Religion Past and Present

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Love Feast (Agape)
(482 words)

[German Version]

I. Early Christianity – II. Modern Times

I. Early Christianity

The Agape or love feast is a liturgically structured congregational feast. The first use of the term ἀγάπη (agápē, “love”) is found in Jude 12 and Ign. Smyrn. 8.2. The phenomenon is widely documented from as early as the 2nd century. Comparable to this are symposia, which are known also to Judaism, not least as a charitable institution (T. Job 10.1–3). H. Lietzmann assumed that, besides the Eucharist, which derives from Jesus' Last Supper (I), there e…

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Söding, Thomas and Tripp, David H., “Love Feast (Agape)”, in: Religion Past and Present. Consulted online on 28 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1877-5888_rpp_COM_00236>
First published online: 2011
First print edition: ISBN: 9789004146662, 2006-2013



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