Transliteration
philos (Key)
Pronunciation
fee'-los
Part of Speech
adjective
Root Word (Etymology)
A primitive word
Dictionary Aids
Vine's Expository Dictionary: View Entry
TDNT Reference: 9:146,1262
Word / Phrase / Strong's Search
Strong's Number G5384 matches the Greek φίλος (philos),
which occurs 29 times in 27 verses in the TR Greek.
The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend G5384 of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends G5384 to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:
The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend G5384 of publicans and sinners!
For a friend G5384 of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, G5384 yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
And I say unto you my friends, G5384 Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, G5384 go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, G5384 nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends G5384 and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends G5384 and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: G5384
And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends G5384 of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; G5384 and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends G5384 together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.
He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend G5384 of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend G5384 Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. G5384
Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; G5384 for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: G5384 whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.
And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends. G5384
And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, G5384 sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre.
And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends G5384 to refresh himself.
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend G5384 of God.
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend G5384 of the world is the enemy of God.
philéō [to love, kiss], kataphiléō [to kiss], phílēma [kiss], philos [friend], phílē [female friend], philía [friendship, love]
philéō, kataphiléō, phílēma.
A. Common Greek Usage.
1. With personal Object.
a. The stem phil- is of uncertain etymology but carries the sense of “related.” Hence philéō means “to treat somebody as one of one’s own people.” It is used for the love of spouses, of parents and children, of employers and servants, of friends, and of gods and those favored by them.
b. With reference to gods and friends it often has the concrete sense “to help,” “to care for,” “to entertain.”
c. It can also denote sexual love.
d. It often approximates agapáō in meaning and use but is more common than agapáō in secular Greek (not in the LXX or NT) and has more of the sense “to love” in distinction from “to like,” although the verbs are often interchangeable and in the NT agapáō is the warmer and deeper term.
2. With Neuter Object. With a neuter object the sense of philéō is “to like,” “to value.”
3. With Infinitive. Common phrases are “to like doing” and “to be accustomed to doing.”
4. philéō (“To Kiss”), kataphiléō, phílēma.
a. Usage. Unlike agapáō, philéō can be used for acts of affection, e.g., fondling and especially kissing. Increasingly kataphiléō is used when the meaning is “to kiss,” and from Aeschylus to the NT the noun for “kiss” is always phílēma.
b. The Kiss in Antiquity.
(a) The animistic idea of conveying the soul perhaps underlies kissing on the mouth or nose. But the aim of knowing and enjoying the related person by scent may also play a role.
(b) Kisses are for relatives, rulers, and those one loves. The primary intent is not erotic. Respect as well as affection is shown by the kiss. To kiss the ruler is a privilege; the ruler’s kiss is a supreme honor. Later we find the erotic kiss, including the widespread homosexual kiss.
(c) Kisses are on the mouth, hands, and feet, also on the cheeks, forehead, eyes, and shoulders. As a mark of respect the kiss is usually on the hands or feet. The kiss on the mouth becomes prominent only with the erotic kiss.
(d) Occasions of kissing are greeting, parting, reconciling, making contracts, etc. The kiss signals entry into a fraternity. In the mysteries the initiate kisses the mystagogue. Kissing is common in the games; there is even a kissing contest, and kisses are sometimes given as prizes.
(e) With pleasure in kissing we find warnings against excess and against the danger of demonic infection or cultic defilement.
(f) Cultic kisses are important (cf. the kissing of images, divine kissing as a means of healing, kissing substitutes, e.g., the earth in front of idols rather than the idols, blowing kisses to stellar deities or as a hasty sign of reverence when passing shrines or tombs).
B. The LXX.
I. Usage.
1. In the LXX philéō, which is less common than agapáō, is mostly used for ʾhb. In meaning it is very similar to agapáō. “To like” with a neuter object occurs six times (e.g., Gen. 27:4; Hos. 3:1; Prov. 21:17), and “to like to do” once (Is. 56:10). With a personal object philéō can sometimes mean “to prefer” (Gen. 37:4) and is used five times for sensual love (cf. Tob. 6:15; Lam. 1:2).
