medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
There are several references to doing penance for bloodshed in McNeill &
Gamer, Medieval Handbooks of Penance. The issue of blood taboo needs to be
raised, since the "Roman Penitential" (pp. 306-07) refers to a prohibition
(based on 1 Cor. 8 & 10) of eating blood.
Tom Izbicki
At 12:28 AM 12/1/2001 +0000, you wrote:
>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
>This discussion of 'Just War Theorư', made me think of the short treatise
>that Augustine of Hippo wrote to Count Boniface in AD418 as he went off to
>campaign against Saharan tribesmen. Augustine is after all usually credited
>with thinking up the concept, at least in the context of Christianity.
>Augustine's military morality was basically that war should be waged
>necessary to achieve peace, with the minimum necessary violence, and with
>clemency to the vanquished enemy, who should not be executed. Of course,
>this was intself derivative, as Cicero said much the same, in 'De Officiis
>1.11, 34-36, and 'De Re Publica', 3.23.34-35.
>
>The same ideas, or pieties, have of course been much bandied around in the
>recent conflict, especially in the context of the suppression of the revolt
>at Maazar-i-Sharif, and I suspect that in the Roman Empire and Middle Ages,
>when there were no journalists there searching for a new and controversial
>angle on a story, there was nothing but fear for one's soul to stop one
>committing battlefield excesses, and dispatching prisoners. It is also worth
>remembering that unless a statement of absolution, as in the case of the
>Crusades, was made in advance, medieval knights (and other soldiers?), were
>required to undertake penance after combat. Presumably, the prospect of
>steep financial penalty, enforced pilgrimage, or some other act of
>penitance, would have discouraged many from perpetrating atrocities. The
>immediate and worldly prospect of a tangible penitentiary act of this kind
>would probably have had been a more effective way of enforcing the notion of
>Just War than an abstract and deferred threat to one's soul. For example,
>Odo of Bayeux, required the soldiers and nobles who took part in the 1066
>invasion of England to undertake sometimes substantial financial and severe
>physical acts of penitence to gain absolution for thier 'sins' of bloodshed,
>rising proportionately according to their rank and degree of involvement in
>the campaign, or a cynic might say, rising in severity according to the
>wealth of the penitent, and their ability to pay money or grant lands to the
>church in lieu of physical penance, or effective exile of pilgrimage.
>
>Presumably, excommunication or interdiction could also be used to enforce
>Just War theory, or at least to ensure that penitentary acts should be
>carried out? What attempts were made to ensure that campaigns were fought
>according to the ideal of Just War, rather than merely impose penitentiary
>acts after the conflict?
>
>Graham Mallaghan
>Occasional Contributor.
>
>
>>From: Dennis Martin <[log in to unmask]>
>>Reply-To: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>> <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>Subject: Re: [M-R] Crusades, just wars, and such
>>Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2001 17:37:00 -0600
>>
>>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>>
>>What difference does it make that Just War theory at best justifies one
>>side? If both sides are justified, why war? "Just war" is not a misnomer,
>>despite the fact that very few wars were just, that is, very have satisfied
>>the criteria fully. But the whole point of the theory is to set criteria
>>which, if met, would justify war. That is no misnomer. Since the basic
>>criterion for just cause is to defend the innocent, if one truly has an
>>innocent people unjustly attacked, were capable of defending them, and
>>chose not to defend them, this would be manifestly unjust.
>>
>>Defending unjustly attacked innocent people is of course, not
>>easy--prosecuting a war that has a just cause often ends up in injustice
>>because the other criteria are not followed. However, to declare the very
>>idea of a just war impossible would leave innocently and therefore unjustly
>>attacked people utterly defenseless.
>>
>>Bainton was a pacifist and his account must be read in that light. It has
>>much valuable information in it, but his account of the early Christian
>>centuries as completely pacifist has been creditably disputed. I have
>>posted regarding other resources in the past on this list.
>>
>>Dennis Martin
>>
>> >>> [log in to unmask] 11/30/01 17:04 PM >>>
>>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>>
>>Hi all.
>>
>>This may be an oversimplification, but here goes.
>>
>>In general, there have been three distinct Christian views concerning
>>participating in warfare:
>> a. Pacificism -- the complete refusal to take part in war.
>> b. The Just War Theory -- a huge misnomer if ever there was one!
>> The theory, in whatever form one wishes to accept it, does
>> not in fact justify a given war; at most it justifes the
>> participation of one side in a given war. (It is quite
>> possible for both sides in a war to participate unjustly
>> according to most forms of the theory.)
>> c. The Crusade -- generally a war where the organized church takes
>> a directing role in the conduct of the war.
>>
>>Russell's book provides an excellent map through this often vexing
>>territory.
>>
>>More specialized, as the title indicates is Joan Tooke's THE JUST WAR IN
>>AQUINAS AND GROTIUS. I found Tooke's discussion of Thomas on this subject
>>quite valuable.
>>
>>For a readable introduction to this whole area, there is also Roland
>>Bainton's CHRISTIAN ATTITUDES TOWARD WAR AND PEACE.
>>
>>I do hope this helps.
>>
>>
>>Regards to all!
>>
>>Frank
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Frank Morgret
>>15 Towering Hts -- #1206
>>St Catharines, Ontario
>>CANADA
>>L2T 3G7
>>
>>[log in to unmask]
>>
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Thomas M. Izbicki
Collection Development Coordinator
Eisenhower Library
Johns Hopkins University
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Telephone: 410-516-7173
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