You mention that transcription being a huge game of telephone. Let us not forget that it is played over numerous languages. In fact, when you look at the Old Testament in Koine, you’ll notice how the Judaic concept of “love” as being chosen by God is transliterated as ‘agape,’ not substituted. You also see other concepts of “love” (more human concepts like sexual, personal, and familial love) utilize the word ‘eros.’

This distinction does not transfer over to St. Augustine’s interpretation and his mentor’s (his name escapes me) translation of it into Latin. Both ‘agape’ and ‘eros’ are translated as ‘amore.’ Then, you have Augustine blathering on about something that looks very suspiciously like Platonic thought, of a “love” of God by man (not of God TO man as is implied by “chosen”). The direction of love is reversed. In fact, this misinterpretation is one of the big reasons Protestantism came around.

Thanks to Dr. James T. Johnson of the Rutgers Religion Dept. for that. He explained this in his “Love as an Ethic and Idea” class.

I thought you might appreciate that tidbit as a good explanation of “man’s fallibility.”