“God is Love” - this saying can be called the basis of both Christian doctrine and Christian morality. The manifestations of Christian love are many and varied, and friendship is one of them.
Friendship at all times and in all cultures was and continues to be considered one of the main virtues, but Christianity has brought a new meaning to this concept, which could not be in paganism.
Already in the Old Testament, friendship appears as one of the greatest values. Ecclesiastes praises friendship, opposing it to the sorrows of loneliness: “Two are better than one … for if one falls, the other will lift up his companion. But woe to one when he falls, and there is no other to lift him."
Much is said about friendship in the Book of Proverbs of Solomon: “A faithful friend is a strong defense; who found it, found a treasure. Wise King Solomon says that friendship presupposes sincerity. No one else sees so clearly the thoughts and intentions of a person as a friend, and such relationships serve the spiritual growth of a person, his moral improvement.
In the Old Testament stories, you can find many examples of sincere, pure friendship. This is the relationship between David and Jonathan. "The soul of Jonathan clenched to the soul, and Jonathan loved him as his soul" - in this description of friendly feelings one can see the prototype of the coming Christian moral principle: "Love your neighbor as yourself." This friendship withstands all tests. It is noteworthy that Jonathan is the son of King Saul, and David, although he was destined to become a king, was by birth a simple shepherd, and this did not interfere with the friendship of the young people. In this regard, the Old Testament understanding of friendship differs from the ancient approach, according to which friendship is possible only between equals.
Nevertheless, on the whole, it can be noted that the Old Testament understanding of friendship is in many ways close to that which is possible in paganism. There are also many examples of loyal friendship in ancient Greek mythology and literature. Suffice it to recall such heroes as Orestes and Pilad: helping a friend, Pilad goes into conflict with his own father, i.e. friendship is prioritized over kinship.
In the New Testament, i.e. in fact, in Christianity, a new shade appears in the concept of friendship, which could not have existed before. In the pagan world, friendship could only bind people. Neither a Greek nor a Roman could imagine the friendship of man with the gods, since man could not be equal to the gods. There is no motive for friendship between man and God in the New Testament - man and God are too separated by the levels of Being to become friends.
A fundamentally different picture can be observed in the New Testament. The Savior directly declares to people: “You are my friends, if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves … I called you friends. " This approach seems logical if we consider that Jesus Christ combines "inseparably-inseparably" the divine and human nature: with God, who has become a man, people may well be friends.
The basis of such a relationship of a person with God is not the fear of heavenly punishment, but love, the fear of grieving a Friend, not justifying His hopes. The most famous of the New Testament sayings about friendship acquires a special meaning: "There is no more love than if someone laid down his life for his friends." After all, this is exactly what the Savior does, sacrificing himself for the salvation of people in whom he sees his friends. Thus, the self-sacrifice of the Savior also becomes a call to build relationships with God and with neighbors on the basis of sincere friendship, keeping it faithful to the end.
