Young Kissing Girls

Kissing in some cultures is a symbol of respect as opposed to an expression of love, as when on certain occasions Anglo-Saxons would kiss the Bible. In earlier periods of Christianity or Islam kissing became a ritual gesture, and is still treated as such in certain customs, as when "kissing the Pope's foot, relics, or a bishop's ring." Crawley notes that it was "very significant of the affectionate element in religion" to give so important a part to the kiss as part of its ritual. In the early Church the baptized were kissed by the celebrant after the ceremony, and its use was even extended as a salute to saints and religious heroes, with Crawley adding, "Thus Joseph kissed Jacob, and his disciples kissed Paul. Joseph kissed his dead father, and the custom was retained in our civilization," as the farewell kiss on dead relatives, although certain sects prohibit this today.
A distinctive element in the Christian ritual was noted by Justin in the second century, now referred to as the "kiss of peace," and once part of the rite in the primitive Mass. Conybeare has stated that this act originated within the ancient Hebrew synagogue, and Philo, the ancient Jewish philosopher called it a "kiss of harmony," where, as Crawley explains, "the Word of God brings hostile things together in concord and the kiss of love." Saint Cyril also writes, "this kiss is the sign that our souls are united, and that we banish all remembrance of injury."
An early reference to kissing is contained in the familiar opening verse of the Old Testament book, Song of Solomon, an ancient Hebrew love poem: