Tuesday, May 8, 2007

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ (Galatians 5: 13-14)

This is the only quote from Jesus that Paul offers in Galatians.

Paul did not not know Jesus-the-teacher. He knew Christ-the-transformer.

Thanks to the gospels we have more specific knowledge of Jesus than Paul.

But Paul understood the freedom and love - eleutheria and agape - that Jesus fully embodied.

For the Greeks agape was a specific aspect of love, distinguished from phila (friendship) and eros (sexual or self-actualizing).

Agape was understood as love's character when aimed at achieving the Good.

In full relationship with the Greatest Good the self is transformed.

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