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Divine Love

Metaphysics
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Love understood as emanating from or directed toward God, characterized by selflessness, eternity, and transformative power.

Detailed Definition
Divine love in metaphysical poetry transcends human affection, serving as the ultimate model and goal of earthly relationships. Poets contrast it with carnal love to explore how human passion might participate in or reflect God’s boundless, redemptive grace.
Example
Example in poetry:
John Donne’s “The Ecstasy” portrays divine love as soul union witnessed by bodies; George Herbert’s “Love (III)” depicts divine love as generous host; Emily Dickinson’s “That I did always love” implies divine sanction for earthly love; T.S. Eliot’s “Four Quartets” describes divine love as the “still point”; Rumi’s poetry presents divine love as the soul’s ultimate longing; Christina Rossetti’s “A Birthday” celebrates divine love through natural imagery.
Additional Notes
Divine Love in metaphysics transcends eros, embodying agape as self-giving; Herbert’s “Love (III)” dramatizes unworthiness met with inexhaustible grace, using dialogue conceit to explore love as divine initiative that defies human merit.
Also Known As
Agape Sacred Love God’s Love Unconditional Love
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