Christianity's Contribution to Just War Tradition

Abstract

Just war, the Western tradition of war, much like its people, is a product of a diverse cultural backdrop. While strong religious roots can be identified, it is not purely or uniquely a religious phenomenon. It cannot be reduced to a single source or interest of a particular class or institution or even to a particular time frame. Rather, a variety of ideas and institutions have played a role in shaping the Western approach to war. The donors include political, religious, legal, military, economic, philosophical and historical sources. While not discounting the broad variety of contributors, Christianity has played a major, if not the pivotal role, in the development of just war tradition.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 30, 1999
Accession Number
ADA363087

Entities

People

  • David A. Ahrens

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Chaplains
  • Christianity
  • Department Of Defense
  • Doctrine
  • Europe
  • Governments
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • Law
  • Military Tactics
  • New York
  • Political Systems
  • Religion
  • United States
  • Universities
  • War
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Strategic Security Studies