Pe (Hastings' Dictionary)

The seventeenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and as such employed in the 119th Psalm to designate the 17th part, each verse of which begins with this letter. It is transliterated in this Dictionary by p or ph. PEACE, the tr" in OT of the Heb. n'y shalém (from the root 52% ‘to be whole’)=‘ wholeness,’ ‘soundness,’ hence health, wellbeing, prosperity ; more particularly, peace as a8 ae to war, con- cord as of Baer to strife ; in it is tr® of the Gr.

εἰρήνη (which in LXX ordinarily translates 015;), ‘peace,’ ‘quiet,’ as opposed to war or strife, hence menus πέσ prosperity. The fundamental meaning of o\Sy is prosperity, wellbeing, good of any kind (Ges.), a meaning which ToeEpests in the Gr. εἰρήνη. (So Ps 1297, peace and prosperity; Is 52’, Jer 297 peace as opposed to evil; 1 Th 5° peace and ΠΣ Ας 245). _In this sense it is used in the formule of greeting (15 it well—Heb. peace—with thee ? 2 Καὶ 435, n 29%, ef.

Gn 37; Peace be unto you, Lk 24%, Jn 201% 31, 36) or of dismissal (Go in peace, 1S 1" 20, 2 5 15%, Mk 5%, Lk 8, Ac 15%; cf. tke bless. ing, Nu 6%), In a secondary sense it is used οἱ peace as opposed to war (Ec 3° ‘a time for war and PEACE PEARL 733 a time for Ἐν Jg 47, 1S 744, Lk 14%, Ac 12, Rev 62), of concord as op to strife (Ob’, Ps 28%, Jer 95; cf. Mt 10%, 1Co 7%, Eph 43). Hence the expression ‘man of one’s peace’ for an intimate friend (Ps 41° ‘mine own familiar friend’; Jer 2010. 38%).

In this sense God Himself is said to be a God, not of confusion but of peace (1 Co 14%). Hence He uires of men (Zec 8", Ps 34} 35”, Ro 147, 1 Co 7, Eph 4°, He 12). Those who practise it He rewards (Ja 3:8, cf. Mt 5%), but those who disregard it are punished (Is 59° ", Ro 3:7). In the gered sense of prosperity, peace is a blessing of which God alone is the author (Is 457 ‘I, J”, make peace and create evil’; cf.

Job 25%, Ps 1474), and which He bestows upon the right- eous (Gn 15% Abraham; 2 K 22” Josiah; Ps 3757 the perfect man; Ps 119! those who love God’s law; Pr 3? those who follow the divine Wisdom ; οἵ, Ps 48, Job 5%, Is 3217 ‘And the work of righteous- ness shall be peace; and the effect of righteous- ness, quietness, and confidence for ever.’ Cf.

also Ja 38), It is a gift which God desires to impart to all His people (Jer 29"), but which He is often unable to grant because of their sins (Is 48", Jer 4°; cf. v.'4). For there can be no peace to the wicked (Is 4833 574). Those who hope for it, while continuing in their iniquity, are self-deceived (Jer 64 8", Ezk 131-18), Among the blessings to which Israel looks forward in the Messianic time none is more emphasized than peace.

The covenant which God made with the fathers at the first (Nu 25", Ly 26°, Mal 25: 6), and for the fulfilment of which the prophets confidently look, is a covenant of eace (Is 54°, Ezk 34% 37%). The messenger who rings tidings of the coming salvation is one who poe peace (Is 52’, Nah 1"). The Messiah imself is the Prince of Peace (Is 9°; cf. Mic 5°, Zec 6). Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end (Is 9").

In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace till the moon be no more (Ps 725. 7. Psalmist and prophet alike are full of pictures of the time when J” shall bless His peor with peace (Ps 29") ; when the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in the abundance of Degg (Ps 37); when peace shall be within the walls of Jerusalem (Ps 1227); in the temple (Hag 2°); when men shall go in with joy and be led forth with peace (Is 55"; ef.

548); when the very officers shall be peace and the exactors righteousness (Is 607); when peace shall extend to Jerusalem like a river and the lory of the nations like an overflowing stream (Is 66!) ; nay, when God shall speak peace to the very Gentiles (Zec 9").

Even Jeremiah, bitter in his denunciations of those who cry peace when there is no peace, and prophesy before the time (4° 0} 81} 1418 9317 989) is firm in his belief that a time is coming when God will reveal to His people abund- ance of peace and truth (33°). The NT shares with OT the view of Θ 85 a characteristic of the Messianic time (Lk 17” 2" 19%, Ac 10%). In this sense is probably to be understood the greeting of the disciples on their missionary journey (Mt 10'*, Lk 105.

The gospel of the Messiah is expressly called a gospel of peace (Eph 6”, Ac 10"). As such it is opposed to all strife and confusion. Jesus Himself is the great peace-maker, who, by preaching peace to those who are near and to those who are afar off, and reconciling both to God, has Himself become our peace (Eph 2; cf. Mic 5°, He 7? Melchize- dek, King of Peace, as a type of Christ).

Hence, while God is frequently ca ed in NT the God of ace (Ro 15" 16”, 2 Co 13", Ph 4°, 1 Th 5%, 2 Th 16 He 13”), we have reference not merely to the peace of God (Ph 47), but to the peace of Christ (Col 3"; ef. the apostolic salutations. *Grtce to | have always been highly valued. ou, and peace from God our Father and from the rd Jesus Christ,’ Ro 17 and often). Thus in His farewell words to His disciples Jesus represents as a gift to them from Himself (Jn 147 165; ‘My peace I give unto you.

These things have J spoken to you, that in me ye may have peace’). Characteristic of NT is the view of peace as the present possession of the Christian. In a single case it is used by St. Paul of that future blessed- ness which is to be expected by the righteous at the Parousia (Ro 2"), but in general it denotes a state of the Christian in this present life. It is so used by Jesus in His farewell promise (Jn 147 16%), ‘ My peace I give unto you.’ It is regularly so represented by St. Paul. Cf.

Ro 85 ‘The mind of the Spirit is life and peace’; Ro 15" ‘Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing’; 2 Th 3° ‘The Lord of peace give you peace at all times in all ways’; Col 315 ‘ Let the poser of Christ rule in your hearts’; Ro δὶ ‘We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (so Lipsius, Hdcom. ii. pt. 2, 108; Cremer, Lex, 364 et al., who read ἔχομεν in place of the better attested ἔχωμεν).

In this connexion peace acquires the technical meaning of ‘the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God, and content with its earthly lot, of whatever sort it be’ (Thayer, Lex. 182).

Assuch it is the direct result of the redemp- tion of Christ (Eph 215: 1”), and consists primarily in a state of conscious reconciliation with God (Ro δ᾽), though often used in a broader sense to denote all the blessings which accompany and flow from that reconciliation (so 2 Th 3", and in the apostolic greetings, Ro 1’, 1 Co 1°, and often). Lrreraturgs. —Cremer, Bib. Theol. Lex. sub εἰρήνη: Weiss, Bib. Theol. of NT, Index; Wordsworth, The One Religion BL, 1881), 217-836. See also H.

Allon, Indwelling Christ, 108 ; . W. Church, Cathedral and University Sermons, 144; J. B. Lightfoot, Sermons in St. Paul's, 136; F. W. Robertson, Sermons, iii. 130, Human Race, 305; T. Binney, Sermons in King’s Weigh-house Chapel, ii. 79, 94, 106, 121. W. ApbAms Brown.