This is Part 3 in a continuing series about the presence of what today we call nonviolence as a central value, ethic, belief, and commandment taught throughout the early history of Christianity. Part 1 covered up until the mid-Second Century. Part 2 covered from there up until the end of the Third Century. This article picks up with the Fourth Century, that is 301 AD/CE until 400 AD/CE.
Here we continue to see the doctrine of Christ that teaches us to abandon all violence and war is carried into the next century as Christian leaders continue to preach against paganism and prove the superiority of Christianity through its embrace of nonviolence. Martin of Tours provides a marvelous example of exactly what a Christian should do if ever he (or she) is forced into military service. Athanasius teaches that the way you can tell the difference between a true Christian and an idolater is how they approach violence and war, accurately pointing out the true source of all ideologies that promote contention and conflict. Likewise, the great Christian orator John Chrysostom draws the dividing line between Christian sheep and the savage wolves of the world. And no less than the Council of Nicaea and the Christian manual The Testament of Our Lord both outline the exact punishments to be levied against Christians who engage in military violence or who willfully join the military. Along the way the Latter-day Saint can find direct relationships between the teachings of these ancient Christians and the modern teachings of our church.
The Fourth Century AD/CE
Arnobius the Elder was a Christian convert who, in the early Fourth Century set out to write a text which would correct the errors people had about Christians while proving the superiority of Christianity to paganism. The final outcome of this was The Seven Books of Arnobius Against the Heathen, and the quote below comes from Book 1, Section 6 in which Arnobius explains why the Christian doctrine of nonviolence makes it superior to the various pagan doctrines of justified violence and war:
For since we, a numerous band of men as we are, have learned from His teaching and His laws that evil ought not to be requited with evil, that it is better to suffer wrong than to inflict it, that we should rather shed our own blood than stain our hands and our conscience with that of another, an ungrateful world is now for a long period enjoying a benefit from Christ, inasmuch as by His means the rage of savage ferocity has been softened, and has begun to withhold hostile hands from the blood of a fellow-creature. But if all without exception, who feel that they are men not in form of body but in power of reason, would lend an ear for a little to His salutary and peaceful rules, and would not, in the pride and arrogance of enlightenment, trust to their own senses rather than to His admonitions, the whole world, having turned the use of steel into more peaceful occupations, would now be living in the most placid tranquility, and would unite in blessed harmony, maintaining inviolate the sanctity of treaties.
It seems like everyone has a scheme for peace. Some imagine that if they can just achieve some magical formula of thinking, speaking, and acting then everybody will love them and all social discord would cease. Some imagine if they could just control all material wealth and distribute it according to their infinite wisdom then all desire for wealth will cease and with it the conflict caused by greed. Some imagine if they could but impose their will through might – whether that be the threat of their own personal violence locally or the threat of superior military violence against those abroad – then that will create peace. All these are hubris and speak to the arrogance of man and his ignorance about the true source of violence and hatred – our fallen natures. There is no magical formula in the world that will create peace or keep you safe. And to waste time on them is a waste of resources and life. The only source of peace is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ because it converts people to the only course which will end violence and war by commanding them to always abstain from killing. That is the only way the Natural Man and his “rage of savage ferocity” can be soothed. And the more one is converted to Christ the more one converts his swords into plowshares, or her AR-15 into trowels and shovels, and refuses to cause harm to any other person or to comply with anyone who would order him to do so. Arnobius understood that the Christian’s total abandonment of violence no matter its justification is the only path to Peace in the world.
Martin of Tours is an example of Arnobius’s instruction and Christ’s commandments in action. Martin was born to pagan parents, and was forced to join the Roman military because of his social station and family heritage. At age 20 he was baptized a Christian. His biographer, Sulpicius Severus, wrote that for two years afterwards, Martin continued to officially be a soldier, though he did so only in name as he refrained from some of the worst, more violent parts of military life, in accordance to the instructions of Hippolytus of Rome centuries before. When an invasion threatened the borders of the empire and the emperor called the legions into action, promising them a large cash gift called a donative in victory, Sulpicius tells us that Martin responded:
Hitherto I have served you as a soldier. Allow me now to become a soldier to God. Let the man who is to serve thee receive thy donative. I am the soldier of Christ, it is not lawful for me to fight.
