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Concept
Kiss of peace
Summary
The kiss of peace is an ancient traditional Christian greeting, also called the holy kiss, and sometimes the "brother kiss" (among men), or the "sister kiss" (among women). Such greetings signify a wish and blessing that peace be with the recipient, and besides their spontaneous uses they have certain ritualized or formalized uses long established in liturgy. Many denominations use other forms of greeting (besides literal kisses) to serve equivalent purposes; these include handshakes, gestures, and hugs, any of which may be called a sign of peace.
It was the widespread custom in the ancient western Mediterranean for men to greet each other with a kiss. That was also the custom in ancient Judea and practiced also by Christians. However, the New Testament's references to a holy kiss (ἐν ἁγίω φιλήματι, en hagio philemati) and kiss of love (ἐν φιλήματι ἀγάπης) transformed the character of the act beyond a greeting; furthermore, in the early Church, "the verbal exchange of 'peace' with a kiss appears to be a Christian innovation, there being no clear example in pre-Christian literature." The holy kiss was thus followed as a biblical teaching, rather than a cultural tradition. Such a kiss is mentioned five times in the concluding section of letters in the New Testament:
Romans 16:16—"Greet one another with a holy kiss" (Greek: ἀσπάσασθε ἀλλήλους ἐν φιλήματι ἁγίῳ).
1 Corinthians 16:20—"Greet one another with a holy kiss" (Greek: ἀσπάσασθε ἀλλήλους ἐν φιλήματι ἁγίῳ).
2 Corinthians 13:12—"Greet one another with a holy kiss" (Greek: ἀσπάσασθε ἀλλήλους ἐν ἁγίῳ φιλήματι).
1 Thessalonians 5:26—"Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss" (Greek: ἀσπάσασθε τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς πάντας ἐν φιλήματι ἁγίῳ).
1 Peter 5:14—"Greet one another with a kiss of love" (Greek: ἀσπάσασθε ἀλλήλους ἐν φιλήματι ἀγάπης).
The early Christian apologist Tertullian wrote that before leaving a house, Christians are to give the holy kiss and say "peace to this house".
Since the aforementioned epistles were addressed to Christian communities they would most probably have been read in the context of their communal worship.
Official source
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