The vision and path towards peace Pax Romana and Messianic peace in the Letter to the Ephesian and the Gospel of Luke

Abstract

This article examines the concepts of peace in the New Testament, as presented in the Letter to the Ephesians and the Gospel of Luke, in the context of the Roman Pax Romana. The analysis shows that neither text suggests a universal rejection of the Pax Romana; rather, they propose alternative forms of cultural interaction with Roman imperial discourse. The Letter to the Ephesians sets out a soteriologically based, ecclesiologically focused vision of peace, in which Christ is presented as the cosmic peacemaker. The overcoming of existing dualisms (Jews/Gentiles, far/near, strangers/citizens) functions as an indicator of current societal developments and potential conflicts. The Gospel of Luke primarily conceives of peace as an ongoing practice of discipleship and concrete realisation of Jesus’ teachings, emphasising a radical ethics of renouncing violence, including the marginalised, and loving one’s enemies. Both texts emerged in the aftermath of the Jewish War, developing dynamic counter-drafts to the Pax Romana through symbolic supplantation and ethical reorientation. The comparative analysis reveals two complementary strategies. The Letter to the Ephesians transforms imperial semantics into cosmos-based salvation symbolism, while Luke uses narrative contrasts and ethical radicalism as a means of prophetic criticism.