• shalem and salaam are equivalent to the Hebrew word for peace: shalom

Examples:

1. Jerusalem = “the city of peace.”
2. Jews today greet each other a shalom alechum = “peace be with you.”

Is there a connection? Yes! Aramaic & Hebrew are both Semitic languages (closely related) – The meaning of the two words are virtually identical.

• Example: Jesus in his Aramaic vernacular would often greet people with shalama loch or “peace be with you.” Again, a form of shalem.

The word shalem has another meaning: “submit” or “surrender”

Example: When encountering strangers on the road during ancient times, one would open up their hands in a surrendering posture to show you that they mean no harm. “I come in peace,” or “I submit to your good will.”

• Where the West derives the salute/handshake & the Far East’s bow of submission.

The word shalem evolved to mean:   

1. greetings,
2. salute,
3. peace,
4. complete,
5. fulfill,
6. turn back,
7. surrender,
8. submit 

Example: In Matthew 10:23 Jesus said – “When they persecute you in this city, escape to another; for truly I say to you, that you shall not finish converting all the cities of the house of Israel, until the Son of man returns.” The word Shalem is used for "convert".

• The literal meaning was NOT; “give up your own religion & adopt ours.”
• A more accurate meaning is; “give up your sinful ways, turn and surrender yourself, in faith, to the one God.”

The 2nd example of (Aramaic) conversion:

Punaya:   Similar to shalem, used in KJV as convert.   Means:   “Turning” or “Restoring” (P’na)

• Use – Punaya is used most often in reference to Gentiles "Turning" away from Polytheism.

P’na:   A form of Punaya, but used mostly with Jews.

• Use – To tell Jews to turn back or be restored to the one true God (Restore Faith).

• Example: James 5:19-20 talks about “converting the sinner” and saving their soul. The Aramaic word used P’na = be restored from error.

Meaning: James wasn’t talking about convincing a non-Jew to become Jewish, or a non-Christian to become Christian.

• James was talking about helping troubled Jews return to the simplicity of submission to the one true God through Jesus.

1. The meaning possibly changed when Constantine declared Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire in AD 325. 
2. Or it might have happened before that time, with the human instinct to divide (us vs. them) "tribal mentality." 
3. May have been a linguistic mistake, or likely a combination of all three.

Conclusions:

• True conversion, which is something personal and transformational has evolved to become an outward institutional and cultural process