Greek Words for Love

There are a few Greek words for love, as the Greek language distinguishes how the word is
used. Ancient Greek has four distinct words for love: agápe, éros, philía, and storgē. However,
as with other languages, it has been historically difficult to separate the meanings of these words.
Nonetheless, the senses in which these words were generally used are given below.

Agápe (ἀγάπη agápē) means "love," such as in the term s'agapo (Σ'αγαπώ), which means "I love you." In
Ancient Greek, it often refers to a general affection or deeper sense of "true love" rather than the
attraction suggested by "eros." Agape is used in the biblical passage known as the "love chapter," 1
Corinthians 13, and is described there and throughout the New Testament as sacrificial love. Agape is
also used in ancient texts to denote feelings for one's children and the feelings for a spouse, and it was
also used to refer to a love feast. It can also be described as the feeling of being content or holding one in
high regard. Agape was used by Christians to express the unconditional love of God.

Éros (ἔρως érōs) is passionate love, with sensual desire and longing. The Modern Greek word "erotas"
means "intimate love;" however, eros does not have to be sexual in nature. Eros can be interpreted as a
love for someone whom you love more than the philia, love of friendship. It can also apply to dating
relationships as well as marriage. Plato refined his own definition: Although eros is initially felt for a
person, with contemplation it becomes an appreciation of the beauty within that person, or even becomes
appreciation of beauty itself. Plato does not talk of physical attraction as a necessary part of love, hence
the use of the word platonic to mean, "without physical attraction." In the Symposium, the most famous
ancient work on the subject, Plato has Socrates argue that eros helps the soul recall knowledge of beauty,
and contributes to an understanding of spiritual truth, the ideal "Form" of youthful beauty that leads us
humans to feel erotic desire -- thus suggesting that even that sensually-based love aspires to the non-
corporeal, spiritual plane of existence; that is, finding its truth, just like finding any truth, leads to
transcendence. Lovers and philosophers are all inspired to seek truth through the means of eros.

Philia (φιλία philía) means affectionate regard or friendship in both ancient and modern Greek. It is a
dispassionate virtuous love, a concept developed by Aristotle. It includes loyalty to friends, family, and
community, and requires virtue, equality and familiarity. In ancient texts, philos denoted a general type of
love, used for love between family, between friends, a desire or enjoyment of an activity, as well as
between lovers.

Storge (στοργή storgē) means "affection" in ancient and modern Greek. It is natural affection, like that
felt by parents for offspring. Rarely used in ancient works, and then almost exclusively as a descriptor of
relationships within the family. It is also known to express mere acceptance or putting up with situations,
as in "loving" the tyrant.

The Four Loves is a book by C. S. Lewis which explores the nature of love from a Christian
perspective through thought experiments.

The content of the examination is prefaced by Lewis' admission that he initially mistook St.
John's words "God is Love" as a simple beginning point to address the topic. But further
meditation revealed two different kinds of love: "need-love" (such as the love of a child for its
mother) as distinguished from "gift-love" (epitomized by God's love for humanity). Lewis
happened upon the insight that the natures of even these basic categorizations of love are more
complicated than they seem at first.

As a result of this, he formulates the foundation of his topic by exploring the nature of pleasure,
and then divides love into four categories ("the highest does not stand without the lowest"),
based in part on the four Greek words for love: affection, friendship, eros, and charity. Lewis
states that just as Lucifer—a former archangel—perverted himself by pride and fell into
depravity, so too can love—commonly held to be the arch-emotion—become corrupt by
presuming itself to be what it is not.

A fictional treatment of these loves is the main theme of Lewis's novel Till We Have Faces.

Storge – affection
Affection (storge, στοργή) is fondness through familiarity ( a brotherly love ), especially
between family members or people who have otherwise found themselves together by chance. It
is described as the most natural, emotive, and widely diffused of loves: natural in that it is
present without coercion; emotive because it is the result of fondness due to familiarity; and
most widely diffused because it pays the least attention to those characteristics deemed
"valuable" or worthy of love and, as a result, is able to transcend most discriminating factors.
Ironically, its strength is also what makes it vulnerable. Affection has the appearance of being
"built-in" or "ready made", says Lewis, and as a result people come to expect, even in this
mythical, non hormonal presence, its presence—irrespective of their behavior and its natural
consequences.

Philia – friendship
Philia (Greek: φιλία) is the love between friends. Friendship is the strong bond existing between
people who share common interest or activity. Lewis immediately differentiates Friendship Love
from the other Loves. He describes Friendship as, "the least biological, organic, instinctive,
gregarious and necessary of our Loves" - our species does not need Friendship in order to
reproduce. He uses this point to explain that Friendship is exceedingly profound because it is
freely chosen.

Lewis explains that true friendships, like the friendship between David and Jonathan in the Bible
is almost a lost art. He expresses a strong distaste for the way that modern society ignores
Friendship. He notes that he cannot remember any poem that celebrated true Friendship like that
between David and Jonathan, Orestes and Pylades, Roland and Oliver, Amis and Amiles. Lewis
goes on to say, "to the Ancients, Friendship seemed the happiest and most fully human of all
loves; the crown of life and the school of virtue. The modern world, in comparison, ignores it".

Lewis boldly asserts that few people in modern society appreciate true Friendship because few
of them have experienced it.

Eros – romance
Eros (ἔρως) is love in the sense of 'being in love' or 'loving' someone. This is distinct from
sexuality, although he does spend time discussing sexual activity and its spiritual significance in
both a pagan and a Christian sense. He identifies eros as indifferent.

Lewis concludes that Eros can become a god to people who fully submit themselves to it. He
says that it can be an extremely profound experience for people even up to the point of suicide
pacts and furious refusals to part.
Agape – unconditional love
Charity (agapē, ἀγάπη) is the love that brings forth caring regardless of the circumstance. Lewis
recognizes this as the greatest of loves, and sees it as a specifically Christian virtue. The chapter
on the subject focuses on the need of subordinating the natural loves to the love of God, who is
full of charitable love.