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 38
Page ix
... important intersection between the postulates of ancient Greek (particularly Neo-Platonic) thought and Augustine's interpre- tation of Christianity, with which he found the Platonic tradition to be in some sense compatible. This ...
... important intersection between the postulates of ancient Greek (particularly Neo-Platonic) thought and Augustine's interpre- tation of Christianity, with which he found the Platonic tradition to be in some sense compatible. This ...
Page 8
... important connections that transform merely random observations into a philosophical system; and it is difficult to conceive that a philosophical mind of the stature of Augustine's operated merely on the basis of random observations ...
... important connections that transform merely random observations into a philosophical system; and it is difficult to conceive that a philosophical mind of the stature of Augustine's operated merely on the basis of random observations ...
Page 9
... important . The internal motivation must itself be just . Evidence of right intention might include the pursuit of peace negotiations to avoid war , the avoidance of potentially unreasonable demands , etc. A right intention would not ...
... important . The internal motivation must itself be just . Evidence of right intention might include the pursuit of peace negotiations to avoid war , the avoidance of potentially unreasonable demands , etc. A right intention would not ...
Page 10
... importance as to merit defence even in the face of seemingly over- whelming odds, a war that presents little or no hope of serving as a vehicle for obtaining satisfaction for just grievances is not morally justifiable. Proportionality ...
... importance as to merit defence even in the face of seemingly over- whelming odds, a war that presents little or no hope of serving as a vehicle for obtaining satisfaction for just grievances is not morally justifiable. Proportionality ...
Page 15
... importance about Cicero's ( and later Augus- tine's ) most fundamental views on war . It establishes , first and foremost , the Ciceronian premise that there exists , even for cases in which war is permissi- ble , a strong presumption ...
... importance about Cicero's ( and later Augus- tine's ) most fundamental views on war . It establishes , first and foremost , the Ciceronian premise that there exists , even for cases in which war is permissi- ble , a strong presumption ...
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