The Life of Saint Martin of Tours, pg.12
The Emperor reacted to this by accusing Martin of cowardice in the face of battle, to which Martin responded:
If this conduct of mine is ascribed to cowardice, and not to faith, I will take my stand unarmed before the line of battle tomorrow, and in the name of the Lord Jesus, protected by the sign of the cross, and not by shield or helmet, I will safely penetrate the ranks of the enemy.
ibid. pg. 12
Instead, Martin is imprisoned. Sulpicius then gives us this explanation of what happens next:
On the following day, the enemy sent ambassadors to treat about peace and surrendered both themselves and all their possessions. In these circumstances who can doubt that this victory was due to the saintly man? It was granted him that he should not be sent unarmed to the fight. And although the good Lord could have preserved his own soldier, even amid the swords and darts of the enemy, yet that his blessed eyes might not be pained by witnessing the death of others, he removed all necessity for fighting. For Christ did not require to secure any other victory in behalf of his own soldier, than that, the enemy being subdued without bloodshed, no one should suffer death.
ibid., pgs. 12-13
Martin understood two things crystal clearly. As a Christian his loyalty to Christ surpassed all national or patriotic loyalties or oaths. In the conflict between those and Christ, the winner would always be Christ. Therefore Martin chose to engage in what we today would call noncompliance and noncooperation – he refused to obey the lawful orders of the emperor because they were immoral. Secondly, Martin understood that the commandments demanded that he neither harm nor kill any other, even his enemy who would happily murder him. Then he had the faith to act on what he knew, to trust God to grant him victory without ever having to harm anyone or engage in any act of violence. His faith is fulfilled when God moves the hearts of the invader and they sue for peace. Martin of Tours understood the truths that President Spencer W. Kimball taught when he promised us that if we are righteous the Lord will either not let any battle come upon us or He will fight our battles for us and that Elder Dieter Uchtdorf taught powerfully a few years ago:
As His covenant people, we need not be paralyzed by fear because bad things might happen. Instead, we can move forward with faith, courage, determination, and trust in God as we approach the challenges and opportunities ahead.
We do not walk the path of discipleship alone. “The Lord thy God … doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
“The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
In the face of fear, let us find our courage, muster our faith, and have confidence in the promise that “no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.”
Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear
When our God is so great, so powerful, what fears need we have? He has told us how He wishes us to live. The only question is if we have the faith of Martin of Tours, to do what he did, to do what the Lord’s prophets have asked with trust in their promises. Will we walk the Gospel Path with feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace and refusing to comply with evil or will we embrace violence?
Athanasius of Alexandria is another one of the most influential men in traditional Christianity. His writings against the Arians, a branch of Christianity which held that Christ was a being created by the Father and not an eternally existing divine being in and of Himself, were massively influential in the direction towards which Christian theology would develop. His work On The Incarnation of the Word of God is still considered one of the classic, foundational texts of Orthodox theology. In Chapter 8, Section 52 of that work he explains one of the key differences between paganism and Christianity:
The barbarians of the present day are naturally savage in their habits, and as long as they sacrifice to their idols they rage furiously against each other and cannot bear to be a single hour without weapons. But when they hear the teaching of Christ, forthwith they turn from fighting to farming, and instead of arming themselves with swords extend their hands in prayer. In a word, instead of fighting each other, they take up arms against the devil and the demons, and overcome them by their self-command and integrity of soul. These facts are proof of the Godhead of the Savior, for He has taught men what they could never learn among the idols.
It is also no small exposure of the weakness and nothingness of demons and idols, for it was because they knew their own weakness that the demons were always setting men to fight each other, fearing lest, if they ceased from mutual strife, they would turn to attack the demons themselves. For in truth the disciples of Christ, instead of fighting each other, stand arrayed against demons by their habits and virtuous actions, and chase them away and mock at their captain the devil. Even in youth they are chaste, they endure in times of testing and persevere in toils. When they are insulted, they are patient, when robbed they make light of it, and, marvelous to relate, they make light even of death itself, and become martyrs of Christ.
