AGAPÆ, or AGAPES, in church-history, certain love-feasts kept by the ancient Christians, as a token of brotherly charity and mutual benevolence.
However innocent the original intention of these festivals might have been, abuses in time got footing in them, and gave great occasion to scandal; so that it became necessary to forbid the kiss of charity between different sexes, as well as to have any beds or couches in the place where they assembled.