REV JAMES CURRALL: The question my neighbour asked that got me thinking about peace

Food for Thought by Rev James Currall

This week, a friend asked me a question: “Are there no parts of our world at peace with neighbours?”

A seemingly simple question, but once I started to think about it, quite difficult to answer, especially when one considers the current focus on peace between Israel and the Palestinians or Russia and Ukraine (not to mention at least a dozen other disputes between neighbours around the world).

Peace has always been among humanity's highest values. In the first century BCE, Cicero wrote in his ‘Letters to Atticus’: “I prefer the most unjust peace to the justest war that was ever waged.”

In a similar vein, in the sixteenth century, Erasmus wrote: “The most disadvantageous peace is better than the most just war,” and in 1530, Martin Luther wrote: “Peace is more important than all justice; and peace was not made for the sake of justice, but justice for the sake of peace.”

In 1773 Benjamin Franklin wrote to Josiah Quincy: “There never was a good war or a bad peace.” and in 1931 Albert Einstein wrote: “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”

Yet, do we all understand the same thing by the word peace? In Western thought, it’s often viewed as an absence of dissension, violence, or war. It may also be seen as concord, harmony, or tranquillity. Peace, in Eastern thought, is also viewed as peace of mind or serenity.

Christians, Hindus and Buddhists see peace differently, as do pacifists and internationalists. Socialists, fascists and libertarians also have different perspectives.

In this diversity of meanings, peace is no different from other concepts like justice, freedom, equality, power, conflict, or class.

It is nothing new that powerful people have used empty promises of peace to manipulate others; the deceitful speak words of peace while secretly planning otherwise.

An example is found in the prophecy of Obadiah when he prophesies the downfall of the land of Edom. Edom was located along major trade routes, and their territory was rich in minerals, and the mountains made it easy to defend. As a result, Edom had excellent trade relations with surrounding nations and took pride in their strength, wealth, popularity, and wisdom. According to history, shortly after this prophecy, Edom was defeated.

The Nabateans, from Arabia, fooled the Edomites with a peaceful meeting. Once inside their borders, they attacked and destroyed Edom. Not only were they beaten, but they had also been deceived by an ally.

In the Old Testament, the primary Hebrew word for “peace” is shalom, and it refers to relationships between people, to

wholeness, health, and welfare and is often tied to a covenant or a promise.

It’s in this context that the phrase in the Book of Isaiah: “There is no peace for the wicked,” has passed into everyday speech.

You have probably also heard the term Shalom more commonly used as a form of greeting.

The term ‘peace’ (Greek eirene, from which the name Irene is derived) is used in the New Testament in at least five different ways: peace as the absence of war or chaos; peace as a good relationship among people; peace as a right relationship with God or with Christ; peace as a personal virtue or state of tranquillity or serenity; and finally, peace as part of a greeting formula as was the Jewish custom.

Speakers of Modern Israeli Hebrew use ‘shalom’ in greeting as a shortened form of a full, traditional greeting, shalom aleichem which means ‘peace be upon you’.

So as we hope and pray for peace in Israel and the Palestinian territories and in Russia and Ukraine, let us reflect on the wider meaning of peace in our relationships with each other, our neighbouring communities and countries, and also in our own hearts.

May peace be upon you.

Rev James Currall has recently retired as Episcopal Priest in charge of congregations in Sutherland and Easter Ross.

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