Note: I separated the above into two paragraphs.
Athanasius makes some incredible observations here. First, the pagans are driven to hatred, violence, and slaughter by their idols which teach them to fight and kill one another. He understands well the Savior’s teaching that contention is of the Devil, who is the Father of All Contention. Secondly, conversion to Christianity transforms the man or woman so convert, such that they immediately cast down their weapons of war and turn to farming, here echoing Lord’s promise of peace in Isaiah 2:4. Unlike the savage and aggressive pagans, Christians are chaste, patient, peaceful, nonviolent, and do not get upset about robbery or even death. With this simple test we can tell the difference between what Dr. Carl Jung called merely creedal Christians and truly religious Christians.
Creedal Christians are those who will shout the name of Jesus and will share every Jesus meme they come across, but also have no problem killing others, destroying entire civilizations, and justifying the slaughter of war and feel righteous in doing so. These so-called Christians are just Latter-day Pagans, savagely worshipping in the name of their idol – whether that idol be named Moloch, Culture, Family, Home, or Country. Truly religious Christians will abandon all these things, placing Him and His commandments before all people, all places, all loyalties, all loves – before everyone and everything. For them it is the Kingdom of God or Nothing, and there is no looking back for fear that they too will be like Lot’s wife. But here is a simple test to discover who is a true Christian and who is not – Who or what will they kill for? If it is anything at all then that is their idol.
The Council of Nicaea, depending on your branch of Christianity, is either famous or infamous for promulgating what will eventually become the doctrine of the Trinity. What is less known by most is that it also produced twelve canons that were essentially statements of doctrines and rites that all the branches of Christendom (Eastern, Western, and Coptic) could mutually agree upon. In this context, Canon 12, dealing with what to do with Christians who return to military service after abandoning it upon conversion, is instructive:
As many as were called by grace, and displayed the first zeal, having cast aside their military girdles, but afterwards returned, like dogs, to their own vomit, (so that some spent money and by means of gifts regained their military stations); let these, after they have passed the space of three years as hearers, be for ten years prostrators. But in all these cases it is necessary to examine well into their purpose and what their repentance appears to be like. For as many as give evidence of their conversions by deeds, and not pretence, with fear, and tears, and perseverance, and good works, when they have fulfilled their appointed time as hearers, may properly communicate in prayers; and after that the bishop may determine yet more favourably concerning them. But those who take [the matter] with indifference, and who think the form of [not] entering the Church is sufficient for their conversion, must fulfil the whole time.
To fully understand what this is saying we have to understand some Catholic terminology, specifically what a hearer and a prostrator are, the definitions of which will come from The Moveable Feasts, Fasts, and Other Annual Observances of the Catholic Church by Catholic priest and educator Alban Butler, pages 190-191. A hearer is someone who was allowed into the church to hear the preaching of the sermon but were not allowed to take part in any rites or prayers, had to stand at the back of the church, and were made to leave immediately after the sermon ended. Prostrators were allowed to be part of the body of believers during the service and were allowed to be blessed by the priest, but they had to remain kneeling or laying prostate on the ground for the entire sermon and had to leave with the hearers at the end of the sermon. Neither of them were considered communicates and therefore were not allowed to take part of the Holy Communion/Eucharist/Sacrament.
So, if a Christian joined the military, or rejoined it as the case may be, they were disfellowshipped from the church for the space of at least three years but could extend for as much as thirteen years or longer, depending on how repentant they were of their sins. Even at this late stage in Christian history, when so much doctrine was in flux and changing, with so many debates and arguments that left unsettled would eventually fracture Christianity permanently and the sides already forming, all could agree that serving in the military was a sin for a Christian. That is not even counting whether they actually carried out some act of violence or not, which could incur their own additional penalties as Alban explains on pages 192-193. As a side note, imagine if all the Christian churches who claim to believe in the Nicaean Creed actually enforced the canons adopted at Nicaea. It would be a very different world if the 2 billion Christians in it, fully one quarter of the world’s population, refused to fight in any war.
