It is the zest of new life, the harmony of peace. God’s Spirit gives us what really is real- to on ontōs, to use Plato’s words. It is only the self-diffusing peace of God that gives reality to all that exists. Apart from the cool of the day-the refreshing presence of the Spirit of God-nothing is real. Apart from the Spirit of God nothing is real. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of life, of reality, and of peace. The Psalmist sings: “When thou lettest thy breath go forth they are made and thou renewest the face of the earth” (Ps. Peace was real in paradise because the Spirit was there, and reality is created by the powerful work of the Spirit of life. We are not surprised, therefore, that God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool ( ruakh) of the day-the wind, breath, or spirit of the day (3:8). When God breathes his breath or his Spirit, paradisal peace prevails, and new life springs up. When God first formed man of the dust of the ground, peace was real, for God himself breathed ( enephysēsen) the breath of life into Adam's nostrils (Gen. Real are the threats, the discord, the danger. Evening, locked doors, fear of the Jews (John 20:19)-all said one and the same thing: Peace is not real. Fear gripped their hearts as an uncertain world made them anxious, on the lookout for danger. As the frightful darkness of night settled upon them, they locked the doors, sheltering inside to try to keep safe from those who might hurt them. Peace definitely did not seem real for the disciples the evening after Christ's Resurrection. Our own families-yes, our own hearts-are out of sync, disjointed, at odds. But we need not look to faraway places to note how peace is disturbed.
The horrible war in Ukraine has woken many from a lengthy slumber, in which they dreamed that European peace would never end and that before long not just Europe but the whole world would live in harmony.