"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ." Ephesians 5:18-20 NASB "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16 NASB Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs can seem like the same word. While the repetition of a word three times is poetry in itself, each of these words had different implications for Paul’s readers in Ephesus. ψαλμοῖς | psalmois | words set to musicThe word Psalm comes from the Greek word ψαλμοῖς (psalmois), which means “to twitch” literally or “words set to music.” While the usage of the word probably wasn’t limited to what we understand as the Hebrew Psalms, Paul’s Jewish background coupled with the other two references to songs hints that ψαλμοῖς would have been understood as “scripture set to music” when it comes to Koine Greek. Hermann Gunkel identified five types of praises in the Hebrew Book of Praises (Gunkel, 1967):
Because several of these categories are reiterated later in his list, Paul was likely referring to Israel’s traditional worship songs and poetry. We have the advantage of several thousand more years of praises to draw from, though. I would include most of what we call “hymns” and some contemporary songs that set scripture to new music. Psalms, in this sense, have several significant advantages. First, by setting scripture to music, it’s easier to remember our holy texts. A lot of our scripture is written in a meter or repeated in a way (as in a chiasm) that makes it easier to repeat orally. Second, it connects us with fellow believers in the past and allows us to hold a tradition of worship and honor. ὕμνοις | hymnois | a song that gives honor, praise, or thanksgivingHymns existed in other ancient religions alongside Judaism and Christianity. The word comes from the Greek word hydeo (to celebrate). It’s unlikely that the hymns within the book of Psalms were referred to as such in the first century, so Paul is probably referring to what the Greeks and Romans understood. There are three distinct types of Greek hymns, which the Romans drew from, but while they differ in meter, they are consistent in theme: praise. Hymns praised, called upon, and told the greatness of gods. Some were only a few lines long; some were borderline epics. These songs wouldn’t necessarily need to quote specific scriptures but would instead include songs that focus on God’s glory, Their goodness, and Their love. There are several instances where Psalms and Hymns intersect. To the joy of Worship Ministers everywhere, Oceans falls into the hymn category in this case. ᾠδαῖς | ōdais | a song, odeThe ode is the hardest word to pin down in its origin and usage during the Greco-Roman reign. Across history, odes are defined as “an elaborately structured poem praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally” (Wikipedia). While the Greeks usually read their odes to music, they were recited without music by the time of the Roman Empire. In general, odes were victory lyrics, celebrating Olympic or war accomplishments. Odes were primarily choral pieces, where people would come together to perform the many parts of the lyric. Paul specifies that these victory poems should be πνευματικαῖς (pneumatikais), or spiritual, in nature, emphasizing that our odes shouldn’t be of our own victories but Christ’s and the Holy Spirit’s victories in our lives. weorþscipe | worship | worthinessPaul chose three specific words to refer to lyrical worship: scriptures, praises, and victory poems. These things had two heart-orienting things in common: first, they were shared in a community; second, they were focused on God’s authority and love. The psalms were shared in a variety of ways. Some were parts of sacred rites and individually recited to groups while others were sung in unison as a community. Hymns were written to be shared within a community of believers, to share stories of God’s work in their lives. Odes were created to sing as one people, and to a community. The words used were significant to the culture of the first-century church. They would have seen the gods of the Greeks and Romans worshipped with formal and impromptu lyrics and understood the content of those lyrics was focused on the glory of those gods. The context of this verse doesn’t change our view of worship, but it might expand it. We don’t limit our worship to the specific art forms of these three lyrical types, and it’s reasonable to believe that the first-century church didn’t either. Even in Rome, songs took a variety of forms and styles and shifted across the decades. What matters from this verse is the why and the where of lyrical worship. Paul calls us to draw attention to God’s glory within our community. It’s a tool to create one-minded reverence and to teach and, most importantly, give due honor to our Creator. The word worship is Old English in origin. Weorþscipe would be directly translated as worth-ship. While there is no single word used in the Bible for praises, thanksgiving, recitation of scripture, and prayer, we have collectively decided the best word is worship. The header, “Instructions for Worship,” was given to 1 Timothy 2, which discusses the way people should publically honor God. In verse 10, the word NIV translates as worship is a phrase: ἐπαγγελλομέναις θεοσέβειαν (epangellomenais theosebeian), or professing adoration of God. Worship, then, is more than just psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. It’s anything we do to draw attention to the glory of God intentionally. We are only limited in our worship by our ideas, abilities, and definitions. Just as art takes a variety of forms with ever-increasing multimodality, worship can too. It can be a song, or poetry, or a painting, but it can also be a scientific journal, a business, or even a word study. God’s power and love exist in all creation; all we have to do is highlight it and be thankful for it. References
