Peace as a Value Category in Biblical Discourse and its Relevance in the Modern Information and Communication Environment

Abstract

The article continues a series of publications devoted to the scientific study of the axiological discourse of the Bible as a unique media, carried out in the coordinate system of social communications and journalism, and presents the results of the study of peace as one of the fundamental value categories. The goal of this study is to find solid foundations of world order, the harmonization of social relations, and an understanding of the value category “peace,” which, under the conditions of modern challenges and threats, is a particularly acute and relevant problem. The novelty of this study lies in the fact that the problem of peace is considered through the prism of biblical narratives that the Bible, as a unique media, has been broadcasting for millennia. Since ancient times, these narratives have formed the moral and value foundations of human relationships and have served as a measure in determining good and evil. The study is carried out within the paradigm “truth – journalism – society.” The methodological basis is the socio-communication approach; within this approach, the system of biblical values, their structural elements, and interconnections are investigated using the methods of system-structural analysis. The informational aspects of value narratives are analyzed, and the cultural approach is used to consider the value system in the synchronic and diachronic sections of intercultural discourse. Using quantitative and qualitative content analysis, five subcategories of the category “peace” are identified; a spiritual (metaphysical) component is also revealed, allowing the category of “higher spiritual peace” to be defined as a vital state of a person and society. This state ensures the harmony of life and development and is one of its basic (fundamental) factors. It is concluded that peace is a fundamental category in the ontological-axiological system of the vital values of humanity; it forms the basis of journalistic ethics and the professional standards of journalism as a socially oriented professional activity. In the face of modern challenges and threats, the formation of a socially responsible, truth-centered position among future media professionals based on fundamental absolute values is one of the priority tasks of the educational and professional training of journalists.