St. Augustine and the Theory of Just WarThe decline of the Roman Empire gave rise to two problems, which combined to form one of the most perplexing philosophical questions of late antiquity. On the one hand, Rome found itself under constant military threat as various tribes from the north and east encroached along its borders to fill the power vacuum left by the receding Empire. On the other hand, adherents to the Empire's new official faith - Christianity - found themselves without clear guidance as to what military roles their faith would permit; the death of the apostles left them without revelatory guidance, and the New Testament writings were not definitive on the subject. The question, then, became: "Can a Christian answer the empire's call to military duty and still answer a clear conscience before God?" Fifth-century philosopher, St Augustine of Hippo, sought to provide a solution to the two problems. His approach formed the foundation of the 'just war' tradition, which has had enormous influence upon moral-philosophical thought on military issues in the West ever since. This major new study identifies the fundamental Augustinian premises and evaluates them in light of historical, neo-Platonic, and Christian contexts. It also identifies the effect of the Augustinian legacy upon medieval and modern philosophical reflections on the nature of warfare and on how war might be waged justly and morally. |
From inside the book
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Page 12
... Empire and Early Medieval Europe' (PhD diss., University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 1995): 15. See Aristotle, Politics Book I 1256b21–5 in The Complete Works of Aristotle, vol. 2 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1985): 199. Also ...
... Empire and Early Medieval Europe' (PhD diss., University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 1995): 15. See Aristotle, Politics Book I 1256b21–5 in The Complete Works of Aristotle, vol. 2 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1985): 199. Also ...
Page 15
... Empire : [ W ] hen glory is the object of war , it must still not fail to start from the same righteous motives which I said ... were the only righteous grounds for going to war . But those wars which have The Historical and ...
... Empire : [ W ] hen glory is the object of war , it must still not fail to start from the same righteous motives which I said ... were the only righteous grounds for going to war . But those wars which have The Historical and ...
Page 19
... Empire and the Christian Church as conjoint agencies of salvation'.28 For Ambrose , the invasions which plagued the Empire in his day were evidence of ' divine indignation'29 against the religious heresies that were abroad in the Empire ...
... Empire and the Christian Church as conjoint agencies of salvation'.28 For Ambrose , the invasions which plagued the Empire in his day were evidence of ' divine indignation'29 against the religious heresies that were abroad in the Empire ...
Page 20
... empire , they facilitate the spread of Christianity , and they serve as retribution against those who war against the Empire , which now appears to have received the divine commission to spread – by war if necessary – the gospel of ...
... empire , they facilitate the spread of Christianity , and they serve as retribution against those who war against the Empire , which now appears to have received the divine commission to spread – by war if necessary – the gospel of ...
Page 23
... Empire's single greatest challenge.56 And since , as is so often the case in history , big problems seem to lend themselves to violent solutions , war was never far from being a reality – particularly in the form of civil war within the ...
... Empire's single greatest challenge.56 And since , as is so often the case in history , big problems seem to lend themselves to violent solutions , war was never far from being a reality – particularly in the form of civil war within the ...
Contents
1 | |
14 | |
3 Augustines JustWar Theory | 44 |
4 NeoPlatonism and the Augustinian Just War | 92 |
5 Christianity and the Augustinian Just War | 121 |
6 Augustines Theory and Beyond | 161 |
Bibliography | 180 |
Index | 191 |
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Common terms and phrases
Ambrose Amorites Ante-Nicene Fathers army Augus Augustine argues Augustine takes Augustine's just-war theory Augustinian authority Bainton barbarians bellum principle Book of Psalms Catholic cause Christ Christian Church Cicero Cirta citizens City of God claim comparative justice considered defence doctrine Donatist earthly city enemy evil example exists fact faith Fathers Faustus the Manichaean fight Gilson God’s Hence hierarchy History human Ibid injustice James Turner Johnson Jesus jus ad bellum jus in bello justified kind Letter Lord's Sermon Manichæan means merely moral Moses nation nature Neo-Platonic Nevertheless NPNF VII NPNFI Old Testament one’s pacifist Patristic writers peace philosophical Plato Plotinus political position Princeton problem Psalms punishment reason Reply to Faustus result right intention righteous Roman Empire Rome says Augustine Scriptures soldiers sovereign specifically temporal things tine tion Translated true justice ultimate University Press violence violent action virtue wage wars fought writings York