0 Comments
In my previous post, I discussed the three loves mentioned in the Bible. They each demonstrate different aspects of the Love of God, and most of them deal with some type of service. The three loves not directly mentioned in the Bible are not absent from it in spirit, however, and instead focus on the more self-involved aspects of love. Physical love, familial love, and self-love are evident in the bible, in spirit if not by name. ἔρως | éros | a physical, intimate loveErotic love, or romantic love, is rarely the subject of scripture. Marriage was rarely about love in the ancient world and sexual intimacy was a requirement first and foremost. The word ἔρως (éros) is never even mentioned in the New Testament. However, Song of Solomon most thoroughly exemplifies the Greek word for intimate love. The song details in poignant metaphor every physical beauty of the woman he loves. It celebrates her physicality and the connection that comes from it. “Your stature is like a palm tree, And your breasts are like its clusters. “I said, ‘I will climb the palm tree, I will take hold of its fruit stalks,’” cries the poet (Song of Solomon 7:7-8). This kind of erotic poetry would certainly make anyone sitting in a pew during sermon blush, and yet Song of Solomon is considered wisdom literature. It’s not just sexual intimacy, either. There is an aspect of human connection that resides in touch. A slap on the back that fills you with pride, the engulfing hugs of a friend who makes you feel known, the kiss of someone who appreciates exactly who you are at that moment. Gary Chapman includes physical touch as one of his Five Love Languages, highlighting the importance of someone’s physical presence. It’s no mistake that Jesus healed through touch. One of my favorite scenes of The Chosen was when the leper of Matthew 8 approached Jesus, asking to be healed. The disciples jump back, reminding the audience that a leper is not to be touched. They are contagious and they are unclean. Jesus takes his hand to heal him, though, and does not just take away his pains but reminds him that he is alive and valued. στοργή | storgē | love between parents and childrenThe word “storge” is only used a handful of times in the Bible, and only in its negative form. Paul uses an antonym of storge twice in his letters. The first time is in his letter to Timothy, when he describes how difficult the ‘last days’ will be because people will be, among other things, ἄστοργο (astorgoi). The Greek word here, simply being ‘without storge’, is often translated as unloving. The second time is his letter to the Romans (Romans 1:31), when he again describes people who have turned from God as ἀστόργους (astorgous). This word is the same as that in 2 Timothy, often translated as heartless or unfeeling here. Both times that Paul calls on the idea of absent natural or familial love, God is also absent from people’s hearts. A logical step would then be to say that those who know God, know and display storge. Storge is often described as familial love - a love that is natural and instinctive, like that between a parent and child. Familial relationships are a tangled web in the Bible. The New Testament goes to great lengths to remind us of Jesus’ lineage, Paul calls for children to honor their parents, and Jesus himself performs a miracle from God to protect his family’s honor. And yet, Jesus also renounced his earthly family repeatedly. To Jesus, the biggest priority was not his earthly mother and father but his heavenly Parent. When Jesus went to the temple as a child, his parents scolded him for leaving his family. Jesus reminded them that he was with his Father (Luke 24:48-49). Jesus reminds us, in some ways, that the best place to find storge is in the arms of God. Storge is immediate and instinctive, but even instinctive love requires discipline in action. Paul’s reminder that storge exists with God tells us that They love us, immediately, before we have done anything to prove worthy of love. Storge is a love that reflects the immediate connection and tenderness shared in a family, a bond that Paul shows us how to demonstrate in his letters. Paul writes to the Ephesians, reminding them that parents should be gentle with their children and children should revere their parents (Ephesians 6:1-4). The storge of parenthood is used analogously throughout both the Old and New Testaments to describe God. Their womb, Their authority, and Their protection all recall the image of Mother and Father. Paul, applying storge to those not related by blood, describes his gentle ministry approach as fatherly in 1 Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 2:11). Storge is a complex love because it carries both the hierarchy of a parent trying to instruct and the gentleness of a parent trying to support. This love is shown by the Apostles as they teach new believers in Thessalonica, it is shown by the early churches as the powerful help the powerless in Rome, and it is shown in the guidance and grace of God who loves us. φιλαυτία | philautia | the love for oneself and one’s own happinessI think Self-Love is by far the most neglected love in the Christian church. Facebook Theologians tend to scoff at Millenials and Gen-Z who promote “self-care” and cut out “toxic” people. The Bible calls us to put ourselves on the line for Christ, after all, and we should find peace even in our suffering. They are not wrong, of course, that being a Jesus person comes with a lot of discomforts.
