''Agape and Eros'' ( sv, Eros och Agape) is a
treatise
A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject and its conclusions."Treat ...
written by the
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
Protestant
theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
Anders Nygren
Anders Theodor Samuel Nygren (15 November 1890, Gothenburg – 20 October 1978, Lund) was a Swedish Lutheran theologian. He was professor of systematic theology at Lund University from 1924 and was elected Bishop of Lund
List of (arch)bishop ...
, first published in
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
in two parts in 1930 and 1936.
Nygren was one of the theologians who had formed the so-called
Lundensian School of Theology, in which other important figures were
Gustav Aulén and Ragnar Bring. They all shared a keen interest in rediscovering major motifs of Reformation theology, and examining how such motifs had been employed in different ways throughout history. In this context, Nygren was examining the motif of love.
Argument
The book analyses the connotations of two
ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
words for
love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...
, ''
eros
In Greek mythology, Eros (, ; grc, Ἔρως, Érōs, Love, Desire) is the Greek god of love and sex. His Roman counterpart was Cupid ("desire").''Larousse Desk Reference Encyclopedia'', The Book People, Haydock, 1995, p. 215. In the earli ...
'' and ''
agape
In Christianity, agape (; ) is "the highest form of love, charity" and "the love of God for man and of man for God". This is in contrast to philia, brotherly love, or philautia, self-love, as it embraces a deep and profound sacrificial love tha ...
'' (unconditional love).
Nygren argues that ''eros'' is an egocentric and acquisitive kind of love, needs-based and desire-based. When we love out of ''eros'' - whether we love a god or another human being -, we love out of self-interest and in order to acquire and possess the object of our love. This form of love received its classic expression in the philosophy of
Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
, particularly in his dialogue
The Symposium
The ''Symposium'' ( grc, Συμπόσιον, ) is a philosophical text by Plato, dated . It depicts a friendly contest of extemporaneous speeches given by a group of notable men attending a banquet. The men include the philosopher Socrates, the ...
.
''Agape'', by contrast, is a self-giving and self-sacrificial kind of love. It is based on God's unconditional love for all creatures. When we love out of ''agape'' we reject all self-gain and interest, and surrender ourselves to the other and love them purely for themselves.
For Nygren, ''agape'' is the properly Christian understanding of love, as is evident from
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
texts such as the Synoptic Gospels, Paul's theology of the cross, and the identification of God and ''agape'' in the First Letter of John. Nygren therefore argues that ''agape'' is the only truly
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
kind of love, and that ''eros'' turns us away from God. Either we love others and God in the manner of ''eros'', purely for ourselves, in which case we do not really love them at all; or we love them in the manner of ''agape'', for themselves, with a true love, in which case we act against our own self-interest and happiness.
Nygren also traces the historical roots of what he perceives to be the loss of this concept of ''agape''. He argues that from
St. Augustine onward, the focus on ''agape'' became diluted by an attempt to synthesize the concept with that of ''eros'', in a development centered on the Latin word ''caritas''. Nygren argues that most medieval theology of love was based around this attempt at a ''caritas''-synthesis. However, he argues, this is not a truly Christian synthesis, given the origins and nature of ''eros''. The
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
, therefore, was hugely important because it inspired
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...
to expose the fallacy of the ''caritas'' synthesis, and made clear again the properly Christian conception of love, namely pure ''agape''.
Publication history
The Original Swedish title is: ''Den kristna kärlekstanken genom tiderna: Eros och Agape'' (which translates as, ''The Christian idea of love through the ages: Eros and Agape''). It appeared initially in two parts, the first volume in 1930 and the second in 1936. A later reprint reduced the title: ''Eros och Agape'', (Stockholm, 1966)
The title of the English translation is Agape and Eros, not Eros and Agape. This seems to stem from the first (slightly abridged) translation of the first part: ''Agape and Eros'', translated by A.G. Hebert (London, 1932). The second part was first translated by Philip S. Watson and published in two volumes in 1938-9.
The first translation of the full work was by Philip S. Watson (London: SPCK, 1953, one volume). A revised edition by the same translator appeared in 1982 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, and London: SPCK).
Outline
Volume one contains two parts:'
* Introduction: "The Problem of Agape and Eros"
* Part One: "Two Fundamental Motifs" (agape, eros, and their fundamental contrasts)
Volume two consists of a single part:
* Part Two: "Fundamental Motifs in Conflict" (a historical essay on the disappearance and reappearance of the ''agape'' motif).
Influence
Nygren's work has been described as 'probably the most influential Protestant account of love in the twentieth century'. For example,
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
shows clear influence by Nygren's categories in a sermon where he discussed Jesus' command to love one's enemies:
When Jesus bids us to love our enemies, he is speaking neither of ''eros'' not ''philia'', he is speaking of ''agape'', understanding and creative, redemptive goodwill for all men. Only by following this way and responding with this type of love are we able to be children of our Father who is in heaven."
A generation later, however, with the work of
Paul Tillich
Paul Johannes Tillich (August 20, 1886 – October 22, 1965) was a German-American Christian existentialist philosopher, religious socialist, and Lutheran Protestant theologian who is widely regarded as one of the most influential theologi ...
and
Karl Rahner
Karl Rahner (5 March 1904 – 30 March 1984) was a German Jesuit priest and theologian who, alongside Henri de Lubac, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Yves Congar, is considered to be one of the most influential Roman Catholic theologians of ...
, Christian theology has turned away from Nygren's stark dualism of ''agape'' and ''eros'' and back towards a more unified conception of love.
[Werner Jeanrond, ''A Theology of Love'', (T&T Clark, 2010), p. 135 ff.] For example,
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
in his
encyclical
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally from ...
, ''
Deus caritas est
''Deus caritas est'' ( en, "God is Love"), subtitled ''De Christiano Amore'' (''Of Christian Love''), is a 2005 encyclical, the first written by Pope Benedict XVI, in large part derived from writings by his late predecessor, Pope John Paul I ...
'' (2005), concluded that both ''eros'' and ''agape'' are aspects of divine love.
References
{{Reflist
Further reading
Charles W Kegley, ed, ''The Philosophy and Theology of Anders Nygren'', (Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1970)
External links
Review
Christian theology books
Philosophy of love