The Holy Kiss

Apostles Peter and Paul greet each other as captives tied in ropes and about to be martyred in Rome. Tradition states they were killed in the same time proximity. Commiato dei santi Pietro e Paolo,by Alonzo Rodriguez (16th Century) Messina Museo Regionale.

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Multiple times in the New Testament (Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; and 1 Peter 5: 14) we are admonished to greet each other with a holy kiss. In those ancient days, members of the Church gave each other Middle Eastern kisses on the cheeks as a salutation. Although the practice can be found in the Old Testament (e.g., 1 Samuel 20:41; 2 Samuel 20:9), the kiss had a defining religious role in early Christian communities (see Penn, 2005, below).

After the deaths of the original Apostles, kissing developed into a complex tradition. An early Apostolic Constitution, a decree from the Pope, states: "[L]et the Deacon say to all, 'Salute ye one another with the holy kiss; and let the clergy salute the bishop, the men of the laity salute the men, the women the women' " (see: Apostolic Constitution, Book VIII, Section 2).

In very early centuries of the Christian church the holy kiss became an essential element of ordinances and sacraments. The holy kiss was given during the Eucharist; after prayers; to newly ordained Bishops; during marriage ceremonies; to the dying; and even to the dead (W. Smith & S. Cheetham, A Dictionary of Christian Antiquities, Vol. 2, 1880, London: John Murray, p. 902-906).

To those non-LDS Christians who insist upon following the Bible literally, I might respectfully ask: “Do you greet members of your Church with a holy kiss?” Actually, some conservative Mennonites and Amish have such a practice. Eastern Orthodox clergy sometimes use the kiss to greet each other. However, most Christian churches do not systematically engage in this method of greeting. Why?

Of course, this example of a holy kiss might be extreme, but it illustrates the necessity for modern-day Apostles & Prophets to give instruction consistent with the context of current times. Nowadays, a handshake will do. (And, I suppose one could argue that handshakes are Biblical too; see Galatians 2:9). If one attends an LDS meeting on Sundays, one must be prepared to shake a dozen or more hands. I appreciate that we LDS do NOT kiss one another in meetings. (However, I must admit that there might be some exceptions in LDS meetings outside of America).

Interestingly, Romans 16:16, which reads, "Salute one another with an holy kiss," is changed in the Joseph Smith Translation (JST), which replaces "kiss" with "salutation." Similar changes are found in the JST versions of 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, and 1 Thessalonians 5:26. The reference to a "kiss of charity" is unchanged in the JST 1 Peter 5:14. In any case, the JST appears to reject kissing as a standard greeting for the ages. I interpret this as a modern stance for Latter-day Saints, and NOT as a rejection of historical fact.

Salutations of any sort (kisses, handshakes, hellos) are important because it may be the only time during a day where one individual can acknowledge another as an individual. Salutations and greetings communicate, “I recognize you and I think you are important!” Such simple behaviors give a grand reality to the command: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

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For a thorough academic evaluation of the practice in ancient times, see: Michael Penn, Kissing Christians: Ritual and Community in the Late Ancient Church (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005).

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Copyright 2008 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] com; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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