How did Paul come up with this particular greeting?
It is difficult to discern with certainty the precise origins of Paul’s greeting, but he seems to have been influenced by three sources: (a) the usual greeting was χαίρειν, which simply means greetings
; a small change would have led to the similar-sounding χάρις, which means grace
; (b) a common Jewish blessing formula read ἔλεος καὶ εἰρήνη, meaning mercy and peace
; (c) the standard Jewish greeting was shalom, meaning peace.
However Paul arrived at grace and peace,
the result is a distinctively Christian greeting in which grace
and peace
express some of the essential blessings of the gospel.1,2,3
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.