How I crashed the Open AI on my first encounter - asking questions about Greek vocabulary of love

 

I searched the Internet for articles on the Greek word AGAPE (love) and got really frustrated how oversaturated it was with shallow Christian philosophising, sermonising and unsubstantiated linguistics. I thought, now I know what is present on the Internet, let me now ask AI (my very first try of this thing) let me see how AI works with the stuff available to it on the Internet.

Well it struggled mightily, it was able to filter out most of the Christian lingo, but was clearly under the spell of those Christian resources and unable to liberate itself from Christian pseudolinguistics, and eventually it crashed.  

What is the meaning of the Greek word AGAPE?

The Greek word "agape" (ἀγάπη) generally refers to selfless, unconditional love or benevolent affection. It is often associated with the highest form of love, characterized by sacrifice, compassion, and care for others, regardless of their actions or circumstances. Agape love is not dependent on personal gain or reciprocation but is driven by a genuine concern and goodwill towards others. In some philosophical and theological contexts, it is seen as a divine or transcendent love that goes beyond human understanding.

Is there any other possible occasional meaning of the Greek word AGAPE beside selfless love?

Yes, the Greek word "agape" can also be used to refer to a meal or feast. In ancient Greek culture, an "agape" was a communal meal shared among friends or members of a community. It was often associated with a religious or social gathering where people came together to share food, fellowship, and celebrate. However, it is important to note that the primary and most common meaning of "agape" is indeed selfless love. The occasional meaning of a meal or feast is less common and may vary depending on the specific context.

Any other possible meaning of AGAPE besides selfless love and a meal?

No, in the Greek language, the word "agape" primarily carries the meanings of selfless love and a communal meal. These are the most commonly recognized and used meanings of the term. However, it is worth noting that words can sometimes have expanded or additional meanings in different contexts or as they evolve within a language. So while it is possible that "agape" may carry other meanings in certain specific contexts, these would be less widely known or used beyond the primary meanings mentioned earlier.

And what about AGAPAO as a verb?

"Agape" functions as a noun, whereas "agapao" is the verb form derived from it. "Agapao" carries the primary meaning of "to love" or "to show love" in a selfless and sacrificial way. It is used to describe the act of demonstrating unconditional love, kindness, and affection towards others. This verb form emphasizes the action or expression of love rather than the concept or feeling of love itself. It is often associated with the idea of active, intentional love that is not based on personal gain or selfish motives.  (NOTE - ANSWER TOOK SUBSTANTIALLY LONGER)

Can you compare AGAPE with other Greek words for love?

Certainly! In Greek, there are several words used to describe different types or aspects of love. Here are a few notable ones:

1. Eros (ἔρως): This word refers to passionate, romantic love or desire. It is often associated with the physical and sensual aspects of love.

2. Philia (φιλία): Philia denotes friendship or affectionate love between friends or family members. It conveys a sense of camaraderie, loyalty, and deep connection.

3. Storge (στοργή): Storge refers to natural affection or familial love, particularly the bond between parents and children or within a family unit. It emphasizes a sense of familiarity, protectiveness, and attachment.

4. Agape (ἀγάπη): As discussed earlier, agape signifies selfless, unconditional love that is characterized by compassion, care, and sacrifice. It is a higher form of love that is not dependent on personal gain or reciprocation.

While these words are distinct, it is important to note that they are not always mutually exclusive. Love in its entirety is a multi-dimensional concept and can often encompass various elements from these different types of love.

Can AGAPAO be used for objects?  Can you give examples?

While the primary usage of "agapao" is to describe love towards people, it can occasionally be used metaphorically to express deep fondness or devotion towards objects or activities. However, it is important to note that this usage is less common and may depend on context. Here are a few examples where "agapao" can be metaphorically applied to objects:

1. One may say, "I agapao this book" to indicate a deep love or admiration for a particular book, perhaps due to its profound impact on their life or personal attachment to its content.

2. Similarly, someone may say, "I agapao this painting" to express a significant appreciation and emotional connection to a specific work of art.

3. One could also use "agapao" to describe love for an activity or hobby. For instance, someone might say, "I agapao playing the piano" to convey a deep passion and enjoyment for playing the instrument.

It should be noted that while the metaphorical usage of "agapao" for objects is possible, it is not as common as expressing love towards people or living beings.

Would you know what was the old (Homeric and possibly pre-Homeric) meaning of AGAPAO?

Yes, in ancient Greek literature, particularly in Homeric and pre-Homeric texts, the word "agapao" had a slightly different meaning compared to its later Christian and philosophical interpretations. In these early contexts, "agapao" was often used to convey a sense of preference, attachment, or fondness for someone or something, rather than denoting selfless, sacrificial love as it came to be understood later.

