Often quoted by evangelical Christians, when justifying war, is the verse from the biography of Jesus of Nazareth, attributed to Saint Matthew known to most as the Gospel of Matthew.  It tells the reader that Jesus said, ‘You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed

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Certainly, these words have not become obsolete, and sadly will no doubt be true for the foreseeable future. It is estimated that 14 per cent of people in the world were within five kilometres of violent conflict in 2023, according to new data. Since 1800, more than 37 million people worldwide have died while actively fighting in wars. However, this figure is considerably higher if civilians are included.

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How can we, in our current world, justify such horrific figures?  Similar questions can also be asked as to why we have the means to irradicate poverty and curable diseases but fail to do so. Although the human condition has improved and we no longer live in caves, we are still infested with our primaeval desires based upon a need to survive at all costs regardless of others, if that is the only way to continue existence.

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Soon after they emerged as a species, humans learnt the need to work with each other to hunt or cultivate the land. Nevertheless, some were more dominant and sought to lead and take control of others. Perhaps this is where the notion of war began.

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Early in the evolution of ancient civilisations, it became clear that there needed to be rules governing such violent encounters. The consequence of not doing so could have resulted in the eradication of entire populations. Such a situation would have removed the means of labour to increase the community’s prosperity.

Modern thinking regarding such legislation comes from the writings of the Christian Theologian and Bishop Augustine of Hippo, writing in the third century of the Common Era, who wrote the book ‘The City of God’.

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Augustine is faced with a dilemma; Christianity has become the state religion of the Roman Empire.  Rome will soon fall and needs all able men to fight, the problem is that the newfound religion has created worshippers who are pacifists and will not take arms. He argues that not fighting for the Empire when faced with an enemy would be a sin. So, began the doctrine of the ‘Just War’.

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Certainly, Augustine is responding to the pressures of the State and the Emperor. The quotation from Matthew seems to give a basis for his reasoning, but it falls short of what we know of the teachings of Christ, which were contrary to violence.  It is one thing to have rules for a just war, but is war ever the correct way to deal with disagreements?