The commandment to love one’s neighbor is central to Christianity, but it did not originate with Christian teachings. The term re’a (Hebrew: neighbor), denotes “brother,” and “friend,” but also “the other” in a more general sense, allowing for different interpretations. Leviticus 19:18 is commonly interpreted as loving the members of your own socio-religious group as well as guests living among them (Leviticus 19:33). The Qumran community drastically restricted its meaning, namely that only the “Children of Light”—the members of the Qumran community alone—must be loved. Hellenistic Judaism broadened the teaching, relating it to all people. Rabbi Hillel and Rabbi Akiva concurred with this view.
The New Testament quotes Leviticus 19:18 from the Septuagint, re ‘a being rendered almost exclusively as the Greek termplesion. Like the Qumran’s Essenes, John’s community focused on its members: “To love each other,” “to love one’s friends” is the “new commandment” in John’s understanding (John 13:34-35; 15:9-13; 1 John 3:14; 4:12). The original concept has been replaced primarily by love of one’s brother.
Paul speaks of brotherly love (1 Thessalo-nians 4:9; Romans 12:10) and its importance within the community (Romans 14; 1 Corinthians 8; 12-14), similarly to Rabbi Hillel and St. Matthew (7:12), who find “the law and the prophets” summarized in the Golden Rule.
Paul regards love of neighbor as the fulfillment of the law, as well as of all individual commandments of the Torah (Romans 13:810; Galatians 5:13-15). This love (agape) is aimed toward all people, even one’s enemies (Romans 12:14,17-21).
Jesus expressed the demand to love in his words and deeds, in particular through his concept of the Kingdom of God, his acts of healings, and his parables. Three texts explicitly mention the commandment of love while others deal with it implicitly, equating one’s neighbor with a publican, whore, debtor, or victim in a robbery. Neighborly love is equated with table-fellowship, first aid, and release from debt or healing.
The so-called Great Commandment (Mark 12:28-34) defines love of God and love of neighbor as the highest law.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus demands renunciation of retaliation—Christians should oppose violence nonviolently. Love of neighbor is interpreted as love of one’s enemy, an act of radical sacrifice. Such agape turns Christians into “children of their father in Heaven,” for it “imitates” the good Creator “who causes his sun to shine on the bad and good people alike and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil” (Matthew 5:38-48).
The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) is the most important text regarding the Christian concept of love of neighbor. It provides the answer to the all-too-human question of who my neighbor is. The parable addresses this question by placing not the recipient but the giver of love or the person refusing to love in the center. The term “neighbor” is now defined by the relationship to the other—everyone who is in need. The Good Samaritan opens one’s eyes to the absence of love in any given situation and illustrates love of one’s enemy as a human possibility for the world.
