26. Ἀσπάσασθεκτλ.] an exhortation addressed like the preceding to the whole Church, and not only to those to whom the Ep. was directly sent, presumably the elders. Had any such restriction been intended, it could hardly fail to have been clearly notified, while any difficulty in the general application of the injunction owing to the use of τ. ἀδ. πάντας is met by the want of stress here attaching to πάντας (WSchm. p. 189), the whole phrase being practically equivalent to the more customary ἀλλήλους. Ἀσπάζομαι is of constant occurrence in the papyri for conveying the greetings at the end of a letter, e.g. P.Fay. 119, 25 ff. (c. 1./a.d.) ἀσπάζουἘπαγαθὸνκαὶτοὺςφιλοῦντεςἡμᾶςπρὸςἀληθίαν. ἐνφιλήματιἁγίῳ] ‘ with a kiss that is holy,’ as a token of friendship and brotherly love, cf. Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, in each case the attribute ἅγιον being added to bring out the true character of the φίλημα: see also 1 Peter 5:14 ἐνφιλήματιἀγάπης. The practice may have arisen from the customary mode of saluting a Rabbi, Wünsche Neue Beiträge p. 339; cf. also F. C. Conybeare in Exp. 4. 9. p. 460 ff. For the first mention of the ‘ kiss of peace’ as a regular part of the Christian service see Just. M. Apol. 1:65 ἀλλήλουςφιλήματιἀσπαζόμεθαπαυσάμενοιτῶνεὐχῶν, and for full particulars of its liturgical use see art. ‘ Kiss’ in Smith’ s D.C.A., and Hauck RE.3 6. p. 274. In some parts of Greece the Easter-greeting (Χριστὸςἀνέστη) is still accompanied by the brotherly kiss.