let us run toward the goal of peace

εἰρήνη, ης, ἡ (s. εἰρηνεύω; Hom.+; εἰρ. and related terms are common in astr. texts, e.g. Cat. Cod. Astr. IX/2 p. 173, 21; 175, 10)

① a state of concord, peace, harmony

ⓐ between governments opp. πόλεμος IEph 13:2. ἐρωτᾷ τὰ πρὸς εἰρήνην asks for terms of peace Lk 14:32 (cp. TestJud 9:7 αἰτοῦσιν ἡμᾶς τὰ πρὸς εἰρήνην; Anna Comn., Alex. 8, 5 ed. R. II p. 12, 17 τὰ περὶ εἰρήνης ἐρωτῶντες.—It is also poss. to transl. inquires about his health like ἐρωτ. [τὰ] εἰς εἰρήνην=שָׁאַל לְשָׁלוֹם 2 Km 8:10; 11:7; s. HThackeray, JTS 14, 1913, 389–99; Helbing, Kasussyntax 40); ἐν εἰ. εἶναι (Aristot., Mirabilia 119, 842a 2) be in peace, out of danger Lk 11:21. λαμβάνειν τὴν εἰ. ἔκ τινος take peace away fr. someth.=plunge it into a state of war Rv 6:4.—Ac 24:2. Of those who are fighting αἰτεῖσθαι εἰ. ask for peace (Anonym. Alex.-gesch. [II B.C.]: 151 Fgm. 1, 5 Jac.) Ac 12:20.

ⓑ harmony in personal relationships peace, harmony w. ὁμόνοια (Chrysipp.: Stoic. II 1076; Diod S 16, 60, 3; Dio Chrys. 21 [38], 14; 22 [39], 2; SIG 685, 13 [139 B.C.]; Jos., Ant. 4, 50) 1 Cl 60:4; 61:1; 63:2; w. πραΰτης 61:2; opp. ὀργή D 15:3; opp. μάχαιρα Mt 10:34, cp. Lk 12:51. συναλλάσσειν εἰς εἰ. pacify Ac 7:26; σύνδεσμος τῆς εἰ. Eph 4:3. βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης king of peace (as transl. of Salem; cp. Philo, Leg. All. 3, 79) Hb 7:2. Of the Christian community εἰ. ἔχειν have peace, rest (fr. persecution, as Ac 14:2 v.l.; for the phrase s. Diod S 11, 72, 1; cp. Jos., Bell. 2, 401) Ac 9:31; εἰ. βαθεῖα (Ath. 1, 3 [opp. διώκεσθαι]; s. βαθύς 3a) 1 Cl 2:2. ὁδὸς εἰρήνης the way of peace, that leads to peace Ro 3:17 (Ps 13:3; Is 59:8); Lk 1:79. μετʼ εἰρήνης peaceably (Diod S 3, 18, 7; Vi. Aesopi W 97 P. μετʼ εἰρήνης ζῆν; EpJer 2; 1 Esdr 5:2; 1 Macc 12:4, 52 al.; Jos., Ant. 1, 179; 8, 405) Hb 11:31; ποιεῖν εἰ. make peace (Hermocles [IV/III B.C.]: Anth. Lyr. II p. 250, 21 [p. 174, 21 Coll. Alex.=Athen. 6, 253e] πρῶτον μὲν εἰρήνην ποίησον, φίλτατε.—ἐπί τινα Iren. 4, 40, 1 [Harv. II 301, 9]) Ac 14:2 v.l.; Eph 2:15; οἱ ποιοῦντες εἰ. those who make peace Js 3:18. βούλεσθαι εἰ. (Pr 12:20) wish for peace 1 Cl 15:1. διώκειν strive toward peace (w. δικαιοσύνη, πίστις, ἀγάπη) 2 Ti 2:22; Gal 5:22; 1 Cl 22:5 (Ps 33:15). εἰ. διώκειν μετὰ πάντων strive to be at peace w. everyone Hb 12:14 (cp. Epict. 4, 5, 24 εἰ. ἄγεις πρὸς πάντας). τὰ τῆς εἰ. διώκειν strive after peace Ro 14:19; ζητεῖν εἰ. 1 Pt 3:11 (Ps 33:15); cp. 2 Cl 10:2. τὰ πρὸς εἰ. what makes for peace Lk 19:42. W. ἀσφάλεια 1 Th 5:3; w. ἀγάπη B 21:9; 1 Cl 62:2. ἀπέστη ἡ εἰ. peace has disappeared 1 Cl 3:4 (cp. δαίμονας … τὴν εἰ. ταράσσοντας Orig., C. Cels. 8, 73, 29). πρόσωπον εἰρήνης ἔχειν maintain a facade of peace Hv 3, 6, 3; εἰ. ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς have peace within one’s group 3, 5, 1.