2. For “to kiss” philéō and kataphiléō are used for nšq. The noun phílēma occurs for the kiss of the beloved in Cant. 1:2 and the treacherous kiss of the enemy in Prov. 27:6.
II. The Kiss in the OT and Judaism.
1. The transmission of soul-breath by kissing seems to be the point in Gen. 2:7; 2 Kgs. 4:34 (cf. also the kiss at the consecration of the king in 1 Sam. 10:1).
2. Relatives kiss in Gen. 31:28; 50:1; 2 Sam. 14:33; Gen. 33:4; 29:11; Ex. 18:7, etc. The kiss of respect occurs in 2 Sam. 19:40.
3. The kiss on the lips becomes the true kiss (cf. Prov. 24:26), but the kiss of honor is a kiss on the hands or feet (although in the OT it is the nations, not Israel, that are to kiss the feet of the Lord, Ps. 2:11).
4. Kissing is common in salutations and at partings (Gen. 29:11; 31:28). It is also a sign of reconciliation (33:4), ratifies an adoption (48:10), and is given in blessing (27:26–27).
5. The kisses of harlots are rejected (Prov. 7:13), and so are erotic kisses in general; the praise of the erotic kiss in Cant. 1:2 is acceptable to the rabbis only when the work is allegorized.
6. The OT has nothing comparable to cultic kisses. In Judaism the kiss of God brings death (on the basis of a misunderstanding of Dt. 34:5). God’s kiss is the easiest form of death among the 903 forms distinguished by the rabbis.
C. The NT.
I. “To Love.”
1. With Neuter Object and Infnitive. Like the LXX, the NT prefers agapáō to philéō. Only John makes a more theological use of philéō. philéō is never used for love of God, and neither it nor agapáō ever denotes erotic love. The use of philéō is mostly in stereotyped expressions. With a neuter object we find it only in Mt. 23:6–7, and an infinitive follows in 23:7. The passage serves to characterize the complacency and ambition of the scribes and Pharisees (cf. Lk. 20:46; 11:43).
2. With Personal Object.
a. The Synoptists. The only instance is in Mt. 10:37, where the meaning is “to prefer.” Placing love for himself above love for relatives, Jesus claims the superabundance of love that is due to God (cf. Lk. 14:26).
b. John.
(a) In Jn. 15:19 the basic sense “to love what is one’s own” is plain. The love of Jesus for his own (ídioi) corresponds to the world’s love for its own, for what belongs to it (ídion). In Jn. 12:25 Jesus demands an uncompromising renunciation of self-love (cf. Lk. 17:33; Mt. 10:39; Mk. 8:35). Although love of self may serve as a criterion for love of neighbor (Mk. 12:31), denial of self is a presupposition of salvation. In the context of Jn. 12:24 it may take the form of forfeiture of life. In Jn. 11:3, 36 love of friends is the point, but Lazarus is specially chosen and he is called “our friend” rather than “my friend” (11:11).
(b) A special form of friendship is the love of Jesus for the beloved disciples. philéō denotes this love only in Jn. 20:2; agapáō is used in 13:23; 19:26; 21:7, 10. The idea of choice is evident here. Lying close to Jesus’ breast at table expresses unique intimacy (13:25). This friend is the supreme disciple as Jesus is the supreme Son (cf. Jn. 1:18). Both are primary witnesses—the disciple to Jesus, Jesus to the Father (cf. 19:35; 21:7, 24). The beloved disciple is also the supreme brother, so that Jesus entrusts his mother to him (20:7). He takes precedence even over Peter in reaching the empty tomb (20:4) and then in believing (20:8). Jn. 21:24 identifies the beloved disciple as the author of chs. 1–20, and tradition has equated him with John the son of Zebedee (who is not mentioned by name in John), although other candidates are Lazarus (cf. 11:3), the rich young ruler (Mk. 10:21), the timid disciple of Mk. 14:51–52, Paul, or the so—called elder John. Some scholars have seen in the beloved disciple the ideal believer or witness, a projection of the author and his community into the history of Jesus, an embodiment of Gentile Christianity, or a representative of prophetic ministry over against Peter’s pastoral ministry. But a specific disciple is clearly in view, although the circumlocutions prevent us from identifying him with any certainty. In the figure of the beloved disciple the gospel claims that its presentation is the abiding form of the gospel with Christ’s own validation, especially in relation to the decisive events of the crucifixion and resurrection.