I will preface this word study by saying that there is no occurrence of philautia in the Bible that I could find, nor is it necessarily a positive trait. Self-love receives criticism for valid reasons because there is not a clear line between self-love and pride. Augustine, in his De civitate dei, took a stab at distinguishing the two. He claimed that self-love, in moderation, was healthy. It showed thankfulness and joy in God’s creation. However, self-love in excess was the root of all sin, because it overshadowed God’s work. There is no perfect metric for where self-love ends and pride begins because everyone’s bar of needs is different. Giving your time and money to help others is certainly not going to be comfortable, abstaining from enticing sins is never easy, and forgiving those who hurt you can feel like a stab to the gut. The thing about self-love, though, is that it requires self-reflection. Are you just trying to make things easier on yourself, or are you appreciating God’s work in you? Self-love is acknowledging that you were fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-14), and you are loved for who you are. Self-love is protecting yourself and caring for your health because your body belongs to the service of God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Self-love is taking time to pray and meditate by yourself, instead of being run over by the crowds (Jesus was an introvert; change my view). Paul cared about his own happiness, but first, he worked hard to align his joy with Christ’s. He reminded the Philippians, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am” (Philippians 4:11). Paul was in prison at the time, and yet he found things in which to be thankful and content. Self-love is in recognizing your purpose, your beauty, your worth, and your impact on the lives of others. Most Jesus people have heard at least one sermon on the different words for love in Greek. It’s a favorite topic of pastors, wedding officiants, and linguists. While there are six words in the Greek lexicon for love, only three are explicitly mentioned in the Bible. Each of these loves speaks to the outpouring of love, and they all point back to the love of God. ξενία | xenia | the love for guests that inspires hospitalityHospitable love is only mentioned a handful of times in the Bible, but it is considered a defining love of the Christian church to some. The two specific examples of xenia both occur in Paul’s travels: once, in Acts, when the space in which Paul is being hosted and is overcome with eager learners (Acts 28:23); and once when he asks Philemon to prepare him lodging (Philemon 1:22). These verses both specifically mention hosting brothers and sisters in Christ as they travel, but other biblical authors remind us that xenia should also be given to strangers. Another great reminder is in the greeting to the churches in Rome, which says, “Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you” (Romans 16:23). These hosts were not just homeowners or hoteliers but were invested in the lives of those they hosted. Gaius cares deeply for his guests and the work they are doing in the church. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,” the Hebrews author reminds us. “For thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews13:2). Similar to the author of Hebrews, Paul calls the Roman churches to contribute to needs and show hospitality to enemies as well as brothers (Romans 12:13-20). Showing love for guests must be done not just to traveling followers of Christ, but also to the poor, the ones who would hurt you, or the unknown. Even the Levitical law commands Israel to “treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 19:34). It’s likely that Paul was harkening back to this very command as he spoke to the freshly returned Jews in Rome, who were at odds with Roman life and their new Gentiles brothers and sisters. Xenia is about showing kindness and charity to fellow travelers, regardless of where they come from or where they’re going. It can be easy to recall the first instances of xenia, where Christians support other Christians. Hosting students, feeding the church, and meeting the needs of followers is not a simple task, nor one that should be ignored. However, our view of xenia cannot stop at this demonstration of love. We also need to show love to the outsider, the enemy, and the stranger. This love is difficult and terrifying, and what sets us apart from the world. Some evolutionary psychologists, such as Dr. Justin Barrett, suggest that what defines humanity is our propensity to help people who are not in our group, whatever that group may be. We are different because we show empathy and respect to people who should be perceived as threats. In this sense, showing kindness to people who have not