What the Primitive Christians Taught About War and Violence
Researched and compiled by our brothers in Deer Park, WashingtonNonresistance | Primitive Christianity | Christian Living | False Doctrine
Our presentation will be divided into the following sections:
- Instructions of Jesus; relevant Old and New Testament texts
- Testimony of the earliest generations of Christians
- Are we Pacifists?
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:9-10
"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." - Matthew 5:38-48
"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." - Matthew 7:12
"And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. But Jesus said to him, 'Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.'" - Matthew 26:51-52
"And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, 'Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?' But He turned and rebuked them, and said, 'You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them.'" - Luke 9:54-56
"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do." - Luke 12:4
"Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.'" - John 18:36
"Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham, [Isaac's] father, and they had filled them with earth. And Abimelech said to Isaac, 'Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.' Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them. Also Isaac's servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there. But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, 'The water is ours.' So he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah. And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, 'For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.'" - Genesis 26:15-22
"And David said to Solomon: 'My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the Lord my God; but the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight. Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. His name shall be Solomon [Lit. 'Peaceful'], for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days." - 1 Chronicles 22:7-9
"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident." - Psalm 7:1-3
"The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? ... It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in princes." - Psalm 118:6-9
"When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." - Proverbs 16:7
"The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe." - Proverbs 29:25
"Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills: and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.'For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." - Isaiah 2:2-4
"'Woe to the rebellious children,' says the Lord, 'who take counsel, but not of Me, and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who walk down to Egypt, and have not asked My advice, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharoah, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore the strength of Pharoah shall be your shame, and trust in the shadow of Egypt shall be your humiliation.'" - Isaiah 30:1-3
"Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the scales ... All nations before Him are as nothing, and they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless." - Isaiah 40:15,17
"Thus says the Lord: 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.'" - Jeremiah 17:5-7
"I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me." - Jeremiah 27:5
"O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses." - Daniel 5:18-21
"But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. Now hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert all equity, who build up Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity: Her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord, and say, 'Is not the Lord among us? No harm can come upon us.' Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the temple like the bare hills of the forest." - Micah 3:8-12 (emphasis added)
"This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts." - Zechariah 4:6
"But Peter and John answered and said to them, 'Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge' ... Peter and the other apostles answered and said, 'We ought to obey God rather than men.'" - Acts 4:19, 5:29
"Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. Therefore 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." - Romans 12:17-21
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." - 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
"See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all." - 1 Thessalonians 5:15
"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief." - 1 Timothy 1:12-13
"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." - 1 Timothy 2:1-4
"Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." - James 4:1-3
"For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 'Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth'; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness -- by whose stripes you were healed." - 1 Peter 2:21-24
"[Do not return] evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing." - 1 Peter 3:9
"...The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries..." - 2 Peter 2:9-10
"Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 'Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." - Revelation 12:10-11
"If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."- Revelation 13:9-10
Testimony of the earliest generations of Christians
Nonresistance, as discussed and taught in the earliest writings of Christians from the days of the Apostles to the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325. This is a sampling of their consistent perspective, not an exhaustive list of references. While they have a surface resemblance in certain respects, scriptural nonresistance is quite different than the sociopolitical philosophy known as "pacifism." The two are contrasted at the bottom of this page:
[In a defense to the Emperor regarding Christians:] "They comfort their oppressors and make them their friends; they do good to their enemies." - Aristides, circa AD 125, The Apology of Aristides, trans. from the Syriac, D.M. Kay / Univ. of Edinburgh; located in Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 9, p. 276, Eerdman's Pub., English modernized.
