Although Augustine is held to be the author of a just war theory, his writings do not in fact contain a developed, coherent theory of a just war. In the City of God, Augustine was challenging the assertion by some pagans that it was pacifism by Christians that had weakened the Roman Empire and led in the year 410 to the first successful invasion of the City of Rome in 700 years. In rebuttal, Augustine was concerned to inform the pagans that Christians were not committed to pacifism at any cost.

In this context, he said that Christians could at times engage in war. Even when he made this allowance, Augustine said that war was never completely justified. To Augustine, the only just war is the war that Christ is continually carrying out against evil. He had something to say to those who had the duty of carrying out justice in human society. In enforcing the law either within their own society or against another society, they must do so in recognition that their actions are always in some way deformed by sin.

In other words, their act of war would always be in some sense unjust even when their goal was justice. This tied in with the very theological understanding of justice that was held by Augustine. He presumed that those who implement justice were themselves involved in a path of spiritual growth and purification, and that their perception of justice was dependent upon their own nearness to Christ. "True religion looks upon as peaceful those wars that are waged not for motives of aggrandisement, or cruelty, but with the object of securing peace, punishing those who do evil, and of supporting the good." (Saint Augustine)

In his book, City of God, Augustine is credited with introducing criteria for a just war. But it was the Roman Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) who systematically applied the view of Augustine and formulated it into specific criteria for military action. Both Augustine and Aquinas rightly saw that this whole issue could not remove the clear biblical prohibition against an individual acting violently, even if in pursuit of eliminating a wrong.

However, a state has higher authority in their view, and if the response to evil and aggression met specific criteria, it would be deemed just, and the individual could participate. "True religion looks upon as peaceful those wars that are waged not for motives of aggrandisement, or cruelty, but with the object of securing peace, punishing those who do evil, and of supporting the good." (Saint Augustine)

It is unfortunate that Augustine is often too easily regarded as a theologian of war, when in reality he was much more a theologian of peace. Although Augustine was not unfamiliar with violence, he hated war. He saw it as a consequence of the sinful human condition that prompted and then was used to justify many vices that it enabled to be unleashed: cruelty, hatred, greed, revenge, bloodlust, sexual licence, violence, theft, etc.

His writings do not glorify war, but rather mourned its cruelty. In his Letter 229 he said that it was better to kill war with words than to kill human beings with the sword. Yet he said that war was sometimes an unfortunate duty, waged to restore peace (Letter 189.6, De civitate Dei 19.7) Augustine is credited with introducing criteria for a just war, but it was the Roman Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) who systematically applied the views of Augustine and formulated them into specific criteria for military action.

Both Augustine and Aquinas rightly saw that this whole issue could not remove the clear biblical prohibition against an individual acting violently, even if in pursuit of eliminating a wrong. Augustine held that a private Christian could not kill even in self-defence, for that would express hatred. However, a state has higher authority in their view, and if the response to evil and aggression met specific criteria, it would be deemed just, and the individual could participate.

Elements in the Just War Theory that are attributed to Augustine.

Fr John Langan, S.J. lists eight principal conditions that are the contribution of Augustine to what later became known as the Just War Theory:

 (1) a punitive conception of war,

(2) assessment of the evil of war in terms of the moral evil of attitudes and desires,

(3) a search for authorization for the use of violence,

(4) a dualistic epistemology which gives priority to spiritual goods,

(5) interpretation of evangelical norms in terms of inner attitudes,

(6) passive attitude to authority and social change,

(7) use of Biblical texts to legitimate participation in war, and

(8) an analogical conception of peace.

It does not include non-combatant immunity or conscientious objection. A contemporary assessment of the elements is offered.

Link

Understanding War: Saint Augustine and Konrad Lorenz. An article by a psychologist in Scotland with the thesis that "Augustine weds the Christian religion to a militarism that to this day is a hallmark of the societies that profess it." To quote the article: "Augustine therefore certainly regards war as inevitable - a stern necessity - within human society; the most that one can do accordingly is to ensure that the prevailing cause is a just one and that the conflict is waged in as humane a manner as possible, without undue brutality or excess."

"For it is the injustice of the opposing side that lays on the wise man the duty of waging wars; and this injustice is assuredly to be deplored by a human being, since it is the injustice of human beings, even though no necessity for war should arise from it." (City of God, XIX: 9, p.862.)

AN2342