Christians and War

by St. Thomas Aquinas


1) Is there just war? What criteria are required to make war just?

2) Who determines if a war is to be fought? What are the sovereigns' responsibilities in war, in keeping order, and in punishing wrongdoers? What are the implications of Thomas's argument for domestic order and justice?

3) Why is it not lawful for clerics to fight, according to Thomas? What are the duties of clerics in war?

4) What is the implication of clerics ministering to soldiers in war?

5) Does Thomas believe it is lawful or just to ambush in war? Why or why not?

6) What does Thomas mean when he says that "a man would have an inordinate will if he were unwilling that others should hide anything from him"?

7) Thomas considers the command to love one another, and the seeming contradiction with the love of our kin (those who are related by blood) as well as the difficulties of universally obeying that command. What does Aquinas say about the duties of soldiers in this context?

8) What duty is natural and appropriate to fellow soldiers and commanders in war, according to Thomas?

Paper topics

1) Thomas says it is the duty of clerics to dispose and counsel other men to engage in just wars. How do you suppose he would advise a priest who felt the war was unjust? How would such a priest advise a soldier who felt the war was unjust?

2) What are the implications of Thomas's treatment of courage or fortitude for what we commonly consider to be heroism?

3) Compare and contrast Thomas’s understanding of human life with Augustine’s.

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