Augustine’s doctrine of „Just War”
Can there be a just war? Every war claims victims, very often including so-called civilian victims, i.e. people who have nothing to do with the causes of the war. Consequently, there can be no just war. However, what Christians take for granted today was not always the case. In his writings, the church father Augustine tries to explain war and justify it under certain circumstances. Sarah Besler brings together his basic thoughts and thus initiates a discussion on whether, under these assumptions, war can be just in today’s world.
A just war?
Augustine (354-430 after Christ) does not say anywhere in his writings that war is good in itself. The evil and suffering caused by war is too great for that. However, apart from the two “bad” reasons for wars, namely the desire for domination or glory and the desire for expansion, there would be a third and fourth reason for war that are justifiable. According to Augustine, a war is a just war if it is directly commanded by God. Just like the wars described below in the First Testament.
This in itself justified war without the direct authorisation of God is to be recognised by the fact that it ensures an evil between two states is ended. The violation of international law, for example, is a justifiable reason to start a war. According to Augustine, this could achieve two things: firstly, the evil, for example a genocide, could be stopped, and secondly, the violation of the international law treaty would be punished and thus sanctioned.
Thus, the justice of war is dependent on the injustice it seeks to punish and, as a consequence, justice is restored. Consequently, such a war can also be waged by a “bad state”. But this also means that not every war waged by a ‘good state’ is a justified war. The just war is also different from other wars because the aim is to do as little harm as necessary and to return to peace as soon as possible.
As a consequence, no “war of extermination” can be justified, because the evil caused by such a war is measured against the causal crime for which it was waged. However, the change for the better of those against whom the war is directed is not possible if they are dead. This cannot and must not be the (Christian) goal.
Sarah Besler
