History of St. Valentine: Finding Love In Every Book In The Bible

As Valentine’s Day approaches, hearts flutter, and candy sales soar, but the true essence of love goes far deeper than roses and chocolates. Rooted in Christian tradition, St. Valentine’s Day celebrates a figure who embodied love and sacrifice. St. Valentine, a priest in ancient Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II, defied the emperor’s decree banning marriages for young men, believing that love is a divine gift worth fighting for. He performed secret marriages, ultimately leading to his arrest and martyrdom—a powerful testament to love’s enduring nature.

Me and my Valentine, Kenneth

The Bible beautifully encapsulates the essence of love in 1 John 4:16: “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” This scripture serves as a reminder that real love originates from God, transcending social media likes or relationship statuses. Whether single, in a relationship, or navigating the complexities of love, we can find solace in God’s unconditional love.

In today’s secular society, love is often portrayed as a fleeting emotion—something to be sought for personal fulfillment or happiness. Social media amplifies this view, showcasing curated images of romance that can leave many feeling inadequate or isolated. Love frequently equates to physical attraction or transient feelings, contributing to a culture of “swipe right” and instant gratification. This perspective, while enticing, often overlooks the deeper, sacrificial nature of love that the Bible exemplifies.

In contrast, the biblical understanding of love is rooted in selflessness and commitment. It’s a love that perseveres, as demonstrated in the story of Ruth and Naomi—an epitome of steadfast loyalty and friendship. Ruth’s declaration, “Where you go, I will go; where you stay, I will stay,” (Ruth 1:16) illustrates that love isn’t confined to romance. It flourishes in friendships, family bonds, and acts of kindness, reminding us that we are never truly alone.

The history of St. Valentine’s Day enriches this understanding. Celebrated on February 14, the day honors St. Valentine, whose acts of love and defiance against tyranny laid the foundation for the holiday. The earliest connection of St. Valentine to romantic love can be traced to Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century, who linked the feast day with the beginning of the mating season for birds, thus creating a lasting association between love and this day.

St. Valentine | Source: Catholic.org

As Valentine’s Day spread across Europe, it embraced both Christian and pagan customs, evolving into a celebration of love, affection, and friendship. By the 18th century, exchanging handmade cards and tokens of affection became common in England, setting the stage for modern celebrations. In the 19th century, the holiday gained traction in the United States, thanks in part to Esther A. Howland, known as the “Mother of the American Valentine,” whose elaborate cards helped commercialize the holiday.

Today, Valentine’s Day is celebrated worldwide, often blending Christian themes with secular traditions. It encompasses romantic love, friendships, and even familial affection. Despite its commercialization, the essence of St. Valentine’s legacy remains—a celebration of love that transcends time, encouraging acts of kindness, commitment, and connection.

Not only is God love, but He also loves love. The Bible beautifully showcases this through various narratives, and one entire book—Song of Solomon—delves into the passionate and poetic relationship between a man and a woman. This celebration of love reminds us that love is a divine gift and a central theme in our lives.

In fact, if we look closely, we can find a love story or a reference to love in every book of the Bible, revealing the multifaceted nature of love in our relationship with God, our loved ones, and ourselves. Here’s a glimpse of love across the Scriptures:

Genesis: The love between Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:24) – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Exodus: God’s covenant love for Israel (Exodus 20:6) – “But showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

Leviticus: Love your neighbor (Leviticus 19:18) – “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

Numbers: God’s love for His people (Numbers 14:18) – “The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression.”

Deuteronomy: Love the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 6:5) – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

Joshua: Rahab’s love for her family (Joshua 2:12-13) – Rahab’s plea to protect her family shows deep familial love.

Judges: The love of Ruth for Naomi (Ruth 1:16) – “Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”

1 Samuel: David and Jonathan’s friendship (1 Samuel 18:1) – “The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

2 Samuel: David’s love for Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:26) – Despite its complexity, it illustrates deep human passion.

1 Kings: Solomon’s wisdom on love (1 Kings 3:9) – “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil.”

2 Kings: God’s love through prophets (2 Kings 17:13) – “Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, ‘Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments.'”

1 Chronicles: David’s love for God (1 Chronicles 29:3) – “Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own, of gold and silver.”

2 Chronicles: God’s promise of love (2 Chronicles 7:14) – “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face…”

Ezra: The love of the returning exiles for their homeland (Ezra 1:3) – A call to rebuild and restore demonstrates love for their heritage.

Nehemiah: Nehemiah’s love for his people (Nehemiah 1:4) – His grief for Jerusalem reflects deep communal love.

