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Summary
- No one named Irene appears in the Bible. The name is eirēnē, the Greek word for peace, which occurs 92 times in the New Testament.
- The risen Jesus greets his disciples with eirēnē hymin (John 20:19), and Paul opens all thirteen of his letters with a wish for grace and peace.
- Irene has no Hebrew form. The Septuagint uses eirēnē to translate the Hebrew shalom.
- In Greek religion Eirene was the goddess of peace, one of the Horae.
- Irene of Thessalonica was martyred in 304 for keeping copies of the Scriptures, and the island of Santorini is named after her.
- The empress Irene of Athens called the Second Council of Nicaea in 787, which restored the veneration of icons.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Behind the Name, “Irene,” and “Irenaeus,” with United States popularity figures from Social Security Administration data and rankings for Spain and Italy. https://www.behindthename.com/name/irene
- Bible Hub, Strong’s Greek 1515, eirēnē: occurrence count, Thayer’s lexicon on the greetings in John 20 and the apostolic letters, and HELPS Word-studies on the Septuagint’s use of the word for shalom. https://biblehub.com/greek/1515.htm
- Bible Hub, Matthew 5:9 interlinear (eirēnopoioi). https://biblehub.com/text/matthew/5-9.htm
- “Eirene (goddess)” and “Horae,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eirene_(goddess)
- “Irenaeus,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irenaeus
- “Agape, Chionia, and Irene,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agape,_Chionia,_and_Irene
- “Santorini,” Wikipedia, on the origin of the island’s name. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santorini
- “Irene Stefani,” Wikipedia, citing the Consolata Missionary Sisters. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_Stefani
- “Irene of Athens,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_of_Athens
- Scripture quotations: John 14:27; Romans 1:7, English Standard Version. John 20:19, King James Version. References: John 20:21, 26; Matthew 5:9.
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