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陳禮裕

撮要

本專文乃探討早期基督教教會對戰爭所持的態度，特別是君士坦丁時代之前的這段時期。此時期的看法日後被奧古斯丁（Augustine）倡導的正義戰爭（Just War）理論的卓越發展所取代，但本身仍具有其神學思想的價值。專文旨在發掘早期教會對軍事參與的回應的先行根源，尤其考慮到此一回應乃發生於「國家」的現代概念尚未成形以前。許多學者都聲稱儘管早期教會承認戰爭的合法性，但他們大體上均以非戰主義（pacifism）回應軍事參與，並堅決反對各種形式的軍國主義。本文將根據前尼西亞教父的作品，主張他們反對主要的理由大多出於牧養和倫理上的考量過於神學上的論說，而且當時整個情景是比一般所呈現的更為複雜與微妙的。雖然教父沒有嘗試為評價戰爭提出一個完整的神學和倫理架構——這任務日後將由安波羅修（Ambrose）與奧古斯丁加以承擔——早期的基督徒如特土良 （Tertullian）、俄利根（origen）、亞歷山大的革利免（Clement of Alexandria）、 希玻律陀（Hippolytus）、拉克坦提烏（Lactantius）等誠然展示了以當時代處境 為考量的形形色色的觀點，對我們今天的時代或也有所啟發。 

ABSTRACT

The paper examines the attitudes of the early Christian church towards war, particularly in the pre-Constantinian age that was later superseded by the distinct development of Augustine’s Just War theory. It seeks to uncover the antecedent roots of the church’s response to war especially its attitudes to Christians joining the Roman army, taking into context that this took place before the modern concept of the state was developed. Most scholars have asserted that the early church registered a largely pacifist response and opposed militarism in all its forms even though it recognized the legitimacy of war. It will be argued, based on the writings of the Ante-Nicene church Fathers, that while their main reasons were not so much theological but rather pastoral and ethical, the picture is more complex and nuanced then has usually been presented. While the Fathers did not attempt to present a complete framework for the assessment of wars and Christians joining the army – a task that Ambrose and Augustine would undertake later – the early Christians, such as Tertullian, Origen, Clement of Rome, Hippolytus, and Lactantius, did display a diversity of views that took into account the circumstances of their day, and which may be instructive in our own times.

原載於《建道學刊》46期（2016年7月），頁 119-134。