From earliest Biblical times peace has stood out as the objective of perfect worship. Melchizedek, recognized by Abram as a priest of the true God, was king of Salem, known to us now as Jerusalem. And Salem means peace. Although the history of the Hebrews was often far from peaceful, the goal of the religion that brought forth the Messiah was peace.
It was fitting that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the message of the heavenly host which announced his birth was, "On earth peace, good will toward men."Luke 2:14; Centuries earlier, Isaiah had included in his prophetical description of the Messiah the name, "The Prince of Peace."Isa. 9:6;
Christ Jesus taught, and Christian Science reiterates his teaching, that the attaining of the kingdom of heaven is the ultimate purpose of Christian living; and heaven is a state of peace, of absolute harmony. Mary Baker Eddy gives this definition of "Kingdom of Heaven" in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," the textbook of Christian Science: "The reign of harmony in divine Science; the realm of unerring, eternal, and omnipotent Mind; the atmosphere of Spirit, where Soul is supreme."Science and Health, p. 590;