proven a benefit to us is the most altruistic love can be. ἀγάπη | agápe | love that leads to sacrificeThe most prolific Greek form of love found in the New Testament is the love God has for us: ἀγάπη (agápe). This love isn’t used exclusively for God’s love for humanity but for any type of self-sacrificing relationship. This love is perhaps best exemplified in John 3:16 when God’s love is measured by Their sacrifice. This love is not just taking a bullet for a loved one, but making sacrifices even when they don’t deserve it. Paul reminds the churches at Rome, “one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:5-8). They saw our failures and our unworthiness and still suffered for us. Agápe is the word used when the love of God is described, but also when the love we should exhibit as followers of Christ is defined. The first letter to the Corinthians lays out all the things love is - patient, kind, humble, respectful, serving, peaceful, forgiving, fair, true, and unfailing (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) - and all these things are encompassed in the love that is agápe. All these words require sacrifice in some ways. Giving up our pride, our anger, our hurt, and betrayal, can be a sacrifice. Choosing servitude and respect even when you aren’t receiving the same in return can be a sacrifice. God does these things for us when we spurn Them, and it is this love that we are called to strive toward. Interestingly, agápe was seemingly noun-ified for the Septuagint and is used as the translation for the Hebrew word for love, Ahava. In other words, it did not take on the specific meaning of sacrificial or selfless love until the time of the New Testament. It’s possible that Paul uses agápe to refer to selfless love because his readers would recognize it, first and foremost, as the love shared between the Hebrew God and Their people. In this sense, agápe is the purest form of love but also calls back directly to the sacrificial actions of God in the Old Testament. φιλία | philía | a love between friends and equalsThe difference between philia and agápe is one of my favorite examples of why language translation matters. Jesus, in one of the many scenes I imagine the Saviour of Humanity rolling His eyes, asks Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you agápe Me more than these?” And then Peter replies, “Yes, Lord; You know that I philia You.” Jesus asks him again and Peter replies again with philia. Jesus asks for the third time, but this time he says, “Peter, do you philia Me?” and Peter gets upset. “Lord, You know all things; You know that I philia You.” (John 21:15-17)
This story is not Peter refusing to say “agápe”. The point of the interaction is Peter’s redemption after his denial, hence Jesus asking three times. There are several possible interpretations of the verbiage used. One is that agápe and philia are simply interchangeable but, as a linguist, I can’t abide by that. One common proposal is that Jesus is highlighting Peter’s unwillingness to sacrifice for Him. Another is that Peter is trying to restore his relationship with Jesus by highlighting that mutual love. No matter your interpretation, the fact remains that there is a difference between sacrificial love and brotherly love. That’s not to say that brotherly love doesn’t also come from God. Paul, in his first letter to Thessalonica, commends them for their philia. He says he has no reason to preach to them on this love, “for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another” (1 Thess 4:9). Paul recognizes brotherly love as something we learn from God. This love is often accompanied by a “one another”, reminding us that love is not just service and sacrifice but it is also reciprocal. It must be both given AND received. Agápe asks someone with power or capital to give it up for someone who cannot do so themselves. We could never save ourselves from sin, so God did it for us. A child in danger cannot protect themselves, so their parent does it for them. A woman in Rome holds no legal autonomy, so her husband should act as if he were both of them. Philia asks two people of equal standing to show love, whatever that might look like. This brotherly love requires less humility and sacrifice, but rather a mutual appreciation. The love between Jesus and Lazarus is called philia, indicating a deep understanding of each other and mutual respect (John 11:30-37). Philia is friendship - which is to say that it can hold other kinds of love inside it but specifically indicates a reciprocal love. |
AuthorWren Bouwman is a student of linguistics and literature and a passionate Christo-feminist. Her works primarily focuses on advocated for equality in church leadership and marriage, although she has plenty of opinions on other things. ArchivesCategories |