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'''Just war''' doctrine attempts to define situations in which the waging of war becomes a moral necessity. It lays out criteria by which a Christian is intended to determine whether or not a specific war was entered into and is conducted in a virtuous manner, so that killing would become a moral necessity. Although the [[Orthodox Church ]] has utilized used something like a ''"just war"'' doctrine to determine when a state or empire may engage in armed conflict, it has nevertheless always considered killing even in such cases to be a sin, and has thus required the therapy of repentance.
== Holy Scripture and the Tradition of the Church ==
In [[Apostle Paul|St. Paul’s ]] epistle to the Romans, God is referred to as a ''"God of peace"'' (Romans 15:33). The development of a war is a result of a separation from God, which is also a separation from peace and love. Since God is the source of our existence, separation from God leads to chaos and destruction.
:''"If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword…"'' (Isaiah 1:19-20).
:''"…for all who take the sword will perish by the sword"'' (Matthew 26:52).
:''"…for the authority [(civil] ) does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer"'' (Romans 13:4).
== The Tradition of the Fathers and the Early Church==
The Church during the first centuries was very negative towards the participation of Christians in war. [[Origen]] was completely against the idea of Christians participating in any form of military duty, while [[Tertullian]] believed that Christians should participate in military duty. Many of the Saints [[Saint]]s were involved in military duty and many Christians were members of [[Constantine the Great | St. Constantine’s]] army. The Church has always upheld her fundamental resistance towards war and does not allow clergy to be involved in any military activity.
=== Latin Fathers ===
According to Fr. [[Stanley Harakas]], there is no ethical reasoning for war in the writings of the Greek Fathers. Fr. Harakas states that the fathers wrote that only negative impacts arise from war. Even in unavoidable circumstances, Fr. Harakas mentions that the fathers thought of war as the lesser of greater evils, but none the less evil. Fr. Harakas declares that the term ''"just war"'' is not found in the writings of the Greek Fathers. The stance of the Fathers on war is ''pro-peace'' and an Orthodox ''"just war"'' theory does not exist.
==== [[Athanasius of Alexandria | St. Athanasius]] ====
''"Although one is not supposed to kill, the killing of the enemy in time of war is both a lawful and praiseworthy thing. This is why we consider individuals who have distinguished themselves in war as being worthy of great honors, and indeed public monuments are set up to celebrate their achievements. It is evident, therefore, that at one particular time, and under one set of circumstances, an act is not permissible, but when time and circumstances are right, it is both allowed and condoned"'' ([http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf204.xxv.iii.iv.iii.html The Letter of St. Athanasius to Amun]).
:Fr. John Anthony McGuckin |John McGuckin]] says that this argument is misleading since it does not deal with justifying killing during war. According to Fr. McGuckin, this letter was regarding sexual activity and uses a ''"rhetorical example of current opinion to show Amun that contextual variability is very important in making moral judgements."'' For further information, please refer to the [[Rudder]] or [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf204.xxv.iii.iv.iii.html the ''Letter of St. Athanasius to Amun''].
==== [[John Chrysostom | St. John Chrysostom]] ====
''"Christians above all men are not permitted forcibly to correct the failings of those who sin. Secular judges indeed, when they have captured malefactors under the law, show their authority to be great, and prevent them even against their will from following their own devices: but in our case the wrong-doer must be made better, not by force, but by persuasion"'' ([[John Chrysostom |St. John Chrysostom]], [http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/NPNF1-09/npnf1-09-06.htm#TopOfPage ''"On the Priesthood"'']).
== The Canonical Tradition of the Orthodox Church ==
Any act of violence contradicts the ethics and principles of the Kingdom of God. St. [[Basil the Great|Basil]] states that although the act of violence may be required for the ''"defense of the weak and innocent…it is never justifiable."''
=== Canon 13 of St. Basil ===
''"Our Fathers did not consider the killings committed in the course of wars to be classifiable as murders at all, on the score, it seems to me, of allowing a pardon to men fighting in defense of sobriety and piety. Perhaps, though, it might be advisable to refuse them communion for three years, on the ground that they are not clean-handed."''
:St. Basil references the beginning of this canon to St. [[Athanasius of Alexandria|Athanasius]] in order to clarify and accurately interpret what was meant in his [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf204.xxv.iii.iv.iii.html ''Letter to Amun''] [[Rudder | (The Rudder)]]. St. Basil the Great did not count the ''"shedding of blood"'' committed during wars as murder, but he does require the penitent to abstain from partaking of the Eucharist for three years. Although three years may seem harsh to us today, Fr. McGuckin states that this ''"was actually a commonly recognized sign of merciful leniency in the ancient rule book of the early Church."''
=== Canon 83 of the Holy Apostles ===
Christianity is responsible for first introducing the belief of non-violence. A true Christian would rather be killed than to kill. However, it is the civic duty of a Christian to obey the civil authority, not only because of fearing punishment, but since it is ethically and honorably conscience. It is inevitably understood that the will of the civil authority will conflict with God’s will over time, and it’s important to understand that ''"we must obey God rather than any human authority"'' (Acts 5:29).
=== The Church and the [[Byzantine Empire | Roman (Byzantine) Empire]] ===In the [[Byzantine Empire]], the enemies of the State were also the enemies of the Church. So the defense of the State also became the defense of the Church. The State was considered to be protected by God since it was connected to the Church. The Church has upheld its position on war and has never deserted its stance. [[Nicephorus II Phocas | Emperor Nicephoros Phocas]] of Byzantium (963-969) requested the Church to recognize the people dying at war to be classified as martyrs[[martyr]]s.
:The response was ''"How could they be regarded as martyrs or equal to the martyrs those who kill others or die themselves at war, when the divine canons impose a penalty on them, preventing them from coming to Divine Communion for three years."''
The Church has always condemned war, but has always been tolerant of the Christian soldiers that served in a military unit. War may be necessary under certain circumstances to protect the innocent and to limit even greater evils.
== Orthodoxy Today ==
=== [[Bartholomew_I_(Archontonis)_of_Constantinople | His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I]] ===
'''Address in Athens, Greece on May 24, 1999''' <BR>
:As declared by [[Bartholomew_I_(Archontonis)_of_Constantinople|Patriarch Bartholomew]], ''"...the irrationality of war is evident from its effect on humanity and on the natural environment."''
:Through spiritual vigilance and focusing on safeguarding the world from destruction, war and the causes of war must be addressed and eliminated. Peace can only be upheld if the causes of war and hostility in our times are being addressed. Some of the causes of war relate with discrimination, subjugation, hostility, and depressing social conditions. As the causes of war intensify, our chances of upholding peace in the world fade away. For these reasons, we must use all of our resources on a global scale to eliminate these causes. The uncontrollable issues that are the strongest contributors to war deal with nations overemphasizing preparations for war and increasing the manufacturing initiatives of military ammunition.
**[http://www.incommunion.org/articles/previous-issues/no-just-war-in-the-fathers "No Just War in the Fathers" ]
*Mantzarides, George. <u>Christian Social Ethics: An Abridged Translation by Fr. [[George Dragas|George Dion Dragas]].</u> 2001. Brookline, MA.
*Fr. [[John Anthony McGuckin|John McGuckin]]
**[http://www.incommunion.org/articles/essays/nonviolence-and-peace-traditions "Non-violence and Peace Traditions in the Early and Eastern Church"]
**[http://www.incommunion.org/articles/previous-issues/issue-40/st-basil-on-war-and-repentance "St. Basil's Guidance on War and Repentance"]
