LOVE FEAST

wins 'the crown of life' (Ja l'^, Rev 2'», Ro S's"); hence the coupling of 'love and hope' (wh. see).

(c) If love to God is rekindled by the knowledge of God's love to man in Christ, this holds no less of man's love to man, to which most NT instances of the word refer. This was the matter of ' the second com-mandment' of Jesus, which is 'like unto the first and great commandment,' and is grounded equally with it upon creation and the true order of the world (Mt 22'™). Sin, brought in by 'the wicked one,' confounded this order, planting hate, lust, deceit, the destroyers of love and life, in human nature (Jn 8", 1 Jn S'^, Ja !»'• 4"- "); this whole evil brood Paul traces to wilful Ignorance of God (Ro V-'-'^, Eph 4"-"). In 'laying down his life for us' Jesus Christ has laid the foundation of a new empire of love, a regime and fashion of life the opposite of that inaugurated by Cain (1 Jn Z'^; cf. 1 P 2««-, 2 Co 5'"-, Eph 431-55, Col 1", 'nt 3'-'). The 'new commandment' is, after all, 'the old command-ment which' men 'had from the beginning' (1 Jn 2"); God's Fatherly love manifest in the unstinted bounties of nature, which visit 'just and unjust' every day, dictates to His 'children' love to 'enemies' and kind-ness to 'the evil' (Mt S^-^s). 'The love of Christ,' reaffirming and immensely reinforcing the primeval law, 'constrains us' to 'live no longer to ourselves but to him' (2 Co 5"-"); in living to Him one Uves for His Church and for humanity (Eph 6™-, Mt 25Mi«, 1 Co 8"'-, Ro 1»'-, 1 Jn 3i«, Eph 3^-9, Col 1m-2»). 'If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar' (1 Jn 2' 42»'-; cf. Tit 1«); true love ever speaks in beneficent deed (Ja 1" 2'"-, 1 Jn 3'™). The terms of Christ's redemption bind His redeemed to human service; they have become both witnesses and engaged parties to God's covenant of grace in Christ made with mankind (Jn 1" e^'- ", Mt IQs 2628, Mk 16«, Lk 24««-, Ac 18, Ro 512-2', Col IM, 1 Jn 2*, Rev 6» etc.). The gift of the Spirit is bestowed expressly with this world- aim in view; the salvation of each sinner is a step towards and an earnest of the world's salvation (Mt 5'"-1388, Ja lis, 1 p 29, Eph 3™-, Gal 3"). The love of God must reach the world and rule the world through those who know it in ' knowing the grace of our Lord Jesus

Christ.' G. G. FiNDLAY.

LOVE FEAST (Agape).— The Love Feast of the Christian Church in ApostoUc times was a common meal of which all the brethren partook, and was still connected with the Eucharist. The ' breaking of bread from house to house' (Ac 2") probably included both under the title 'the Lord's Supper' (1 Co ll™). From Ac 20' we gather that the reUgious exercises of the Love Feast were prolonged till dawn, and ended with the Eucharist. The scandalous behaviour, which St. Paul was constrained to rebuke at Corinth in a.i>. 57-58 (1 Co ll"-8«), shows that not all who came to the Love Feast were in a fit condition to communicate. More serious evils still were introduced by false teachers despribed by Jude >2; 'they who are hidden rocks at your love feasts when they feast with you, shepherds that without fear feed themselves.' The writer is dependent on 2 P 21': 'spots are they and blemishes, revelling in their love feasts, while they feast with you.'

In spite of the disorders, which marred the religious value of these social club-feasts and led in the end to their suppression, they lasted for a considerable period. Ignatius of Antioch wrote to the Sraymseans (c. 8): 'It is not lawful apart from the bishop either to baptize or to hold a love feast,' in a context which proves that the Agape included the Eucharist. Ter-tullian (Apol. c. xxxix.) gives a vivid description of the feast explained by its own name.

"The participants, before reclining, taste first of prayer to God. As much is eaten as satisfies the cravings of hunger: as much is drunk aa befits the chaste. They say it is enough.

