Liebe deine Feinde,
denn sie bringen das Beste in dir zum Vorschein ...
I.
As we all know, Jesus famously taught we should love our enemies (and not only our neighbours):
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour,
and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do
good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you, and persecute you."
- Matthew 5:43-44 (KJV)
Many Christians like to believe that this, one of the most widely
quoted sections of the Sermon on the Mount, is what separates their faith from
all earlier religious doctrines; i.e., that it's a distinctive moral innovation.
But that's not quite true and there are, in fact, a number of ethical precedents, as scholars familiar with the writings of the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians have pointed out. Indeed, similar teachings can also be found in the works of Jewish, Greek, and Roman authors [1].
Still, it remains an interesting and important idea; albeit one that requires careful consideration of its terms; the word love, for example - ἀγαπάω (agapan) in the original Greek - refers to a kind of universal affection that is spiritual rather than sexual in origin. We are encouraged to be charitable and forgive those who trespass against us, not sleep with the enemy or become erotically fixated on them.
And yet, arguably, there is something a bit perverse (and paradoxical) about developing positive feelings towards those who curse, hate, and persecute you; is loving one's enemy not simply a passive-aggressive attempt by the despised and victimised to bond with those who are in a superior and more powerful position?
In other words, is it not a type of coping mechanism disguised as morality? Nietzsche certainly seemed to think so ...
II.
Writing in the first essay of the Genealogy, Nietzsche argues that love of enemies is a possibility only for the truly strong and noble individual, who can view his enemy with a high degree of respect (and even admiration); essentially seeing them as worthy opponents that elevate his own status.
This is in stark contrast to the resentment-driven love of enemies preached by slave moralists who often use this concept to mask underlying hostility and their desire for the downfall of those whom they regard as the evil ones (even whilst secretly envying them).
It takes something special to truly love one's enemies (and not merely forgive, but forget their misdeeds); it requires a generosity of spirit to not be consumed by hatred for those whom we blame for our suffering and misfortune [2].
But the philosopher must go even further says Zarathustra and be able not only to love his enemies, but also to hate his friends ... [3]
Notes
[1] I refer readers to John Nolland's The Gospel of Matthew (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2005), which provides an extensive commentary on the Greek text of this work.
[2] See Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morality, I. 10.
[3] Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 'Of the Bestowing Virtue' (3).