"We will not ask you to punish our accusers. Their present wickedness is sufficient punishment." - Justin Martyr, c. AD 160, ANF Vol. 1, p. 165
"We used to be filled with war, mutual slaughter, and every kind of wickedness. However, now all of us have, throughout the whole earth, changed our warlike weapons. We have changed our swords into plowshares, and our spears into farming implements." - Justin Martyr, c. 160, ANF Vol. 1, p. 254
"I do not wish to be a king. I am not anxious to be rich. I decline military command." - Tatian, c. 160, ANF Vol. 2, p. 69
"We have learned not to return blow for blow, nor to go to law with those who plunder and rob us. Not only that, but to those who strike us on one side of the face, we have learned to offer the other side also." - Athenagoras, c. 175, ANF Vol. 2, p. 129
"[Jesus] commanded them ... not only not to strike others, but even, when they themselves are struck, to present the other cheek ... not only not to injure their neighbors, nor to do them any evil, but also, when they are dealt with wickedly, to be long-suffering." - Irenaeus, c. 180, ANF Vol. 1, p. 408
"The philosophers will then with propriety be taken up in a friendly exposure, ... but not in the manner of avenging ourselves on our detractors. Rather, it will be for the purpose of their conversion. For vengeance is far from being the case with those persons who have learned to bless those who curse." - Clement of Alexandria, c. 195, ANF Vol. 2, p. 347
"The spiritual man never cherishes resentment or harbors a grudge against anyone – even though deserving of hatred for his conduct." - Clement of Alexandria, c. 195, ANF Vol. 2, p. 540
"Paul does not merely describe the spiritual man as being characterized by suffering wrong, rather than doing wrong. Rather, Paul teaches that a Christian does not keep count of injuries. For Paul does not allow him even to pray against the man who has done wrong to him. For he knows that the Lord expressly commanded us to pray for our enemies." - Clement of Alexandria, c. 195, ANF Vol. 2, p. 548
"Christians are not allowed to use violence to correct the delinquencies of sins." - Clement of Alexandria, c. 195, ANF Vol. 2, p. 581
"[The pagan] Hippias is put to death for laying plots against the state. No Christian ever attempted such a thing on behalf of his brethren, even when persecution was scattering them abroad with every atrocity." - Tertullian, c. 195, ANF Vol. 3, p. 51
"If dragged to trial, [the Christian] does not resist." - Tertullian, c. 197, ANF Vol. 3, p. 110
"'Nation will not take up sword against nation, and they will no more learn to fight.' Who else, therefore, does this prophecy apply to, other than us? For we are fully taught by the new law, and therefore observe these practices ... [The new law] changes the primitive ferocity of swords and lances to tranquility. It remodels the primitive execution of war upon the rivals and enemies of the Law into the peaceful actions of plowing and cultivating the land." - Tertullian, c. 197, ANF Vol. 3, p.154
"Men of old were used to requiring 'eye for eye, and tooth for tooth' and to repay evil for evil, with usury! ... But after Christ has supervened and has united the grace of faith with patience, now it is no longer lawful to attack others even with words, nor to merely say 'fool,' without danger of the judgment ... Christ says, 'Love your enemies and bless your cursers, and pray for your persecutors'"- Tertullian, c. 200, ANF Vol. 3, p. 711
"If someone attempts to provoke you by physical violence, the admonition of the Lord is at hand. He says, 'To him who strikes you on the face, turn the other cheek also.' Let outrageousness be worn out by your patience. Whatever that blow may be, joined with pain and scorn, it will receive a heavier one from the Lord." - Tertullian, c. 200, ANF Vol. 3, p. 712
"For what difference is there between provoker and provoked? The only difference is that the former was the first to do evil, while the latter did evil afterwards. Each one stands condemned in the eyes of the Lord for hurting a man. For God both prohibits and condemns every wickedness. In evil doing, there is no account taken of the order ... The commandment is absolute: evil is not to be repaid with evil." - Tertullian, c. 200, ANF Vol. 3, p. 713
"Christ plainly teaches a new kind of long-suffering, when He actually prohibits the reprisals that the Creator permitted in requiring 'an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'" - Tertullian, c. 207, ANF Vol. 3, p. 370
"The Lord will save them in that day – even His people – like sheep ... No one gives the name of "sheep" to those who fall in battle with arms in hand, or those who are killed when repelling force with force. Rather, it is given only to those who are slain, yielding themselves up in their own place of duty and with patience – rather than fighting in self-defense." - Tertullian, c. 207, ANF Vol. 3, p. 415
"Shall a Christian apply the chain, the prison, the torture, and the punishment, when he is not the avenger even of his own wrongs? Shall he stand guard for others more than for Christ? Shall he do it on the Lord's Day, when he does not even do it for Christ Himself? Shall he stand guard before those temples that he has renounced? Shall he take a meal where the apostle has forbidden him? ... You will see by a slight survey how many other offenses there are involved in the performances of [military] camp offices. And we must hold them to involve a transgression of God's law." - Tertullian, c. 211, ANF Vol. 3, p. 99, 100.
