild desire of Eros. ”  Which is more powerful, Eros or Philia?  “ Either you two will cease to be lovers but remain forever joint seekers of the same God, the same beauty, the same truth, or else losing all that, you will retain as long as you live the raptures and ardors, all the wonder and the wild desire of Eros. ”

“Unnecessary”  Unnecessary Quality  “ the exquisite arbitrariness and irresponsibility of [friendship] ”  Egyptian/Babylonian vs. Greek Philosophers and Mathematicians  “ It has no survival value, rather it is one of those things which gives value to survival. ”  Unnecessary Quality  “ the exquisite arbitrariness and irresponsibility of [friendship] ”  Egyptian/Babylonian vs. Greek Philosophers and Mathematicians  “ It has no survival value, rather it is one of those things which gives value to survival. ”

Between the Sexes?  Apparent discouragement of male- female friendships  Friendship is born of certain circumstances and similarities  Descriptions of Educated men and uneducated wives, and vice versa  Societal/Educational boundaries  Apparent discouragement of male- female friendships  Friendship is born of certain circumstances and similarities  Descriptions of Educated men and uneducated wives, and vice versa  Societal/Educational boundaries

Eros

Eros vs. Venus  Eros  “the kind of love which lovers are”  Relationships originating from Eros  Which is better?  Want of the woman  The most appreciative of all pleasures  Eros  “the kind of love which lovers are”  Relationships originating from Eros  Which is better?  Want of the woman  The most appreciative of all pleasures  Venus  “carnal or animally sexual element within Eros”  Relationships originating from Venus  Want of a woman  Need-pleasure

έρως  Obliterates the distinction between giving and receiving  Importance of Venus within Eros  Brother Ass  “A divine joke”  A lover’s pinch and masquerade  Putting on Nakedness  Happiness is not the aim of Eros  Dangers  Obliterates the distinction between giving and receiving  Importance of Venus within Eros  Brother Ass  “A divine joke”  A lover’s pinch and masquerade  Putting on Nakedness  Happiness is not the aim of Eros  Dangers  Song of Solomon 4:10 How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice !  Ephesians 5:33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.  Song of Solomon 1:2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine.  Song of Solomon 8:6 Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.

Agape

 “Love is enough?”  Not a diminishment of other loves  Garden  “Love is enough?”  Not a diminishment of other loves  Garden

Competition of Loves  Natural loves vs. love of God  Unworthy of Replacement  God and Half-gods  Romantic stance is to be wary of loving people too little  Traditional theological stance is to be wary of loving people in excess  Augustinian view  Natural loves vs. love of God  Unworthy of Replacement  God and Half-gods  Romantic stance is to be wary of loving people too little  Traditional theological stance is to be wary of loving people in excess  Augustinian view

Qualities of Agape  “To love at all is to be vulnerable”  “If you want to make sure of keeping [your heart] intact, you must give your heart to no one…lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.”  “To love at all is to be vulnerable”  “If you want to make sure of keeping [your heart] intact, you must give your heart to no one…lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.”

“Inordinate Love”  Relationship and balance  “It is probably impossible to love any human being simply “too much.” We may love him too much in proportion to our love for God.  Relationship and balance  “It is probably impossible to love any human being simply “too much.” We may love him too much in proportion to our love for God.

Loyalties?  It is not ultimately a question of whether or not you love God “more” than others, but what power claims your will  True and fulfilling natural loves yield to the standard of Agape  It is not ultimately a question of whether or not you love God “more” than others, but what power claims your will  True and fulfilling natural loves yield to the standard of Agape

Nature of God  God is love… 1 John 4:16  How do we describe this kind of love?  Analogy of light  Gift-love vs. Need-love  Object of love intrinsic lovable qualities  God is love… 1 John 4:16  How do we describe this kind of love?  Analogy of light  Gift-love vs. Need-love  Object of love intrinsic lovable qualities

Responses  Temptation to feel Intrinsically lovable  Analogy of mirrors  “Divine love does not substitute itself for the natural…the natural loves are summoned to become modes of Charity while also remaining the natural loves they were.”  Transformation not replacement  Redemption not substitute  Temptation to feel Intrinsically lovable  Analogy of mirrors  “Divine love does not substitute itself for the natural…the natural loves are summoned to become modes of Charity while also remaining the natural loves they were.”  Transformation not replacement  Redemption not substitute

Conclusion  Application?  Christ-centric…  Application?  Christ-centric…