In the Homeric poems, such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, "agapao" is used to express affection, favor, or even desire. It can refer to the love between family members, as seen in the relationship between Odysseus and his son Telemachus. Additionally, it may be used to describe the desire or fondness that gods have for a mortal, or the attachment a king might have for his loyal subjects.

Over time, as Greek philosophical and theological thought evolved, the concept of "agape" took on deepened significance, moving towards a more selfless and universal understanding of love. This development is prominent in the New Testament of the Bible, where "agape" is often associated with divine or unconditional love.

So, while the early meaning of "agapao" included elements (ENDED MID-SENTENCE)

I read that AGAPAO meant "fond greeting". Is it so?

TOOK VERY LONG TIME - SEVERAL MINUTES AND THEN THIS MASSAGE APPEARED:

An error occurred. Either the engine you requested does not exist or there was another issue processing your request. If this issue persists please contact us through our help center at https://help.openai.com.

So I did not learn anything new. To the contrary, the first answers were shallow and banal. When prompted and asked about deeper meanings it struggled a little but eventually brought some correct answers (yet not particularly poignant and revealing). And when I asked a question it did not know, it pretended to crash...

And here is a link to a short video about this exchange and some more information.
https://youtu.be/JkLIl0wQ8Rw

 

 

Was Jesus illiterate?

Mapping the US book deserts.
A percentage of homes with at least 100 books.
Interactive map can be found here.

Video version of this blog can be found here on YouTube.

 

Scholars and theologian are all but unanimous that Jesus and his Galilean disciples were almost certainly unable to read or write. But please, note that I did not call them illiterate! That would be a gross misrepresentation of their reality. Modern scholarship calls such people nonliterate.

            There is an important distinction between illiterate and nonliterate. Illiterate are people who had opportunity to learn reading and writing and yet had never done so. Meanwhile nonliterate persons are those who never had the chance to learn these skills because they lived in a society where hardly anyone could read or write. Such a setting is being described as preliterate society.

            In our world and time illiteracy often comes with a stigma, a value judgement about the person’s mental acuity. In the preliterate society inability to read and write was common and did not come with such a stigma.

            Literacy all around the Ancient Mediterranean world was about 5%. And our best estimates of literacy among the Jews living in Palestine (from Judea to Galilee) was hardly any larger. And those literate were members of an elite class, who almost certainly did not live in a Galilean rural hamlet like Nazareth. The setting of Jesus’ movement was indeed an oral,  preliterate society. And Jesus and his disciples’ inability to read did not mean they were stupid.

            On the contrary, anthropologists tell us that nonliteracy gave people some unique and special faculties. Preliterate oral cultures had a phenomenally better narrative memory. From my study of Hawaiian history and culture I am aware of early missionaries in Hawai’i reporting with  astonishment the ability of nonliterate locals to reliably memorize entire biblical books. And that has been reported all over the world.            Mental capacities of nonliteral peoples are not hindered by literacy. Their intellect is not under the spell of the written. They have a different, intuitive, and broader, more holistic, perception of reality.

            In addition and interestingly, to my best knowledge, all the main world religions were born in this twilight zone of literacy, inspired by nonliterate founders, and only later scriptualized - written down. In fact if Jesus and his first Galilean disciples were literate, it would had been a highly irregular and hence suspicious.

            The very fact that Jesus and his first disciples were nonliterate, the fact that there was a period of oral transmission, the fact that the Bible was written only about a generation or two later, all of it is an important factor which we normally do not fully appreciate but which was a contributing reason that we have Christianity and our New Testament Bible.  And that is something you might not know about the Bible.  

 

Join us this Sunday when we will discern and contemplate the only one New Testament story about reading Jesus (Luke 4:16ff). It might be a wishful projection of a highly educated evangelist, but exactly as a projection it still contains a beautiful and powerful message of divine love and respect for everyone, and especially for those left out and forgotten.

Mythic Grains

Ugaritic tablet KTU 1.6 with text of part of Baal Cycle.

Among the Ugaritic Mythological texts, there is this interesting part of Baal myth (KTU 1.6.ii.31-37 in my translation and partly reconstructed from parallels).

     Goddess Anat grasped divine Mot,

     with a trashing blades she split him,

     with a fan she winnowed him,

     with fire she parched him,

     with millstones she ground him,

     on the steppe she scattered him,

     in the furrows she sowed him.

     His remains the birds did indeed eat,

     his remnants the sparrows did consume.

 

     Do you recognize how similar it is to the parable which Jesus said?! The one about the different seeds landing in different soils and about their different destinies.