Celsus, the pagan critic, says, "'[Christians] also have a teaching to this effect: that we should not avenge ourselves on one who injures us.' Or, as Christ expresses it: 'Whoever will strike you on the one cheek, turn the other to him also.'" - Origen, c. 248, ANF Vol. 4, p. 634
"We slander no one, for we believe that 'revilers will not inherit the kingdom of God.' And we read, 'Bless them that curse you; bless, and curse not.' Also, 'Being reviled, we bless.'" - Origen, c. 248, ANF Vol. 4, p. 654
"Do not willingly use force and do not return force when it is used against you." - Commodianus, c. 240, ANF Vol. 4, p. 212
"When a Christian is arrested, he does not resist. Nor does he avenge himself against your unrighteous violence – even though our people are numerous and plentiful." - Cyprian, c. 250, ANF Vol. 5, p. 462
"We may not hate. And we please God more by rendering no return for wrong. Therefore, we exhort you to make satisfaction to God. Do this while you have the power, while there yet remains in you something of life ... We do not envy your comforts, nor do we conceal the divine benefits. We repay kindness for your hatred. In return for the torments and penalties that are inflicted on us, we point out to you the ways of salvation." - Cyprian, c. 250, ANF Vol. 5, p. 465
"The Christian has departed from rage and carnal contention as if from the hurricanes of the sea. He has already begun to be tranquil and meek in the harbor of Christ. Therefore, he should allow neither anger nor discord within his breath. For he must neither return evil for evil, nor bear hatred." - Cyprian, c. 250, ANF Vol. 5, p. 488
"Do no one any injury at any time; provoke no one to anger. If an injury is done to you, look to Jesus Christ. And even as you desire Him to forgive your transgressions, also forgive others theirs." - Theonas of Alexandria, c. 300, ANF Vol. 6, p. 161
"Does Venus Militaris also preside over the wickedness of [military] camps and the debaucheries of young men?" - Arnobius, c. 305, ANF Vol. 6, p. 478
"[True] religion is to be defended, not by putting to death, but by dying. Not by cruelty, but by patient endurance. Not by guilt, but by good faith. For the former belongs to evil, but the latter to the good ... For if you wish to defend religion by bloodshed, tortures, and guilt, it will no longer be defended. Rather, it will be polluted and profaned ... And, therefore, when we suffer such impious things, we do not resist even in word. Rather, we leave vengeance to God. We do not act as those persons who would have it appear that they are defenders of their gods, who rage without restraint against those who do not worship them ... What if [a man] rushes wherever injustice will call him? Such a man does not fulfill the duty of virtue. For he who tries to return an injury desires to imitate that very person by whom he has been injured. In short, he who imitates a bad man cannot be good." - Lactantius, c. 304-313, ANF Vol. 7, cf. pp. 157-160, 182-185
Are We Pacifists?
When, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches emphatically on nonresistance and love for one's enemies, He directs His words to His disciples' manner of life in response to specific situations involving evil; to Christian behavioral choices, not to social reform. Jesus grants no exceptions to these principles for a supposed benefit to a society or for the sake of any earthly kingdom (remember that Israel and its leaders often endured tragic consequences for going to war without God having given specific instructions or authority for them to do so). Therefore, from the beginning, Christians in their substantially growing numbers had a noticeable impact on the Roman Empire. Even while Christians openly honored earthly rulers as appointed by God and submitted themselves "to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake" (cf. 1 Pet. 2:13-17) so long as the ordinance was not contradictory to their King of Kings, the Romans still complained bitterly about their non-participation in the governmental affairs of the Empire. It did not make sense to the secular / pagan population that Christians would advocate the God-given authority of Caesar and yet live as a holy (separated) people focused upon their own King and His kingdom. This inevitably had a sociopolitical impact, but that was entirely incidental to the Christians' convictions and purpose.