(c) In Jn. 16:27 the disciples meet Jesus’ demand that they should love him by believing in him, and to their love for Jesus corresponds the reciprocal love of the Father for them. There is perhaps some distinction here from God’s general love for the world in Jn. 3:16. Yet God’s love of the disciples may also be expressed by agapáō (cf. 14:21, 23), just as philéō and agapáō may both denote the Father’s love of the Son (5:20; 3:35, etc.). Only agapáō, however, is used for Jesus’ love of the disciples (13:1), their love of one another (13:34), and Jesus’ love of the Father (14:31). John nowhere refers to the disciples’ love of the Father.
(d) Alternation between agapáō and philéō occurs in Jn. 21:15ff. Some exegetes think that Peter is grieved because Jesus uses philéō the third time (21:17), but the words are mostly synonymous in John, and Peter is more likely grieved because Jesus asks for a third time. Jesus demands that Peter love him “more than these” (v. 15) because he has for him a special commission, which is threefold like the threefold denial and the threefold affirmation of a special love. The exceptional love corresponds in some sense to the love of Jesus for the beloved disciple and underlies Peter’s twofold discipleship in his pastoral office and his death.
c. The Rest of the NT.
(a) In 1 Cor. 16:22 Paul seems to be using a fixed liturgical formula connected with the eucharist. Grace is only for those who confess their love for the Lord by word and deed, i.e., in a total orientation of faith to him. An epistolary formula occurs in Tit. 3:15 but with a Christian significance imparted by “in the faith” and a certain exclusiveness suggested by the “us.” Love for the apostle is the bond that unites the churches in a special way.
(b) In Rev. 3:19 the exalted Lord uses an OT phrase (Prov. 3:12 LXX): His chastening love (cf. 1 Cor. 11:32) is no other than God’s own love. The background is not so much that of the friend of God who finds fulfilment of fellowship in the common meal but that of the parental love that manifests itself to the erring child in correction that leads to repentance. Another current formula may well be present in Rev. 22:15, where we have a concluding phrase that characterizes the prior concepts in an absolute antithesis to the love of God (cf. the parallel ideas in Jn. 3:19; 1 Jn. 2:15; Jms. 4:4).
II. The Kiss in the NT.
1. Manner and Occasion. The NT does not mention the erotic kiss, nor the kiss between close relatives except in Lk. 15:20, but we find the greeting kiss in Lk. 7:45; 15:20; perhaps 22:47, the parting kiss in Acts 20:37, and the kiss of honor in Lk. 7:38, 45; perhaps 22:47–48. The kiss is a mark of penitence in Lk. 7:44ff., of reconciliation in Lk. 15:20, and of gratitude in Acts 20:37, and we find a liturgical kiss in 1 Th. 5:26; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; Rom. 16:16. Before the eucharist the kiss confirms and actualizes the unity of the church as the eschatological family of God; it also points ahead to the eschatological consummation, to the future fellowship of the perfected.
2. The Kiss of Judas. In Mk. 14:44–45 the kiss of Judas is obviously a sign of recognition. Whether it is actually given is left an open question in Lk. 22:47–48. Betrayal by one of the Twelve with a kiss is a fulfilment of prophecy in Jn. 13:18; 17:12 (cf. Mk. 14:18). The kiss is perhaps a kiss of greeting or a kiss of brotherhood; but it is perhaps also a kiss of feigned love and respect, open to severe condemnation as a misuse of the sign of affection.
D. The Post-NT Period.
I. The Early Church.
1. In spite of ascetic tendencies the kiss is still common in the early church between relatives and married couples, and Hermas Similitudes 9.11.4 finds a special use for the erotic kiss (cf. also 9.15.2).
