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Literary notes about agape (AI summary)

The term agape in literature is remarkably versatile, serving both as a vivid descriptor for a physical state of astonishment and as a symbolic reference to communal love. In many narratives, it literally portrays characters with mouths wide open in awe, shock, or incredulity—as when a character is described "with his mouth agape" in astonished wonder ([1], [2], [3], [4], [5]). Other passages extend its meaning beyond mere physicality, evoking the spirit of communal or divine love, as in discussions of early Christian agape feasts and love feasts ([6], [7], [8], [9]). This dual usage underscores both a human reaction of being overwhelmed and a broader cultural or religious commitment to open-hearted fellowship.
  1. All this time the Corn Engrosser had been staring at Robin, his mouth agape with wonder.
    — from The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
  2. The door of the clerk's office stood agape and through the opening came musty, snuffy smells of old leather and dry-rotted deeds.
    — from Back Home: Being the Narrative of Judge Priest and His People by Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury) Cobb
  3. He bowed to Larkin, who stood with mouth agape and eyes popping out.
    — from Aces Up by Covington Clarke
  4. As Roger stood with mouth agape he was thrilled by a sensation he had not before experienced.
    — from The Forbidden Trail by Honoré Morrow
  5. He stood there in dismay, his arms swinging, his eyes staring, his mouth agape.
    — from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant
  6. Pæd. ii. 4 (p. 194) treats it as applying to social gatherings; and again Tertullian says of the agape, Apol.
    — from St. Paul's Epistles to the Colossians and Philemon by J. B. Lightfoot
  7. For a time the agape coincided with the eucharist , which, at its origin, was clearly funerary in its intention.
    — from The New Gresham Encyclopedia. A to Amide by Various
  8. In the 4th century the celebration of the Agape and Supper at the grave was still frequent.
    — from Church History (Volumes 1-3) by J. H. (Johann Heinrich) Kurtz
  9. “The Church has been enjoined to assemble this afternoon for the Agape, and our bishop, [pg 73] Castor, is absent at this critical juncture.
    — from Perpetua. A Tale of Nimes in A.D. 213 by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould

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