LUCIFER

is one of their auditors. After manual ablution and the bringing in of lights, each is asked to stand forth and sing, as he can, a hymn to God, either one from the Holy Scriptures or one of his own composing. This is a proof of the measure of our drinking. As the feast commenced with prayer, so it is closed with prayer.'

The food consisted of bread, fish, and vegetables. The pictures of the Love Feasts in the catacombs give fish a prominent place. Interesting specimens of prayers used at them are found in the Didache. The direction to give thanks ' after ye are satisfied ' plainly associates the prayer with the Love Feast rather than the Eucharist (c. 10): —

' We give Thee thanks. Holy Father, for Thy Holy Name which Thou hast made to tabernacle in our hearts, and for the knowledge and faith and immortality, which Thou hast made known imto us through Thy Servant Jesus; Thine is the glory for ever and ever. Thou, Almighty Master, didst create all things for Thy Name's sake, and didst give food and drink unto men for enjoyment, that they might render thanks to Thee; but didst bestow upon us spintual food and drink and eternal life through "Tny Servant. . . . '

The separation of the Love Feast from the Eucharist seems to have been due, in the first instance, to the action of the Roman Government, always jealous of secret societies. PUny's letter to Trajan speaks of the celebration of the Eucharist in the early morning as followed by a simple meal, which had been left off since the issue of the edict forbidding clubs. On the other hand, fear of calumnies regarding any more or less secret feast, and experience of disorders like those which prevailed at Corinth, were motives which from time to time hindered the practice in certain districts, and finally extinguished it. A. E. Bckn.

LOVINGKINDNESS. — Two ideas are blended in this expressive word; it denotes kindness which springs from the loyalty of love. It is the frequent tr. (30 times in the AV, 42 times in the RV) of the Heb. word chesedh, . which G. A. Smith renders 'leal love' (Book of the Twelve Prophets, I. 243 n). The EV most frequently tr. chesedh 'mercy' and not seldom 'kindness.' The Amer. RV gives 'lovingkindness' uniformly when the reference is to God's love to man. The adoption of this helpful suggestion would bring out the connexion jjetween 'lovingkindness' as a fundamental attribute of the Divine nature (Ex 34«'- etc.), its poetic personi-fication (Ps 428 578 ggii), and the appeal to God to be true to Himself, — to save and to redeem 'for His lovingkindness' sake' (Ps 64 4428 1151). For the combination of 'lovingkindness' with 'faithfulness' see Ps 89, where each word occurs seven times, and cf. La 322'-, Is 558. Cf. also Love. J. G. Tabkee.

LOZON (1 Es 588) = Darkon, Ezr ^, Neh 7^'.

LUBm. — The name of a people, standing in EV for the Libyans in Nah 3', 2 Ch 12' 168, and replaced by the word 'Libyans' itself in Dn 11^8. These were a very ancient people hving west of Egypt, who were subdued by the Egyptians at an early date and long furnished mercenary soldiers to their armies. At length they invaded Egypt, subdued it in the 10th cent. B.C., and estabUshed a powerful dynasty, of which the Bibhcal Shishak was the founder. Probably Lubim should be read for Ludim (wh. see) in certaiii pas-sages. Cf. Lehabim. J. F. M'CtnRDr.

LUCAS, Philem 24 (AV), for Luke (wh. see).

LUCIFEE.— In Is 1412 occurs the phrase 'hdU Qidal) ben shachar,' commonly but incorrectly rendered ' Lucifer son of the morning,' as if the expression heBl (heiai) must mean 'the morning-star' (cf. AVm and RV 'day-star'). In this connexion, helSl (hdal) can denote only the waning of some luminary, as it is forcibly compared with the impending fate of the then king of Babylon, whose utter destruction the prophet is engaged in foretelling. The waning luminary intended by the

as much IS drunk as bents tbe chaste. Tneysayitisenougn, — - =■ --- ••—-"o --■•" — .j ..^„^,^^^^j „.,.^

asthosewhorememberthatevenduringthenighttheyhave author may probably have been only the old moon to worship God; they talk as those who know that the Lord crescent seen at dawn, just about to disappear. It

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