For St. Augustine, just war perpetuates sin and power, analysis says
An analysis of St. Augustine's works finds deep reservations about the legitimacy of war, and challenges simplistic readings of his thought
St. Augustine is regarded as the first Christian theologian to take up the question of "just war," but his treatment of it in De civitate Dei is not a seamless defense of the principle. The bishop of Hippo raises deep reservations, both historical and philosophical, that complicate any simplified reading of his position.
Augustine's thought is dynamic and shifts with the context in which it is read. His ideas have often been taken out of context, producing mistaken readings of his criticism of war and of the theological grounds behind it. Understanding him means placing him in his own time and in the full arc of his work.
Just war in a humanity marked by sin
In his major work, Augustine argues that in a humanity wounded by sin, just war cannot stand as a legitimate reality. Even conflicts presented as just are, in his view, both a cause and an effect of sin. He notes that the ancient Roman state used the principle of just war to justify imperial expansion, arguing that "the injustice of those against whom just wars have been waged favored the increase of the power of those who waged them." On this account, war ends up as an instrument of power rather than a road to justice.
Augustine also warns that war cannot found a lasting peace. A state that subdues others by arms cannot sustain stable rule: what it obtains is not true peace but a fragile truce that tends to open the way to new conflicts. The same idea appears in Simone Weil's observation that "justice always flees the camp of the victors." Just war, on this reading, is a misleading concept, unable to contribute to real peace.
Political wisdom rejects violence
On the philosophical side, Augustine holds that the wise man must reject just war, since treating it as necessary contradicts his own nature. War, in his view, cannot achieve justice, and banning it should be a moral imperative, because choosing violence runs against the virtue and the logos that define the wise man. Faced with conflict, true wisdom looks for solutions through dialogue and persuasion, turning to "peaceful weapons" before force.
Augustine adds that just war is a manifestation of the sin that besets humanity, and that it is more glorious to settle conflicts with words than with the sword. Political wisdom, as he sees it, should be directed toward peace by peaceful means and should keep tensions from degenerating into violence.
