Early Christianity and War. Platinum Guest Post by Daniel Kohanski
I am pleased to publish a new guest post by Platinum member Dan Kohanski, for all you Platinums. Here Dan treats a perennially important topic: how ancient people (including biblical authors) understood the legitimacy of war, particularly in light of their specific historical and cultural contexts. Dan will be happy to address questions and comments. Remember: you, too, can submit a Platinum post. It can be anything of any relevance to the blog. Have an idea? Send it along! ****************************** The history of how religions approach war is evidence that theology is a product of reaction to events rather than the application of eternal and unchanging laws. Look at the ancient Israelites, who lived in a period of endemic local wars, in which one petty kingdom after another (including those of the Israelites) made frequent attacks on their neighbors for territorial and monetary gain. Canaan was also the land bridge between Egypt and the empires of Mesopotamia. When those giants went to war, lesser nations such as Israel and Judah often became collateral damage. [...]