2.a. More important is the cultic kiss. Justin mentions the eucharistic kiss in Apology 65.2. Tertullian attaches great significance to the kiss of peace as a sign of reconciliation (De oratione 18). For Cyril of Jerusalem and Chrysostom it is a sign of the unity of the body. In the west it comes immediately before communion and it is called either the kiss of peace or simply the peace. Yet objections to the kiss arise early, especially pagan suspicion and the danger of erotic perversion (Athenagoras Supplication 32). Hence Clement of Alexandria in Paedagogus 3.81.2ff. demands a mystical kiss in which the mouth remains closed. From the third century the sexes are separated for the kiss (Apostolic Constitutions 2.57. 17), and then the clergy and laity (8.11.9).
b. The liturgical kiss occurs twice in baptism, first as the kiss of the bishop pronouncing the reconciliation and acceptance of the candidates, then as the kiss whereby the newly baptized grant their new brothers and sisters a share in the imparted grace and power of peace.
c. Many liturgies include the kiss of peace in the consecration of a bishop, a priest, or a monk.
d. We also read of the kiss at the burial of the dead.
e. The kiss occurs, too, in the honoring of martyrs. Believers kiss them in prison, especially kissing their wounds or their chains, and they kiss one another before execution. We also read of the kissing of their graves, their relics, and the thresholds of their churches.
f. Among substitute kisses we find the kissing of doorposts and altars. Kissing altars is important since they point to Christ. Cf. also the kissing of icons, the cup, and the book of the gospel. In the west we find the kissing tablet which the priest hands communicants to kiss.
II. Gnosticism. In Gnosticism the kiss is a favorite symbol for union with the redeemer and the reception of immortal life thereby. The sacrament of the bridal chamber is the supreme sacrament and the mutual kiss is the means of mystical conception. Important kisses are Jesus’ kissing of Mary Magdalene, his kissing of his heavenly twin, and the kiss on Mani’s entry into the realm of light.
phílos, philē, philia.
A. Nonbiblical Antiquity.
I. Meaning of the Words.
1. phílos.
a. This word means “friend,” “loved one,” “lover,” “client.”
b. hetaíros is a more or less interchangeable term.
c. Another related term is ídios.
d. The syngenēs may also be identical with the phílos, since relatives and friends form the closest living circle. The two words may also be related in a transferred sense. Popular usage prefers to link phílos with individual degrees of close relationship, parents and brethren.
e. The common idea of friends of the king brings a close connection to sýmboulos (“counselor”).
f. phílos is close to sýmmachos for nations in alliance.
g. Since the whole phil- group can denote hospitality, we often find phílos with xénos, the “stranger.”
2. phílē. This word means “dearest,” “beloved,” sometimes with an erotic nuance, but also at times for a female friend. phílē is a proper name which is used for Aphrodite, for hetaerae, and also for honorable women. Finally, we find phílē as a political title.
3. philía.
a. This word means “love” or “friendship” with the same broad range of meaning as phílos. The strongest ties of philía are love of parents, brothers and sisters, or spouse.
b. The term also denotes erotic love, both heterosexual and homosexual.
c. Friendship is commonly the sense, with such nuances as a “pleasant relationship” and “hospitality.”
d. In politics the word means “alliance.”
e. In a transferred sense it means “harmony” as a principle of unity.
f. Philía becomes a proper name, e.g., for Isis.
g. Special meanings are friendship with animals (either positive or negative), the kiss as a sign of loving fellowship, and philía as a formal address or title.
II. Friendship in Antiquity.
1. Antiquity writes a great deal about friendship both in special works and in sections of larger works.
2. There are various proverbs about friendship. The motif of koinōnía is common, the idea of “one soul” is attributed to Aristotle, and the friend counts as one’s other self.
3. We find groups of friends, but personal friendship is the heart of the matter for the Greeks. Hence the pair is the true ideal (cf. Achilles and Patroclus, or Orestes and Pylades). Partly historical and partly fictional accounts of pairs of friends are passed down, usually with one of the pair more active or older than the other. The supreme duty of the friend is that of self-sacrifice for the other even to the point of death.
B. The OT and Judaism.
I. Usage.
1. phílos. In the OT phílos renders various Hebrew terms but only in 70 out of some 180 cases is there an original. Meanings range from “personal friend” by way of “friend of the family” and “best man” to “client” or “political supporter,” as well as “friend of the king.” Related terms are adelphós, hetaíros, plēsíon, sýmboulos, and sýmmachos.
b. Philo’s usage is much the same.