Pacifism, on the other hand, is rooted in a particular philosophy and conviction about human social order and government that does not reflect God's determination in those affairs. From the beginning, Christians were well aware, and openly taught, that all earthly authorities exist only by God's appointment and that these authorities are God's ministers for good, who do not "bear the sword in vain" but are "an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil" (cf. Romans 13:1-7). Yet as strangers and aliens in this world, they regarded it as presumptuous and inappropriate for them to execute rule and justice here, just as most people would feel if they were visiting a foreign country and were asked to execute justice there or go to war against that country's enemies (cf. Hebrews 11:13-16; 1 Peter 2:9-11). In short, it is the foundation of a holy faith, not merely peace, which characterizes the primitive Christian doctrine of nonresistance. The nations of this world are ultimately under the sovereign authority of God, but they are not under the Lordship of Christ. This is why the prophet Daniel pictures the ultimate destruction of all other kingdoms in the face of that one, final Kingdom which "the God of heaven will set up," the stone cut out of the mountain without hands that breaks all else into pieces (Daniel 2). The governmental judgment of Christians, therefore, is reserved for those within that holy Kingdom of which they are a part, and upon that rule and order of life established by their own King (1 Cor. 5:9-13).
The unhappy truth about pacifism is that it not only falls short of biblical nonresistance, but it is not actually nonresistance at all. Instead, it has normally been a form of active and even aggressive resistance against those who are believed to be evil men, and the evil society they are believed to have produced. Not only is this resistance personal, but it often extends to public campaigning by individuals and groups in order to apply moral, psychological, and political pressure to the governing authorities. Insisting upon peace for its own sake in a corrupted and wicked world, contrary to God's explicit design and intent for earthly government and rule, is a form of carnal rebellion, and therefore frequently counterproductive to the common good of humanity. Martin Luther King, Jr., sought to develop a semi-Christian, pacifist hybrid by promoting "nonviolent resistance" from the example of Mahatma Gandhi in India. Few have been as successful in applying some of the underlying principles that Jesus taught to earthly government as Gandhi was, in many ways putting professed "Christian" governance on the earth to shame. However, in contrast, the primitive Christians believed from the mouth of the Creator that unless the human heart was transformed, even the best results of such carnal resistance and pressure would be disappointing in the end.
To restate the contrasts in brief form, then:- Pacifists seek social transformation. Followers of Jesus seek spiritual transformation.
- Pacifists work for their goals through unregenerate men and earthly governments. Disciples spread the news of a different Kingdom with unearthly values.
- Pacifists seek to eliminate all forms of human suffering. Those of the Kingdom teach their own to be prepared for suffering as their King suffered, and they expect excellent spiritual fruit to grow from it.
- Pacifists try to generate conformity with their ideals for human society by the use of resistance and various kinds of force other than the type they think bad. Those walking in The Way continue in the methods of Jesus and the apostles, not resisting evil men but instead, knowing the fear of God, they persuade them to freely yield their lives to the King of Kings.
- Pacifists imagine that there is a bright social future ahead for humanity if they can just achieve their ideals. Those with their eyes fixed on the Judge of all men know that "in the last days, perilous times will come" (2 Tim. 3) and that, in reflecting upon His promised return, Jesus asked, "When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on the earth?"
- Pacifists aim for temporal gains and causes. The valiant warriors of God are aiming at the resistance of evil itself – not wrestling with "flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places," "pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..." These are warriors who have set aside fear, who think little of physical death, since they have been given a Spirit of "power, love, and a sound mind." Underlying everything they strive for is a deep and full assurance of their King's final and eternal victory of love and peace.
Note: Many Christians have died for their refusal to resist others by force, to rule over others, and to kill. Others have died just for failing to grant that it was the will of God for other professing Christians to do so who desired those earthly powers. The Romans first accused them of being unpatriotic. The Reformers charged them with heresy. In recent centuries, the primitive Christian teaching set forth above has become limited almost exclusively to conservative Anabaptist and Pietist groups, and to primitive home assemblies and communities. However, it does appear occasionally outside of these, such as in this example from a leader in a Church of Christ [Microsoft Word or a Word conversion program is required to read it]. However, what is expressed is by no means the ethos or practice one will find among the latter churches generally.
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