ⓒ good order opp. ἀκαταστασία 1 Cor 14:33; cp. 7:15, and 1 Cl 20:1, 9ff.

② a state of well-being, peace

ⓐ corresp. to Hebr. שָׁלוֹם welfare, health (WCaspari, Vorstellung u. Wort ‘Friede’ im AT 1910, esp. p. 128ff) in a farewell greeting: ὑπάγειν ἐν εἰ. go in peace, approx. equiv. to ‘keep well’ Js 2:16; also πορεύεσθαι ἐν εἰ. (Judg 18:6 B; 2 Km 3:21) Ac 16:36; ὑπάγειν εἰς εἰρήνην Mk 5:34; πορεύεσθαι εἰς εἰ. (1 Km 1:17; 20:42; 29:7; Jdth 8:35) Lk 7:50; 8:48. προπέμπειν τινὰ ἐν εἰ. send someone on the way in peace 1 Cor 16:11 (cp. Vi. Aesopi I, 32 p. 297, 1 Eberh. ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἀπέστειλεν [αὐτόν]). ἐν εἰ. μετὰ χαρᾶς ἀναπέμψατε send back in peace w. joy 1 Cl 65:1. ἀπολύειν τινὰ μετὰ εἰρήνης send someone away w. a greeting of peace Ac 15:33 (cp. Gen 26:29; Jos., Ant. 1, 179). In the formula of greeting εἰ. ὑμῖν=שָׁלוֹם לָכֶם (cp. Judg 6:23; 19:20; Da 10:19 Theod.; Tob 12:17) Lk 24:36; J 20:19, 21, 26. εἰρήνη τῷ οἴκῳ τούτῳ peace to this house Lk 10:5; cp. vs. 6 (WKlassen, NTS 27, ’81, 488–506); Mt 10:12 v.l., 13 (on εἰ. ἐπί w. acc. cp. Is 9:7; Ps 84:9). In epistolary closure καὶ ἔστω μεθʼ ὑμῶν εἰρήνη peace be w. you AcPlCor 2:40.—A new and characteristic development is the combination of the Greek epistolary greeting χαίρειν with a Hebrew expression in the Pauline and post-Pauline letters χάρις καὶ εἰρήνη (s. χάρις 2c) Ro 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; Phil 1:2; Col 1:2; 1 Th 1:1; 2 Th 1:2; Tit 1:4; Phlm 3; Rv 1:4. (χάρις, ἔλεος, εἰρήνη) 1 Ti 1:2; 2 Ti 1:2; 2J 3. (χάρις καὶ εἰ.—or w. ἔλεος—πληθυνθείη, cp. Da 4:1; 4:37c LXX; 6:26 Theod.) 1 Pt 1:2; 2 Pt 1:2; Jd 2; 1 Cl ins; Pol ins; MPol ins; cp. Gal 6:16; Eph 6:23; 2 Th 3:16; 1 Pt 5:14; 3J 15; ISm 12:2; B 1:1 (χαίρετε ἐν εἰ.); to a degree, mng. 2b also is implied in this expr.

