This master thesis is a research and systematic review of the theme of war in patristic literature, i.e. the literature of the early centuries of Christianity up to the 5th century. It searches for the first references to war in the first century to reveal how Christians confronted the problem of war when the doctrine was still in its infancy, and concludes that at the very beginning war was not much of an issue. The first references to war are when it is spoken of as a sign. Ethical questions about war do not arise until the second century, when all writers are explicitly pacifist. It turns out, however, that the question of war was not one of the central themes, and that many see war in theological, symbolic or historical terms rather than ethical ones, which enriches the literature. For many, there is a symbolic sense of "spiritual warfare", using military imagery to fight the temptation to sin, which they see as the real "military activity of Christians". The many different interpretations of the Old Testament's descriptions of warfare also offer insights into how the pioneers of theo-logy themselves understood the Old Testament's controversial passages, which are still controversial today, in a purely allegorical way. From the 4th century onwards, when Christians also gained a share of political power, the question of when war is permissible and when it is not is increasingly raised, eventually leading to Augustine's doctrine of just war, which is still valid today. Finally, the review is evaluated and the findings are linked to each other.
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