     Well, I am not suggesting that Jesus copied ancient Canaanite myths, of course he did not. Those myths are twelve hundred years older and were buried in the ruins of the city for centuries.

     But Jesus was certainly drawing from the same treasure of religious metaphors. Those religious metaphors about grain date from great antiquity, from the beginning of farming, thousands of years before the time of Jesus or the time of Ugarit.

            And these mythical metaphors were not limited to Hebrew or Semitic people. It is likely that similar grain metaphors played an important role in the Greek Eleusinian Mysteries. And among the hairs of Celtic religion and culture are present in the ballad John Barleycorn must die (A friend Neil Nash alerted me to this fact.)

            In the New Testament Jesus is not the only one who uses this grain metaphor. Apostle Paul reached out to the same mythic treasure when he tried to explain to the Corinthians (1Cor15) the resurrection. He used the similar metaphor of grain being buried and then rising to new life.

            And thus through Apostle Paul and the parables of Jesus we share this important, meaningful and beautiful connection with the dawn of civilization, the beginning of agriculture, and the oldest shared hopes of transcending our mortality.

            And that is something you might not know about the Bible, about the New Testament metaphors and their deep, meaningful, mythical roots. 

 

Video version of this blog can be found here.

God our mother

“In the name of God, most gracious the most merciful.” Almost every Koranic Sura opens this way and also it is opening of many Muslim scholarly discourses. God most gracious and most merciful are divine epithets of God in Islam.

      The Bible has a similar, almost identical way of speaking about the LORD. “Gracious and Merciful LORD, slow to anger and big in love.” (חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם יְהוָה אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וּגְדָל־חָסֶד)

     At the center of both Hebrew and Arabic expressions is the word translated to English as “Merciful” and both in Arabic and Hebrew this word is closely associated with the root rḥm expressing gentleness and softness and word reḥem - רֶחֶם (Raḥim in Arabic) which means the womb.

     Thus when Al Quran or the Bible speak about the Merciful God, when Jews, Christians and Muslims appeal to divine mercy we all appeal to the motherly, tender, love of God. 

     And that is something you might not know about God in Abrahamic religions and about Semitic languages.

 

But this expression of divine tender love can be traced even further beyond this mere metonymy of tender love an womb.  There are archaic biblical passages clearly hinting a possibility that Hebrew God actually was perceived as having a womb and giving birth to his people. I talked about it in a videoblog a few months ago.

 

It is absolutely appropriate for the people of faith to worship "God our mother". And on this Mother’s day Sunday we will do just that - rejoice in Motherly love of our God. 

Demons demythologised

I still vividly remember one of my early seminary colloquia in the NT theology. Our New Testament professor was an internationally recognized scholar and that day he challenged us to take seriously the biblical world-view teeming with demons.
            At first, we students wanted to dismiss it as an outdated superstition. He agreed with us that demons were part of the ancient mythological world-view but he also wanted us to approach it more creatively. He pointed out that ancient people were not stupid, they were just as intelligent as we are. They perhaps did not have modern laboratories, and modern science, but they were keen observers. They experienced rapidly spreading infections and they quite correctly surmised an influence of some kind of invisible agents which were hopping from one person to another. They called them demons while these days we called them bacteria and viruses.
            But he went further and talked about demons causing what we would call mental illnesses. In that instance our professor quoted his wife, a clinical psychologist, and soon to be a psychology professor at the Charles University. He proposed to us that the world-view with demons responsible for mental illnesses was in fact very benevolent, gentle, kind and gracious.
            That ancient perspective was benevolent because it allowed a clear distinction between the person and the demon(the illness). The possessed person was not evil to the core, evil behavior was caused by the demon which controlled him or her. Only the fully developed and most mature psychology, psychiatry, and sociology were able to reach this level of insight, sophistication and humanity recognizing influences of environment, physiology, family history, and personal or societal trauma.
            I am thankful to my professor for this lesson, for showing us this example of constructive Bultmanian demythologisation, this respectful interpretation of an ancient world-view.
            We do not need to truly believe in demons or engage in magical exorcisms to appreciate their deeper and still relevant lessons leading us to a more humane way about illness and people in distress. 

