Shedding new light on a controversial and intriguing issue, this
book will reshape the debate on how the Judeo-Christian tradition
views the morality of personal and national self-defense. Are
self-defense, national warfare, and revolts against tyranny holy
duties-or violations of God's will? Pacifists insist these actions
are the latter, forbidden by Judeo-Christian morality. This book
maintains that the pacifists are wrong. To make his case, the
author analyzes the full sweep of Judeo-Christian history from
earliest times to the present, combining history, scriptural
analysis, and philosophy to describe the changes and continuity of
Jewish and Christian doctrine about the use of lethal force. He
reveals the shifting patterns of thought in both religions and
presents the strongest arguments on both sides of the issue. The
book begins with the ancient Hebrews and Genesis and covers Jewish
history through the Holocaust and beyond. The analysis then shifts
to the story of Christianity from its origins, through the Middle
Ages and the Reformation, up the present day. Based on this
scrutiny, the author concludes that-contrary to popular belief-the
legitimacy of self-defense is strongly supported by Judeo-Christian
scripture and commentary, by philosophical analysis, and by the
respect for human dignity and human rights on which both Judaism
and Christianity are based. Takes a multidisciplinary approach,
directly engaging with leading writers on both sides of the issue
Examines Jewish and Christian sacred writings and commentary and
explores how interpretations have changed over time Offers careful
analysis of topics such as the political systems of the ancient
Hebrews, the Papacy's struggle for independence, the ways in which
New England ministers incited the American Revolution, and the
effects of the Vietnam War on the American Catholic church's views
on national self-defense Covers the many sects that have played
crucial roles in the debate over the legitimacy of armed force,
including Gnostics, Manicheans, Lutherans, Calvinists, and Quakers
Engages with the ideas of leading Jewish philosophers such as Rashi
and Maimonides; Christian philosophers such as Origen, Augustine,
Aquinas, and Sidney; and the most influential modern exponents of
pacifism, such as Dorothy Day, the Berrigan Brothers, and John
Howard Yoder
General
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