In response to some questions about and objections to early Christian nonviolence by some dialogue partners of mine, I have decided to post a series on early Christian pacifism from the time of Polycarp (disciple of the Apostle John) to Lactantius (tutor to Constantine's son). The series begins with some citations from Isaiah and the New Testament, is briefly interrupted by an off the cuff statement about how I regard extrabiblical Christian tradition, and resumes with an extensive account of the remarks and arguments of the ante-Nicene church authorities on the subject of Christian nonviolence. These consist mostly of compiled quotations, with some of my own commentary in red type. After the presentation of the evidence, I refute three theses that attribute early Christian pacifism to aversion to idolatry, hatred of Rome, and an immanentist eschatology respectively, before closing with some summarizing remarks. I look forward to any dialogue this series might engender.
Labels: Early Christians, Nonviolence, Pacifism
2 Comments:
Excellent! I'm excited about what you'll put out here. Especially because I am working through translating "The Martyrdom of Polycarp" and am also working on a piece regarding Polycarp's nonresistance.
Thanks for stopping by, and for linking to this series! I'd love it if you'd throw in some more stuff on Polycarp in the comments. Could I get a copy of your essay when you're done with it?
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