violence-in-the-bible
The Bible is the story of
the slow, painstaking and sometimes faltering escape from the idea of a God who
is violent to a God who is love and has
absolutely nothing to do with violence
Origen asserted: "Christians could never slay their enemies. For the more
that kings, rulers, and peoples have persecuted them everywhere, the more
Christians have increased in number
and grown in strength."[ Clement of Alexandria wrote: "Above all, Christians are not allowed to correct with violence
the delinquencies of sins." Tertullian argued forcefully against all forms of violence, considering
abortion, warfare and even judicial death penalties to be forms of murder. These
positions of these
three Church Fathers are maintained today by Catholics and Orthodox Christians.
Until Constantine,
Christians were pacifists like Christ “who turned the other cheek” but later Christians
exhonerated “just war” and even “Holy War”.
The symbolic
meaning of the “ban” (the extermination of enemies in the Old Testament)
reflects the necessity of not compromising with evil.
Abraham is a
humble and peaceful patriarch who only goes to war to rescue his nephew Lot. Which could have been avoided by Lot had he
not cavorted with evil people.
The Old
Testament is the story of a loving Father trying to reward his children with a
“Promise Land” but they constantly thwart His plan with disobedience and
violence. Cain kills Abel and doesn’t show remorse just like his father Adam. Jacob’s sons plot to kill their brother
Joseph and sell him into slavery and lie to their father. They revel in the
pagan practices of Egypt for 400 years.
They cowardly refuse to enter the Promised Land for fear and they all
die in the desert. The plan was to
convert the Canaanites as demonstrated when Joshua wins a non violent victory
at Jericho but the people prefer to use violence and greed. David repents of his violence and establishes
peace. Solomon rebuilds an army against God’s command and cohorts with the
pagans thus bringing down the destruction of Israel and Jerusalem. The lesson is that God rewards obedience and
repentance but violence leads to the destruction of God’s people.
Jesus makes
this clear with his command to “love your enemies” and the Sermon on the Mount.
The final
victory in Revelation is in the Lamb slain (Jesus Crucified) who absorbs all the violence of men and
establishes His eternal Kingdom of peace and love. This is the complete story
of God’s plan for His people and we celebrate it in every Mass.
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