1 Peter 5:14

φιλήματι�. “A holy kiss” is ordered as a Christian greeting by St Paul in Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26. At first it was used as a personal greeting, but in the second century it became part of the Eucharistic service and is referred to by Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, the Apostolic Constitutions, Cyril of Jerusalem and Chrysostom. Afterwards it was used as a greeting in the services for Baptism, Marriage and Ordination.

εἰρήνη was the regular Hebrew greeting. Our Lord instructed His disciples to use it on arriving at a house, and Himself employed it when He appeared to them after the Resurrection. As a farewell greeting however the usual form was “depart in peace,” cf. Acts 16:36. St Paul uses it together with χάρις in the opening salutations of all his epistles, but his farewell greeting is usually χάρις. He does however use εἰρήνη in Ephesians 6:23 and εἰρήνη σοι occurs in 3 Jn 15.

ἐν Χριστῷ is a very favourite phrase of St Paul to denote the position of Christians as members of Christ, and the same idea has already been expressed by St Peter in 1 Peter 3:16 and 1 Peter 5:10. Such language evidently implies a full belief in the divinity of Christ.