Zis-N-Zat From Pastor Asher

God is my conscience, Jesus lives in my heart… this blog is about what I see, what I think, what I do and how I serve God

Stump The Pastor: What is “Philos” and why do you sign all your correspondence with that word?

Question:

Asher, why do you sign all of your correspondence with the word “Philos?” What’s up with that?

Answer:

The Ancient Greek (the language of the Gospels and Epistles) used different words to describe different kinds of love. There are three Greek words commonly used to represent differing degrees of love in the Early Christian Writings:

  1. Eros – physical love that is appropriate in a context of a committed relationship between husband and wife (Greek word “eros” is a root of English word “erotic”)

  2. Philos – brotherly love (root of “philanthropy” and also “Philadelphia” – the city of “brotherly love.”)

  3. Agape – the Love that God feels towards God’s Creation. Human beings are not capable of experiencing this level of love because its intensity would burn us in a matter of Nano-seconds.

Thus when I sign my correspondence with “Philos, Asher,” it is a shortcut for saying “In Christian brotherly love, Asher.”

Thanx for asking….

Philos  Smile

Asher

3 responses to “Stump The Pastor: What is “Philos” and why do you sign all your correspondence with that word?”

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