Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Research in Humanities and Social Sciences
Year: 2023
DOI:
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Love As the Foundation of Christian Moral
Prof. Marine Chachibaia
ABSTRACT:
Through the works and missionary activity of St. Paul, Christianity from early times encompassed the great part of the civilized countries. The increase of the geographical area of this teaching was of certain importance for the final formation of the new religion. As a result of the contact with the pagan (essentially, Greco-Latin) world, the newly formed Christian religion adopted elements of other, non-Judaic religions, gradually moved away from its initial mainstay – Judaism and was taking shape as an independent, cosmopolitan religion.
Along with other factors, proclaiming of love as the foundation of the moral principles of Christianity, consideration of love as the greatest good, the noblest deed played one of the crucial roles in the dissemination, strengthening and popularization of this religion. The foremost apologist of Christian love is Apostle Paul. The essence of Christian love is its cosmopolitan philanthropy. All believers are equal and loved; national, social-societal and biological-physical differences become irrelevant.
The first variety of love is pneumatic substance, the second – psychic. The last love – eros is, so to say, an attribute of a man as a living, biological being and it implies love for one’s child, parent, wife, relative, name, honour, property, etc., whereas the first love – agape is an attribute of the divine soul – pneuma in a human being and it primarily implies love for God (divine pneuma cannot put anything above God!) and then general love for fellow-men, which is like unto it. The latter in the final analysis prepares man for partaking of love of God, for divinization, for union with God.
keywords: cosmopolitan philanthropy, moral principles of Christianity, non – Judaic religion