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
Results 1-5 of 39
Page ix
... idea of a just war presupposes, and he brings to bear all of the philosophical tools at his disposal in an effort to resolve the tension. This volume aims to provide a comprehensive account of just-war thought as manifested in the ...
... idea of a just war presupposes, and he brings to bear all of the philosophical tools at his disposal in an effort to resolve the tension. This volume aims to provide a comprehensive account of just-war thought as manifested in the ...
Page 2
... idea of a just war is not an exclusively Western innovation. The ancient Chinese, the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Hindu of India, and others discussed the moral dimensions of war in writings that antedate anything in the Latin West ...
... idea of a just war is not an exclusively Western innovation. The ancient Chinese, the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Hindu of India, and others discussed the moral dimensions of war in writings that antedate anything in the Latin West ...
Page 3
... ideas about war. To this day, his synthesis is at the base of both Roman Catholic teaching and the teaching of the leading Protestant denominations. (Martin)27 St. Augustine is quite properly considered the founder of the Christian just ...
... ideas about war. To this day, his synthesis is at the base of both Roman Catholic teaching and the teaching of the leading Protestant denominations. (Martin)27 St. Augustine is quite properly considered the founder of the Christian just ...
Page 5
... ideas leads fairly to the assumption that Augustine's just-war statements arise from a consistent set of premises, which guide him to his conclusions; in other words, they reveal the presence of an underlying, if unstated, theory ...
... ideas leads fairly to the assumption that Augustine's just-war statements arise from a consistent set of premises, which guide him to his conclusions; in other words, they reveal the presence of an underlying, if unstated, theory ...
Page 6
John Mark Mattox. 51 separate out the intricately interrelated ideas that constitute what has come to be called the ... idea which is at home within his own thought ' . " Indeed , among his polemic excursions one finds expressions ...
John Mark Mattox. 51 separate out the intricately interrelated ideas that constitute what has come to be called the ... idea which is at home within his own thought ' . " Indeed , among his polemic excursions one finds expressions ...
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 |
Other editions - View all
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