Archive Tag: history

Just War Part 3: Aquinas Builds

Augustine got the Just War ball rolling in the late 4th Century by outlining three kinds of wars he believed God’s people can support.  And his theories were not changed for the most part but instead grew in popularity among Catholics. Then along came Thomas Aquinas 900 years later, in… Read More

Just War Part 2: The Theory Of Augustine

In Augustine’s theory, three kinds of war were morally defensible: a defensive war against aggression, a war to gain just reparations for previous wrong, and a war to recover stolen property.(1) There may be biblical foundations for Augustine’s deciding only to accept these three kinds of wars, or to accept… Read More

Just War Part 1: The Times Of Augustine

I DON’T CARE ABOUT JUST WAR!! – you say.  I know you don’t.  I didn’t either until a friend of mine came out of the closet as a pacifist and I was forced- I mean, really, what choice did I have? – to study all this war stuff for myself.… Read More