When the Hebrew of the Old Testament came in contact with the Greek world after Alexander the Great (c.323 B.C.), the text was translated into a version of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint (so-called for the seventy translators who worked on the project). When used as a greeting or as a blessing (as it was and is used by Hebrew speakers) it conveys the notion that one is wishing all good things to the person addressed (2 Sam 15:9). 11:7 18:29), harmony among friends and family members (Zech. It can mean general prosperity or well-being (Gen. Shalôm is used in many different ways in the Old Testament. Literally, it means “to be complete or whole” (Mauro Rodriguez, New Catholic Encyclopedia, 11, 37). In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for peace is shalôm. It is not surprising then that the concept of peace needs a similar treatment. Lewis shows some of the complexity and depth associated with the many relationships that we refer to as “love.” Benedict XVI carried on this tradition in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est.

For example, in his classic The Four Loves, C.S. Most of the important concepts in our language are so profound that they must be carefully analyzed and studied to be even partially understood.

Such a multiplicity of views can disorient anyone who is seriously attempting to understand, advance, or maintain peace.īut such complexity is not surprising. Other versions have proliferated over the years: “If you want peace, study war” “If you want peace, work for peace” “If you want peace, end poverty” “If you want peace, defend life” and “If you want peace, you have to fight.” My personal favorite, because I believe it is closest to the heart of the matter, is Paul VI’s famous dictum: “If you want peace, work for justice.” This collection of seemingly contradictory slogans attests to a vast array of ideas and conceptions of what peace is and how it should be pursued. 385 AD): “ Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum” (If you want peace, prepare for war). Consider the numerous endings to the phrase “if you want peace…” as in “if you want peace, stop fighting.” The first and most famous use of this phrase is from Epitoma Rei Militaris by Vegetius (c. Have you ever noticed how many slogans there are about peace? Perhaps no other word in our English language (save love) is more susceptible to sloganeering, and thus misunderstanding.

What is the opposite of peace