Photo by Tony Hisgett

By Melanie Mar Chow

While studying the Greek definition of the word honor —  timi — I came across an interesting discussion. A variant of the word for “honor” — philotimo — has no English meaning but in its original usage is something Greek culture values. It has influenced Greek society for over 1000 years.

A psychologist named Manos Hatzimalonas quoted Artistotle saying “the meaning of this word dates back to when Greece was the focus of the civilized world. The prefix ‘philo’ means ‘love,’ as in philophobia, the fear of falling in love. Together with the word ‘timo,’ its rough translation is ‘love of honor.'”   Writers share the difficulty to translate from Greek to English as the spirit and intention of living out this word is much more.  Because Hatzimalonas knew its waning value he created The Philotimo Foundation in 2014.

2 Corinthians 5:9 has the word form philotimoymetha – being ambitious or the behavior of ambition.  The passage in the NIV reads “we make it our goal to please God,” but the real meaning extends and broadens the definition for “goal.”  The passage should read “ambitiously giving the focus of our life to please God.”

As a person who passionately values community, I’m heartened to find that this word is part of the values that God intended for the church. It deepens community by encouraging living beyond ourselves into the virtues of Christ towards each other.  This is like Micah 6:8, which encourages ambitiously living in honor of one another so that our lives embody doing good.  The command of doing good ensures people live to benefit their community.

Being an Asian American Christian, I grew up with similar kinds of expectations on how to live. Philotimo is also lived out in the extension of appreciation and affirmation of one’s origin and ancestry.  My recent visit to the Japanese Exclusion Memorial in Washington demonstrates this word in action. Those who created this memorial want people to give honor and to remember, in order to avoid history repeating itself.

The influence of technology devalues philotimo. People misunderstand sacrifices for others.  “Why would you do that for me? Did I ask you to help?” “If I can go to the store, why did you want to give me your garden tomatoes?”  This happens and people are hesitant to help others, ie. the risk of lawsuits. People pause before speaking so as not to offend people, at minimum fearing insensitivity.  There is already a decline in honoring organizations of love. The number of people who serve in the medical, mental health, and clergy fields has decreased. Organizations show a decline in donations and volunteers.

Thus, the need for a foundation to preserve philotimo. We need never forget that how we live actually affects others. I want that spirit to return to prominence in our news and stories — the service of people. The ability to give without expecting anything in return is a practice God has ordained.  Would you want to join me in being one who recognizes the “honor of love”? If so, how are you doing that?

Rev. Melanie Mar Chow serves God through Asian American Christian Fellowship, the campus ministry division of the Japanese Evangelical Missionary Society (JEMS). She has been an ordained American Baptist minister since 2004. A Pacific Northwest native, she currently lives with her husband and daughter in Southern California.