2. philía. Having Hebrew equivalents only in Proverbs (5:19; 10:12; 7:18; 15:17; 17:9; 27:5), this term may denote either erotic love (Prov. 5:19; 7:18) or political friendship (1 Macc. 8:1; 2 Macc. 4:11). From philia, philiázō is a word that the LXX also uses in the senses “to be, act as, or become a friend.”
II. Friendship in the OT and Judaism.
1. The paucity of Hebrew originals for the group shows that the Greek view of friendship is an alien one in the OT world.
2. Yet the story of David and Jonathan ranks with the great accounts of friendship in antiquity. A pact seals the friendship (1 Sam. 8:3–4), Jonathan hands over his cloak and weapons, the pact applies to their children (2 Sam. 21:7), the two love one another as their own life (1 Sam. 18:1), and the story ends with a lament that is a song in praise of friendship (2 Sam. 1:26). Yet the Hebrew has no true term for the relationship, and even the LXX does not use philía.
3. Many friendship sayings occur in Proverbs and Sirach. Most of these take the form of warnings (cf. Sir. 6:8ff.). Many people protest friendship, but true friends are few. Only those who fear God are capable of friendship and will have true friends (Sir. 6:16–17). Political friendships occur (cf. 2 Chr. 19:2; 20:37), and there is reference to a friend of the king in 1 Chr. 27:33 (cf. 1 Kgs. 4:5). In a transferred sense we read of friendship with wisdom (Wis. 8:18).
4. The rabbis apply the concept to the relation between teachers and students of the law. koinōnía is a mark of Qumran (cf. the extolling of friendship among the Essenes in Josephus Jewish War 2.119), but although the community achieves a high degree of communal life (the sharing of lodging, food, knowledge, talents, and work), the strict ranking seems to militate against true friendship.
5. Philo speaks about friendship with God. The patriarchs are examples, but all the righteous may be called God’s friends. Philo also finds a pair of human friends in Moses and Joshua, and he believes that human friendship is pleasing to God. God, the refuge of friendship, does not despise its rights (Every Good Man Is Free 44).
C. The NT.
1. Usage. phílos occurs 28 times in the NT, phílē and philía once each. The main use is in the Lucan and Johannine writings. phílos occurs in Mt. 11:19; Jms. 2:23; 4:4, and the one instance of philía is in Jms. 4:4.
2.a. Of the 18 instances of phílos, 17 are in Luke (also the one instance of phílē). Jesus, however, is never phílos except in the taunt of 7:34. Mostly the use is the common one found in secular circles. People who are close are in view in Lk. 14:12; 15:6. “Boon-companion” is the point in 7:34. “Personal friend” is meant in Lk. 11:5, 8; 23:12, “guest” in Lk. 11:6, and one of a circle in 7:6; Acts 10:24.
b. The rule of Lk. 14:12 conflicts with the conventions of antiquity by rejecting the principle of reciprocity (cf. Mt. 5:46–47). Jesus breaks down the wall of an exclusiveness of fellowship and love. In Lk. 14:12 friendship and table fellowship are correlative (cf. 15:6, 9, 29). The fact that Jesus eats with publicans and sinners is the basis of the charge that he is their boon-companion (7:34). In fact, he loves sinners and is loved by them, as the washing of his feet, the kiss, and the anointing show (7:37ff.). Hospitality expresses the relation between friendship and table fellowship, as in Lk. 11:5ff. where phílos has almost the sense of “good neighbor” in vv. 5, 8 and of “guest” in v. 6. The friend as neighbor and host must be available for a friend.
c. Joy stands closely related to friendship (cf. Lk. 15:6, 9, 29). Yet friends must be ready, too, for service, concern, and self-sacrifice (11:5ff.). Friends may expect help from one another even when it is inconvenient. Again, friends want to share great experiences (Acts 10:24). Asiarchs, who are Paul’s friends, intervene to save him at Ephesus (Acts 19:31). Only here and in Acts 27:3 do we hear of Paul’s friends; he himself never uses phílos, but prefers adelphós or téknon. The friends of Paul in 27:3 are not his hosts or personal friends but Christians who care for him. The term “friends” for believers is not peculiar to Luke but occurs in John too (cf. 11:11; 15:13ff.). It seems to be a term used by the first disciples, who as the friends of Jesus and of one another are also the new friends of God and members of his family. If the term drops out of usage, it comes to expression in the life of the primitive church as depicted in Acts 2:44ff.
