Churches and religious groups have often been engaged in conflicts around religious or political issues. However, the resulting theologies can claim only limited success conciliating strife, avoiding violence, arresting war, and promoting peace. Inasmuch as violence and war presently seem to be proliferating, if theology would respond to these worrying trends effectively it needs to begin by addressing its own hermeneutical and historical shortcomings. This is a crucial ‘first step’ for religious communities devoted to fostering a more peaceable world. To this end, our panel hopes to engage with a range of hermeneutical challenges that bear upon theological approaches to the achievement of ‘just peace’. We seek to spur dialogue between various fields and areas of research that might fruitfully intersect with the role of Scripture and theology in the quest to establish ‘just peace’. We also invite papers dealing with theology and the interpretation of scripture more generally, including joint-papers given by a biblical scholar and theologian together, as well as papers considering the relationship between other fields of study and biblical hermeneutics.Session 1: Historical Insights on Just PeaceChair: Maria Helena Guerra Pratas (Instituto Superior de Educação e Ciências) Speakers:Jacob Astudillo (Umeå University), The Virtues of Peace. The Good Judge in Thomas Aquinas’s Commentary on the Book of IsaiahIvana Noble (Charles University Prague), Hope, Empathy and Just Peace in the Christ-Centered Vision of Jan HusStefan Silber (University of Vechta), “War Never Again!” The critical re-reading of scripture and tradition in the documents, statements, and the praxis of Pope Francis on just peaceSession 2: Biblical Accounts of Just PeaceChair: Tomas Bokedal (NLA University College / University of Aberdeen)Speakers:Jan Mart Luteijn (Evangelische Theologische Faculteit Leuven), A justified flight or a peaceful stay?Tim Noble (Charles University), What Makes a House Worthy? Just Peace and criteria for inclusion and exclusionWillibald Sandler (Universität Innsbruck), Just Peace in the Sermon on the Mount. A Kairological Approach for Understanding and PracticeMarcel V. Măcelaru (“Aurel Vlaicu” University of Arad), Biblical Imaginaries of Just Peace: A Case of Prophetic HermeneuticSession 3: Contextual Approaches to Just PeaceChair: Nikolaos Asproulis (Volos Academy for Theological Studies)Speakers:Chung-Hyun Baik (Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary (PUTS)), A Hermeneutical Diversity between the Gospel and Just Peace for the South-North Korea Reunification in the Context of the Korean PeninsulaArttu Mäkipää (Evangelical Theological Faculty Leuven), Justice and Peace in Conflict Settings: A Chicken and Egg Problem?Drew T. Everhart (University of St Andrews), Repairing Peace: Reparations in the Bible and Racial InjusticeSession 4: Systematic Dimensions of Just PeaceChair: Elisabeth Maikranz (Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg) Speakers:Arnold Huijgen (Protestant Theological University), Hell as Challenge of Eternal Just PeaceHans Burger (Theological University Kampen), Peace with the non-human creation. The ecological crisis as a case for hermeneuticsDavid Stuart (University of St Andrews), Beyond Polarization: Penultimate Hermeneutics and the Necessity for Dialogue in Polarized Relations