Testaments of Love: A Study of Love in the Bible

Using the same exacting scholarship that has characterized his other books and commentaries, Leon Morris here offers a thorough and instructive analysis of love in the Bible—a topic that he believes has been neglected and misinterpreted by most biblical scholars. Morris is particularly concerned with eliminating the cultural and personal biases he finds in many interpretations of love in the Bible. Striving for a truly biblical interpretation, he scrupulously examines the various Hebrew and Greek forms of the word in both the Old and New Testaments, concluding that love is the basis of God’s dealing with men and that Christians ought to demonstrate more authentic biblical love within and without the Christian community. In the Old Testament, claims Morris, God’s loving actions are very apparent, even though the word love is seldom used. He points out that even in the prophetic books God obviously loves his people despite their frequent disobedience. And in the New Testament, the definitive expression of God’s love on the cross demonstrates that “God’s love is not simply a beautiful but detached emotion—it is a love that pays a price.” Other topics discussed by Morris include natural affection, friendship, passion, eros, and agape. Throughout the study, he refers to specific biblical passages and supplements the text with abundant footnotes that summarize and evaluate helpful additional information from scores of sources.