Names of Christ: Prince of Peace

We live in a crazy world. There are wars, tragedies, natural disasters, wickedness, conflict, and much more that can cause us to wonder if there ever will be peace on earth, as the angels declared: "On earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). However, through and in Christ, we can find peace.

The very first name of Christ that I'm focusing on is "Prince of Peace." This name can be found in Isaiah 9:6 in the New Testament, and it's also quoted in the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 19:6). As far as I know, these two references are the only uses of this particular name.

I used the LDS View version of WordCruncher, which contains an English Parallel Bible that gives you the original Hebrew and Greek text alongside the English translation, to research this name a little bit more. Here's what I found:

The name is pretty straightforward! The original Hebrew is śar-shālôm, which translates to "a head person (of any rank or class)" (śar) and "Jehovah (is) peace; Jehovah-Shalom, a symbolical name of an altar in Palestine" (shālôm). So it's pretty cool that not only does the name flat-out say that Jehovah is peace; it adds the idea that He is the head, the leader, the master of peace.

So then I wanted to investigate a little bit more. What exactly does peace mean when we're talking about Christ?

In the New Testament, Jesus tells his disciples, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).

But Jesus doesn't explicitly define what that peace feels like or what it entails, though He does mention that we should not be troubled or afraid. That seems to suggest that trouble and fear are not conducive to Jesus's peace; His peace can remove those negative feelings from our hearts, minds, and spirits. Other than that, He seems to leave the meaning of peace up to personal interpretation or experience. And indeed, the peace that I've felt in my heart at times is no better described than simply peace from Christ or sometimes just God's love.

Christ also mentions peace in John 16:33: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

To me, this verse speaks again to the notion that Christ's peace is a very specific kind of inner peace that we find only in Christ, though the world may be in tribulation. Furthermore, the peace that is mentioned in this verse gives perhaps a near-synonym, or at least an element, of Christ's peace: "good cheer." Not only does Christ's peace help our heart not be troubled or afraid--that is, not only does it remove those feelings--but it also fills that space with happiness.

The Guide to the Scriptures gives this description of peace: "In the scriptures, peace can mean either freedom from conflict and turmoil or the inner calm and comfort born of the Spirit that God gives to His faithful Saints." Personally, I think that the scripture mentioned above refers primarily to the latter part of this definition; Christ promised His disciples peace in the sense of "inner calm and comfort born of the Spirit that God gives to His faithful Saints."

In April 2017, President Henry B. Eyring gave an address based off John 14:27, entitled "'My Peace I Leave with You,'" in which he describes the various ways we can witness peace in our lives. At the conclusion of his remarks, he says:

"Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost will have a sanctifying and purifying effect on your spirit. You will then feel the peace the Savior promised to leave with His disciples. With that peace will come a bright hope and a feeling of light and love from the Father and His Beloved Son, who leads His kingdom on earth through revelation to His living prophet."

So that gave me some further insight about peace. We can receive peace through the companionship and comfort of the Holy Ghost. All of this, because of the Atonement that Jesus Christ fulfilled for the purification, sanctification, and salvation of man.

In September 2001, Elder Robert E. Wells offered this insight, as well:

"In the meridian of time, any expected Christ to take a political stand against Roman rule and offer peace to the oppressed people. Christ did indeed offer peace, but it was not external or political; rather, the peace Christ taught was internal and personal."

All of these sources seem to suggest one idea above the rest: Christ's peace is internal. It is something that happens inside of us. If that is the case (and I have a testimony that it is!), then the Prince of Peace can supersede the feelings of fear and trouble that come from the tribulations of the world and replace them with an inner peace that will calm our hearts and minds and reignite the conviction that, truly, there can be "on earth peace, good will toward men."

                  

Image from LDS.org