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Aaron Lewendon - Eden Bibles & Bible Study Specialist
In case you’ve forgotten and your entire love life depends on it, here’s a reminder: February 14 is St Valentines Day. The traditional day for anonymous greetings of undying love, flowers, chocolates and… kissing.
The most intimate physical expression of love permitted in a public place, kissing and kisses are the symbol of deep affection between people. While kisses might represent undying love in modern western culture, that’s not always been the meaning attached to it.
Only since the notion of romantic love entered the courtly circles of the High Middle Ages has kissing carried the meaning we attach to it today. In past ages kissing and who kissed who inferred anything from the enforcement of status to pleas for mercy and forgiveness.
In the Bible, there are few examples of kisses being given as a response or expression of romantic love. Kisses are nearly always given as a sign of something more serious or significant. Here are seven of the most meaningful kisses in Bible history.
Even today kisses can convey much more than romantic love. From a mother 'kissing better' her child's minor injury to a pledge of allegiance, a kiss is still an act of sealing a relationship. In a much more 'permissive' world than in the Biblical era, whether or not to kiss is much less and much more important question and for very different reasons. A kiss between men in English speaking cultures is rare, wheras in Latin - and more so in Arabic cultures, it is much more usual and even expected.
With a wide range of interpretations placed on giving kisses - and even more on receiving kisses, it's important to understand what's being said and what's being heard. Whether or not to kiss on the first date is perhaps less important today than it was a generation or two ago, but it's still good to know how it might be perceived - especially outside of Christian circles.
If you've got St Valentine's Day love, dating and romance on your mind, then clicking the ‘Christian Books’ tab at the top of the Eden.co.uk home page, and then the underlined word love under the ‘Christian Life’ category you'll find a selection of the newest and best selling dating, courtship and relationship enriching resources.
Spend a bit of time clicking around in the list and you’ll find something that’ll help you get the best of dating relationships and marriage. But just to start you thinking, in the Quick Guide there's a brief description of a few of the recent titles that visitors to Eden.co.uk's realtionship resources have already found helpful.
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