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| kiss of peace | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kiss of peace |
| Type | Religious liturgical greeting |
| Main locations | Christianity |
| Earliest date | Early Christianity |
kiss of peace The kiss of peace is an ancient liturgical and communal greeting practiced in various Christian traditions, functioning as a symbol of reconciliation, communion, and fellowship. Rooted in scriptural injunctions and early patristic practice, it evolved across continents, rites, and historical contexts to take diverse ceremonial forms from the Roman basilicas of Constantine I to the monasteries of Benedict of Nursia and the missionary churches of Saint Patrick. Its rituals intersect with developments in First Council of Nicaea, Council of Chalcedon, and later Council of Trent liturgical reforms.
Early terminology for the kiss derives from Latin and Greek sources attested in the writings of Tertullian, Origen, and Athanasius of Alexandria, with Latin phrases appearing in sacramentaries associated with Pope Gregory I and Greek terms preserved in manuscripts from Constantinople. Medieval glossaries compiled in the scriptoriums of Chartres and Cluny Abbey reflect variations that circulated through Carolingian Renaissance reforms and the liturgical standardizations that influenced the Gregorian Sacramentary and later compilations associated with Thomas Aquinas. In the Eastern tradition, Syriac and Coptic liturgical books used terms transmitted via networks connecting Antioch and Alexandria.
Scriptural precedents are found in epistolary passages of Paul the Apostle in letters addressed to the communities of Rome, Corinth, and Thessalonica, which early exegetes such as John Chrysostom and Augustine of Hippo read as normative for communal greeting. The practice was debated among early church figures including Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria, and appears in normative rubrics emerging from synods in Nicomedia and correspondence involving Cyprian of Carthage. Patristic homilies from Eusebius of Caesarea and monastic rules associated with Basil of Caesarea and Macarius of Egypt show how scriptural models were translated into ritual gestures.
Across the Byzantine Empire the kiss took forms embedded in court and ecclesial ceremonial, interacting with the ceremonial manuals produced under emperors such as Justinian I and ecclesiastical authors linked to Hagia Sophia. In Latin Christendom the rite was incorporated into the mass of the Roman rite and regional usages documented in the liturgies of Santiago de Compostela, Milan, and Sarum. Missionary expansion carried local customs to Canterbury, Kiev, Ethiopia, and Goa, where the rite adapted to indigenous practices noted by observers connected to Francis Xavier and Eusebio Kino. Reformation debates involving Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Thomas Cranmer produced divergent treatments in Lutheran, Reformed, and Anglican contexts, while Catholic responses after the Council of Trent sought rubrical clarity.
In Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox liturgies preserved in patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, and Antioch, the kiss commonly occurs as the "holy kiss" between clergy and laity and among bishops during gatherings tied to the Holy Synod. Roman Catholic liturgical books from Pope Pius V onward formalized a gesture often conducted as a sign of peace within the Mass, with variations in national episcopal conferences such as those of France, Poland, and Brazil. Anglican use ranges from the medieval Sarum tradition through the reforms of Elizabeth I and later Anglo-Catholic revivalists like John Henry Newman, while Lutheran services in regions influenced by Saxony and Sweden retained a modified exchange. Protestant communities influenced by Methodism and Anabaptism developed distinct expressions or omitted the rite entirely.
The kiss operated as a communicative practice across social strata, intersecting with court ceremonial in Constantinople and Rome, communal life in monastic networks such as Cluny and Mount Athos, and civic rituals in medieval urban centers like Florence and Bruges. Artistic representations appear in mosaics of Ravenna, frescoes of Giotto, and illuminated manuscripts from Chartres Cathedral workshops, while literary references surface in works by Dante Alighieri, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Rabelais. Diplomatic and confraternal uses connected the gesture to guild ceremonies in Lübeck and fraternal orders documented in archives linked to Guildhall, influencing social bonds and mechanisms of reconciliation evident in legal documents from Magna Carta-era England to Iberian councils.
The rite's public practice diminished or transformed amid concerns over decorum, contagion, and theological disputes during periods such as the Black Death and the Spanish Flu, prompting liturgical suspensions referenced in episcopal correspondence from Avignon and registers of Canterbury Cathedral. Controversies over gender, clerical discipline, and ecumenical sensitivity arose in debates at gatherings including the World Council of Churches and national synods in Vatican II-era reforms. Contemporary adaptations range from localized gestures endorsed by episcopal conferences in Germany and Argentina to ecumenical experimentation in settings associated with Taizé and WCC. Health crises and liturgical renewal movements continue to shape whether communities retain a kiss, replace it with a handshake or bow, or reframe it through catechesis promoted by institutions like Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.