d. In the final tribulation friends will turn into enemies in an eschatological version of the common experience of the unreliability of friends.
e. Jesus calls his disciples friends in Lk. 12:4. This could be court style but more likely belongs to the imagery of the family of God. Here is not a friendship of equals but that of the Master and his pupils as he teaches them concerning their future tasks and destiny (cf. Jn. 14:26).
f. Certain parables suggest that God is a friend; cf. Lk. 11:5ff.; 14:11 (God as the host at the eschatological banquet); 16:9 (we are to win God as a friend; cf. vv. 5–7); Mt. 11:19 and parallels (Jesus’ love for sinners as an enacted parable expressing the message that God is the friend of sinners).
3. Johannine Writings. John uses phílos for “best man” in 3:29 to express the close relationship yet also the subordination of the Baptist to Jesus. The link with joy comes out here and with table fellowship in 12:1ff. (cf. Lk. 10:38ff.). Lazarus is “our friend” in Jn. 11:11. The disciples are friends of Jesus by his free choice (15:13ff.). He remains the Lord, but his commands are commands of love (vv. 14ff.) which he himself fulfils (v. 10). The disciples must show a similar love even to the point of self-offering in death (v. 13). In this regard a rule of friendship serves the NT thought of vicariousness in first a soteriological and then a hortatory sense. 3 John closes with the mutual salutations of friends (v. 15), i.e., fellow believers who are friends by relationship to Jesus. phílos is a political term in Jn. 19:12. Association with the court title is present, but the charge expresses a judgment on Pilate’s relation to the emperor rather than his stripping of the title.
4. James. In Jms. 4:4 to seek the friendship of the world is to become an enemy of God. Abraham is the friend of God in 2:23. The OT rather than Greek or Egyptian usage underlies the description. The link with Gen. 15:6 relates “friend of God” to “just by faith,” the passive “is called” implies that it is God who gives the title, and the aorist suggests a specific event in Abraham’s life. If the works as an expression of faith have a bearing on the title, the emphasis is on the fact that Abraham is one who is loved and chosen by God, and therefore called his friend.
D. The Post-NT Period.
I. The Early Church.
1. Although the group is little used in this period, we find it in NT quotations even where the NT uses agapáō (cf. Did. 1.3; Ignatius Polycarp 2.1; 2 Clem. 6.5). The Gospel of Peter 2.3 presents Joseph of Arimathea as a friend of Pilate as well as Jesus.
2. Abraham is commonly referred to as the friend of God (cf. 1 Clem. 10.1; 17.2; Pseudo-Clementine Homilies 18.13). Moses, too, is God’s friend, and those with whom God is well pleased are his children and friends (Aphrahat in Homilies 17.3). True Gnostics, martyrs, and ascetics also receive the title of God’s friends (Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Augustine).
3. Apocryphal writings take up the idea that disciples are friends of Jesus (cf. Martyrdom of Peter 10; Acts of John 113).
4. Pagan friendships pose special dangers according to Hermas Mandates 10.1.4. Christians forge new friendships with one another based on their union with Christ (cf. Paulinus of Nola and St. Felix).
5. Hermas Similitudes 5.2.6ff. depicts the heavenly original of a circle of friends with God as ruler at the center. The friends are the archangels to whom creation is committed and who will perfect the church (Similitudes 5.4. 1).
II. Gnosticism. Conversations between the redeemer and the redeemed reflect a special vocabulary of friendship, as in Manichean hymns. At issue is the reciprocity of love in mystical union. [G. Stählin, IX, 113–71]
→ agapáō, adelphós, aspázomai, hetaíros, xénos, plēsíon, proskynéō, syngenēs
philḗdonos → hēdonḗ; philoxenía, philóxenos → xénos