 

 

 

Ancient Sinai Caravanserai

Did Hebrew god YHWH have a wife? Was there a time when Hebrew people worshiped a divine couple - god YHWH and goddess Asherah? If you read only the Bible you might think those are silly and even offensive questions. But they are not as silly if you consider the full picture. There is a number of indications that this was exactly the case.
            For instance deep in the Sinai Peninsula is a place now called Kuntillet ‘Ajrud (30°11'10.59"N  34°25'40.91"E). On the walls and on the pottery of that place was a number of religious inscriptions expressing prayers, best-wishes and blessings in the name of YHWH and his ASHERAH (Paleographically dated between 800-760 BCE). And there were also drawings further suggesting and strengthening this religious interpretation.
            Scholars argue about the exact purpose of that place. Based on the religious graffiti and some other artefacts it might have been a wilderness shrine for desert nomads. Based on its solid structure it might be a small detached garrison protecting an otherwise desolate stretch of the road. And it could also be a caravanserai - a stop and watering place just off the main north south trading road from Gulf of Aqaba to Mediterranean shore.
            Or it could be all of those things together. Frankly, all three functions are easily mutually compatible. In desolate places, people tend to gravitate together. And if you travel through the empty expanses of New Mexico or Nevada you can easily come across a gas and service station, police outpost and small chapel catering together side by side for travelers’ elemental needs of sustenance, safety and spirituality.
            And thus from graffiti written and drawn by a number of ancient travelers in the Sinai Peninsula we realize that the Bible presents to us an official, orthodox, if you want a high brow, version of religion while regular folks along the ancient roads had their own thoughts and hopes, their own religion. And traveling through the vast spaces of dangerous wilderness they put their trust in the divine couple, YHWH and (his) Asherah.
      And that is something you might not know about the bible and the biblical times.
(Here I wrote about it a little bit more.)

And there is another lesson specifically for religious experts, while they write their books people draw their faith in graffiti. People have always believed what they wanted. I found it profoundly humbling. Every rabbi and every pastor should take it to their heart and remember it.

And finally this is also an invitation to our Sunday Worship. We will not talk about Yahweh and his wife. This Sunday will be about who is our neighbour and openness to hospitality talking about open and diverse nature of inns and caravanserais. Join us if you can.

 

 

Pillars of cloud and fire

Kīlauea - a pillar of "fire" here being bent by the trade-wind.

In the book of Exodus we hear that when Moses led people of God from Egypt, on their journey to freedom and the Promised Land, they were led by God in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.

            I personally saw those pillars in Hawai‘i. I saw the pillar of volcanic gases rising from the Kilauea caldera and at night the view was even more mesmerizing. That pillar of gases was shining red and orange being illuminated by the incandescence of lava lake.

            I have no doubts that was the image which biblical authors tried to describe. And it is not just another rationalistic explanation trying to explain biblical miracles. This recognition offers us several important insights.

            The first one is factual, geologic and geographic because the Bible does not describe just any volcanism. It clearly alludes to an eruption of a shield volcano. Hawaiian volcanoes are of this kind. But the same type of shield volcanoes also exists on the western side of the Arab peninsula all along the Red Sea.

            Theologians, historians and cartographers of the early 20^th century were specifically locating Biblical events at Hallat al Badr volcano in the North West Arabia, but it does not fit the time. That volcano seems older than human history. There are, nevertheless, other much younger volcanoes further south. Some of them active in historical times. One eruption and its lava flow almost destroyed Medina in the XIII century CE. Another volcano on the border with Yemen erupted as recently as 1810.

            I am not saying that Exodus took place in what is today Saudi Arabia. But I am convinced that some biblical authors had the first-hand experience with volcanism in this broader geographic area. Just think about it! At least part of our faith tradition, and the one as important as  theophany, was anchored in the broader region of Mecca and Medina as it powerfully influenced the imagination of biblical authors.

            And that is the other insight we can gain. Shield volcanism is calmer, more peaceful than destructive eruptions of stratovolcanoes (like almost proverbial Vesuvius or recent American experience with Mount Saint Helens.) Lava lakes and lava flows on lava fields last for a long time and are truly awe inspiring, especially if you get closer.

            On Kilauea I finally experienced what Rudolf Otto meant by Mysterium tremendum et fascinans (Divine mystery before which we both tremble and to which we are at the same time attracted). Before I read about it, I knew about it, I studied it. On Kilauea, I experienced it in my entire body. I witnessed pillars of cloud and fire and was forever touched and transformed by this encounter and its intersection with my biblical faith. The glowing light, the radiating heat, the volcanic smell, the deep infrasonic hardly audible rumbling all of it touched not only senses, but permeated my entire body. Now I know first hand why the biblical authors used this image.

            On our journey we are being led by awe inspiring, dangerous, yet benevolent, yes loving and protecting God. Come to rejoice in divine exodic liberation, divine presence, protection and guidance. The march to freedom continues.

A "pillar of cloud" above Halemaʻumaʻu crater in the light of the rising sun.