with a holy kiss: The kiss was a common way to greet another person in the ancient world and particularly among the Jews. It is mentioned frequently in the New Testament as a greeting (1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; see 1 Peter 5:14). By the second century AD, the kiss of peace became a regular part of Christian worship.