Former Pastor Michael Omojo now Abdulrahman was delivering a lecture at ACADIP Mowe lecture early this morning when he made reference to a verse of the New Testament which states thus:
Romans 16:16 Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.
Funny enough, this is not the only reference in the Bible where such can be seen. Please read
1 Corinthians 16:20 All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss.
2 Corinthians 13:12 Greet one another with an holy kiss.
1 Peter 5:14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
1 Thessalonians 5:26 Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.
When Muslim speakers do say that Paul’s teachings contradict that of Jesus Christ, is this not a clear proof of such contradictions? Jesus greeted or saluted thus:
John 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
Luke 24:36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
Luke 10:5 And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.”
John 20:19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
John 20:21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.
John 20:26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!“.
WAS THIS MODE OF GREETING EVER PRACTISED BY JESUS? …NO
Why then is Paul instructing Christians to do something Jesus never taught, practiced or instructed? Who inspired Paul to give such instruction Jesus never approved for his disciples nor his followers?
There are some evidences from the writings of Justin Martyr that the exchange of a kiss was a normal part of the Eucharist celebration.
Having ended the prayers, we salute one another with a kiss. There is then brought to the president of the brethren bread and a cup of wine mixed with water; and he taking them, gives praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and offers thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy to receive these things at His hands. And when he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all the people present express their assent by saying Amen. (I Apol.65.2).
The writings of the early church fathers speak of the holy kiss, which they call “a sign of peace”, which was already part of the Eucharistic liturgy, occurring after the Lord’s Prayer in the Roman Rite and the rites directly derived from it. St. Augustine, for example, speaks of it in one of his Easter Sermons:
Then, after the consecration of the Holy Sacrifice of God, because He wished us also to be His sacrifice, a fact which was made clear when the Holy Sacrifice was first instituted, and because that Sacrifice is a sign of what we are, behold, when the Sacrifice is finished, we say the Lord’s Prayer which you have received and recited. After this, the ‘Peace be with you’ is said, and the Christians embrace one another with the holy kiss. This is a sign of peace; as the lips indicate, let peace be made in your conscience, that is, when your lips draw near to those of your brother, do not let your heart withdraw from his. Hence, these are great and powerful sacraments
{SERMON 227, The Fathers of the Church,(1959), Roy Joseph Deferrari, Genera editor, Sermons on the Liturgical Seasons, vol. 38, p. 197. See also: Sermon 227 in The Works of Saint Augustine: A New Translation for the 21st Century, (1993), Vol. 6, part, 3, p. 255. ISBN1-56548-050-3)
Augustine’s Sermon 227 is just one of several early Christian primary sources, both textual and iconographic (i.e., in works of art) providing clear evidence that the “kiss of peace” as practiced in the Christian liturgy was customarily exchanged for the first several centuries, not mouth to cheek, but mouth to mouth (note that men were separated from women during the liturgy) for, as the primary sources also show, this is how early Christians believed Christ and his followers exchanged their own kiss. For example, In his Paschale carmen (ca. 425-50), Latin priest-poet Sedulius condemns Judas and his betrayal of Christ with a kiss thus, “And leading that sacrilegious mob with its menacing swords and spikes, you press your mouth against his, and infuse your poison into his honey? “The kiss of peace was known in Greek from an early date as eirḗnē (εἰρήνη) (“peace”, which became pax in Latin and peace in English).The source of the peace greeting is probably from the common Hebrew greeting shalom; and the greeting “Peace be with you” is similarly a translation of the Hebrew shalom aleichem. In the Gospels, both greetings were used by Jesus – e.g. Luke 24:36; John 20:21, 20:26. The Latin term translated as “sign of peace” is simply pax (“peace”), not signum pacis (“sign of peace”) nor osculum pacis (“kiss of peace”). So the invitation by the deacon, or in his absence by the priest, “Let us offer each other the sign of peace”, is in Latin: Offerte vobis pacem (“Offer each other peace” or “Offer each other the peace”).
The practice remains a part of the worship in traditional churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Orthodox churches, Oriental Orthodox churches; some liturgical mainline Protestant denominations; and Spiritual Christian, where it is often called the kiss of peace, sign of peace, Holy kiss or simply peace or pax; It is practiced as a part of worship in many Anabaptist heritage groups including Old German Baptist Brethren, and Apostolic Christian.
Who are Christians really followers of… Jesus or Paul? Are we to greet saying ‘Peace be Unto You’ as Jesus instructed or greet by Kissing each other mouth to mouth?
Funsho Animashaun @ Knowislam.com.ng
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