The Testament of Our Lord, a Fourth or Fifth Century manual designed to direct Christian priests in how they should conduct every rite of the church, contains this teaching concerning those seeking baptism:
If any one be a soldier or in authority, let him be taught not to oppress or to kill or to rob, or to be angry or to rage and afflict any one. But let those rations suffice him which are given to him. But if they wish to be baptized in the Lord, let them cease from military service or from the [post of] authority, and if not let them not be received.
Let a catechumen or a believer of the people, if he desire to be a soldier, either cease from his intention, or if not let him be rejected. For he hath despised God by his thought, and leaving the things of the Spirit, he hath perfected himself in the flesh, and hath treated the faith with contempt.
Testament of Our Lord, pg. 118
Here not only are those wishing baptism ordered to quit serving in the military but they are ordered to abandon offices of political authority! If they will be rejected. The same is true for catechumens, Christians already preparing for baptism or those who had been baptized who awaited confirmation. If you joined the military or accepted political office you were rejected by the Church, all across Christendom. The only way you could be a Christian and hold political office was if you didn’t oppress, rob, or kill anyone with its power. Well, there goes the modern State as it is founded on using violence to compel obedience and rob the public through taxation.
John Chrysostom is considered to be one of the greatest Christian orators in the ancient world, which is where he gets the last name Chrysostom, or “golden mouth.” Born in Antioch, John was a devout and pious Christian from an early age known for his dedication to the faith and, as a priest, for his sermons which often had t do with the Christian necessity to care for the poor. Eventually became the Patriarch of Constantinople, one of the most influential leaders in all of Christendom, but he was forced into exile for political reasons as he refused to bend or back down from criticizing all wickedness, even that in high places.
His work on the liturgy, or act of public worship in church, is still the basic form of liturgical service used in Orthodox Churches today. Many of his works have survived into the modern era where they still continue to influence the faith and lives of literally billions of people. On the conduct on Christians being violent he taught:
That they may now understand that this is a new kind of warfare and not the usual custom of joining in battle, when He sent them with nothing He said: And so, marching on, show forth the meekness of lambs, although you are to go to wolves . . . for so will I best show my power, when the wolves are conquered by the lambs . . . For certainly it is a greater work and much more marvellous to change the minds of opponents and to bring about a change of soul than to kill them . . . We ought to be ashamed, therefore, who act far differently when as wolves we rush upon our adversaries. For as long as we are lambs we conquer; even when a thousand wolves stand about, we overcome and are victors. But if we act like wolves we are conquered, for then the aid of the Good Shepherd departs from us, for He does not foster wolves but sheep.
Early Christian Pacifism and Nonviolence, pgs. 12-13
Are we the sheep of God with Christ as our Shepherd or are we wolves following our natural instincts into violence and bloodshed? If sheep then we will follow our Shepherd, even if that means we go like lambs to the slaughter as He did to the cross. It is not that we are idiots or fools and do not recognize the dangers of the world. It is that we are Christians and “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul,” rather we “fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt. 10:28) We intentionally discard all the idols of violence – “gods of stone and steel—ships, planes, missiles, fortifications” and actively choose peace, no matter what arms or armies the powers of the world may threaten us with or use against us. Why? Because we have no teeth or claws with which to rend our enemies. Because we are not wolves.
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So what the heck happened? How did we get from this doctrine, which had endured the centuries of Christian in fighting, debate, schism, and apostasy, to the one Christians follow today? How did we get from Christians being willing to die for Christ and refusing to serve in the military to Christians booing the Golden Rule, and thereby its teacher Jesus Christ, when it was proposed as the basis of foreign policy? That is what I plan to look at in the concluding section of this series next week when I present a basic history of how Christens apostatized from this ancient doctrine of Christianity and embraced warmongering, nationalism, and murder in the name of political power and earthly glory. Look for Nonviolence in Early Christianity, Part 4: The Apostasy From Peace next week on Feb. 23, 2021.