ⓑ Since, acc. to the prophets, peace will be an essential characteristic of the messianic kgdm. (εἰ. as summum bonum: Seneca, Ep. 66, 5), Christian thought also freq. regards εἰ. as nearly synonymous w. messianic salvation εὐαγγελίζεσθαι εἰ. proclaim peace, i.e. messianic salvation (Is 52:7) Ac 10:36; Ro 10:15 v.l.; Eph 2:17; τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς εἰ. 6:15. ἔχειν ἐν Χριστῷ εἰ. J 16:33; ἔχειν εἰ. πρὸς τὸν θεόν have peace w. God Ro 5:1 (on εἰ. πρός τινα cp. Pla., Rep. 5, 465b; X., Hiero 2, 11; Epict. 4, 5, 24; Jos., Ant. 8, 396). ἀφιέναι εἰ. leave peace τινί J 14:27a (cp. Orig., C. Cels. 8, 14, 20); same sense εἰ. διδόναι give or grant peace 14:27b; 2 Th 3:16b (so Is 26:12. Since Thu. 4, 19, 1; 21, 1 εἰ. διδόναι refers to granting of political peace). Hence εἰ. τοῦ Χριστοῦ the peace brought by Christ Col 3:15; εἰ. τοῦ θεοῦ Phil 4:7; ὁ θεὸς τῆς εἰ. (TestDan 5:2) Ro 15:33; 16:20; 2 Cor 13:11; Phil 4:9; 1 Th 5:23; Hb 13:20; ὁ κύριος τῆς εἰ. 2 Th 3:16a; αὐτός (i.e. ὁ Χριστός) ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν Eph 2:14 (cp. POxy 41, 27, where an official is called εἰρήνη πόλεως; sim. ἐπὶ τῆς εἰρήνης PAchm 7, 8; 104.—FCoggan, ET 53, ’42, 242 [peace-offering]; but s. NSnaith, ibid. 325f). ἐπαναδράμωμεν ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς εἰ. σκοπόν let us run toward the goal of peace 1 Cl 19:2.—2 Pt 3:14; (w. ζωή) Ro 8:6; (w. δόξα and τιμή) 2:10; (w. δικαιοσύνη and χαρά.—W. χαρά En 5:9; Philo, Leg. All. 1, 45) 14:17; 15:13; (πίστις, φόβος, ὑπομονή, μακροθυμία) 1 Cl 64:1. παιδεία εἰηρήνης ἡμῶν ἐπʼ αὐτόν 16:5 (Is 53:5). In prayer εἰς ἀγαθὰ ἐν εἰ. 60:3. Also Lk 2:29 and the angelic greeting ἐπὶ γῆς εἰ. peace on earth 2:14 are prob. to be classed here; cp. 19:38.—On peace as a gift of God cp. Epict. 3, 13, 12 εἰρήνη ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ κεκηρυγμένη διὰ τοῦ λόγου (=philosophy); Oenomaus in Eus., PE 5, 26, 5: it is the task of deities to establish and to promote εἰρήνη and φιλία; cp. the boasts of Isis in related terms, IAndrosIsis, Kyme.—HFuchs, Augustin u. d. antike Friedensgedanke 1926, 39–43; 167–223; WNestle, D. Friedensgedanke in d. antiken Welt: Philol. Suppl. 31, ’38; WvanLeeuwen, Eirene in het NT ’40; FBammel, Die Religionen der Welt und der Friede auf Erden ’57; on the word’s history, KBrugmann and BKeil, Εἰρήνη: Ber. d. Sächs. Ges. d. Wiss. 68, 1916 nos. 3 and 4; GKöstner, Εἰρήνη in d. Briefen des hl. Apostels, diss. Rome ’58; WEisenbeis, D. Wurzel שׁלם im AT, Beih. ZAW 113, ’69; RAC VIII 434–505 (lit.).—B. 1376. DELG. M-M. EDNT. TW. Spicq. Sv.