Esther: Esther’s courage and love for her people (Esther 4:16) – “If I perish, I perish,” showing her sacrificial love.

Job: The love of friends (Job 2:11) – Job’s friends come to comfort him in his suffering, showcasing friendship love.

Psalms: God’s everlasting love (Psalm 136:1) – “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Proverbs: The value of love in relationships (Proverbs 10:12) – “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.”

Ecclesiastes: The beauty of love (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10) – “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.”

Song of Solomon: A celebration of romantic love throughout.

Isaiah: God’s love for His people (Isaiah 54:10) – “For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you.”

Jeremiah: God’s unfailing love (Jeremiah 31:3) – “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”

Lamentations: Love amid suffering (Lamentations 3:22-23) – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.”

Ezekiel: God’s promise of love and restoration (Ezekiel 36:26) – “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.”

Daniel: Daniel’s love for his God (Daniel 6:10) – His commitment to prayer shows unwavering love and devotion.

Hosea: A parable of love (Hosea 3:1) – God’s love for Israel is depicted through Hosea’s relationship with Gomer.

Joel: God’s call to return in love (Joel 2:12-13) – “Return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”

Amos: The love for justice (Amos 5:24) – “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

Obadiah: A call to love thy neighbor (Obadiah 1:15) – The consequences of failing to love one’s brother.

Jonah: God’s love for all people (Jonah 4:2) – “For I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”

Micah: Love in action (Micah 6:8) – “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Nahum: God’s love in judgment (Nahum 1:7) – “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”

Habakkuk: Faith and love (Habakkuk 2:4) – “The righteous shall live by his faith.”

Zephaniah: God’s love for His people (Zephaniah 3:17) – “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness.”

Haggai: Encouragement in love (Haggai 2:4) – “Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you.”

Zechariah: God’s love for Jerusalem (Zechariah 1:14) – “So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Proclaim, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal.”‘

Malachi: God’s love for Israel (Malachi 1:2) – “I have loved you, says the Lord.”

Matthew: The greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-39) – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind… You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Mark: The love of Jesus (Mark 10:21) – “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing.'”

Luke: The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:36-37) – “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”

John: The love of Christ (John 3:16) – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…”

Acts: The early church’s love (Acts 2:44) – “And all who believed were together and had all things in common.”

Romans: God’s love poured into our hearts (Romans 5:5) – “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

1 Corinthians: The definition of love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) – “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.”

2 Corinthians: The love of Christ compels us (2 Corinthians 5:14) – “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this…”

Galatians: The fruit of the Spirit is love (Galatians 5:22) – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience…”

Ephesians: Love in action (Ephesians 4:2) – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.”

Philippians: The love of Christ (Philippians 1:9) – “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more.”

Colossians: Love as a bond of perfection (Colossians 3:14) – “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

1 Thessalonians: Brotherly love (1 Thessalonians 4:9) – “Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you…”

2 Thessalonians: God’s love and grace (2 Thessalonians 2:16) – “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us…”

1 Timothy: The love of a good conscience (1 Timothy 1:5) – “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart…”

2 Timothy: Love and perseverance (2 Timothy 1:7) – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Titus: Loving kindness of God (Titus 3:4) – “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared…”

Philemon: Paul’s love for Onesimus (Philemon 1:10) – “I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.”

Hebrews: The call to love (Hebrews 10:24) – “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.”

James: Love in action (James 2:8) – “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself…”

1 Peter: Love one another earnestly (1 Peter 1:22) – “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love…”

2 Peter: The call to love in knowledge (2 Peter 1:5-7) – “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.”

1 John: God is love (1 John 4:8) – “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

2 John: Walking in truth and love (2 John 1:6) – “And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments.”

3 John: The love of the church (3 John 1:5) – “Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers…”

Jude: Keep yourselves in the love of God (Jude 1:21) – “Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ…”

Revelation: The ultimate love story (Revelation 21:3) – “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.'”

This overview illustrates that love is not just a theme; it is woven throughout the entirety of Scripture, reflecting God’s heart for humanity and His desire for us to love one another deeply.

This Valentine’s Day, remember that you are deeply loved—by God and those around you. To reflect on this beautiful truth, listen to the uplifting song “I Am Loved” by Bill Gaither. It serves as a powerful reminder of the unconditional love that surrounds us. Here’s the video for you to enjoy:

Here are some of my other favorite love songs that capture both God’s amazing love and the beauty of our relationships. Let these tunes inspire you to spread that love around, transforming hearts and communities in the process. The last one on the list is a favorite of mine for decades. Evie sings “Unfailing Love”. It’s fantastic.