As members of the Vincentian Family we have become accustomed to using terms such as Advocacy, Aporophobia, Homelessness, Collaboration, Systemic Change, etc., to describe either situations that we encounter in our work/ministry or actions that we carry out. To deepen our understanding of these concepts from the perspective of our charism, we have developed this series of posts, entitled a “Vincentian Dictionary”, with the aim of offering each week an explanation of the various words/phrases from a social, moral, Christian and Vincentian perspective. Inspired by the charism of St. Vincent de Paul, we hope to deepen our understanding and reflect on service, social justice and love of neighbor. At the end of each article you will find some ideas for personal reflection and/or group dialogue.

Follow the complete thread of this Vincentian dictionary at this link.

10. Violence and Faith: A Historical and Theological View from the Catholic Church

10.1 A Gospel of Peace in a World of Violence

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”
— Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew 5:9

Violence permeates human history like a deep wound in the flesh of civilization. From ancient wars and crusades to modern-day terrorism and structural injustice, it has repeatedly challenged the dignity and sanctity of human life. Paradoxically, this violence often coexists with — and even invokes — religion as justification. Among the world’s major religions, Christianity stands unique in proclaiming a God who became man, not to wage war, but to die by violence and rise again as the Prince of Peace. Yet throughout the centuries, the Church founded in Christ’s name has both resisted and, at times, tragically participated in systems of violence.

10.2 The Paradox: A Religion of Peace Amid Conflict

Christianity proclaims peace at its very heart. The Gospels reveal a Messiah who teaches forgiveness, blesses peacemakers, and willingly suffers violence without retaliation. Yet this same faith has lived through—and at times condoned—violence: Crusades in the name of God, inquisitions, colonial expansions, and wars framed as holy missions. Even today, some invoke Christianity in support of ideologies that exclude, oppress, or harm others.

This paradox raises fundamental questions: How does a religion founded on love, mercy, and nonviolence come to coexist with coercion and brutality? What theological justifications have been offered, and how has the Church sought to correct its course? Can faith be a source of real peace in a violent world?

11. Violence in the Bible: Foundations and Tensions

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other also.”
— Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew 5:38–39

The Bible is a deeply human document inspired by God — a mirror of humanity’s struggle between sin and grace, violence and peace. It does not shy away from the harsh realities of human history, nor does it sanitize the brutal experiences of the people of Israel or the early Church. Violence appears frequently in Scripture, at times as a human failing, at times as an instrument of divine justice. Yet the overarching arc of the biblical narrative points toward reconciliation, healing, and nonviolence — culminating in the person and teachings of Jesus Christ.

11.1 Violence in the Old Testament: Holy Wars and Retributive Justice

The Old Testament is replete with narratives that portray violence — wars, divine punishments, conquests, and executions — often framed within the covenantal relationship between God and His people. To modern readers, many of these passages can appear morally troubling. However, they reflect a specific theological and historical context in which God’s justice was perceived as inseparable from divine power and protection.

a) The Concept of “Holy War”

Throughout the books of Joshua, Judges, and Kings, the Israelites engage in warfare that is often sanctioned — and even commanded — by God. The conquest of Canaan is perhaps the most vivid example, where God instructs the people to destroy entire cities, sparing none (cf. Joshua 6:21). These acts are understood within the framework of divine judgment against wickedness, and the establishment of a holy people set apart.

To the ancient Israelites, these wars were not mere political events but sacred acts of obedience. Yet even within these texts, the violence is never glorified for its own sake. Prophets such as Isaiah and Hosea would later critique the reliance on arms and war, calling Israel back to trust in God rather than military might (cf. Isaiah 2:4; Hosea 1:7).

b) Retributive Justice and Legal Codes

The Mosaic Law also includes forms of retributive justice — lex talionis, the principle of “an eye for an eye” (Exodus 21:24). These laws aimed not to encourage revenge but to establish proportional justice and limit excessive retaliation. In a tribal society prone to blood feuds, this represented a step toward order and fairness.

These codes, however, coexisted with laws commanding mercy: “Do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the foreigner or the poor” (Exodus 22:21). This duality — justice and compassion — is a recurring biblical theme that sets the stage for the fuller revelation of God’s character in the New Testament.

11.2 Jesus and the Gospel of Nonviolence

The coming of Christ marked a radical departure from the dominant logic of violence. While He did not abolish the Law, Jesus transformed its meaning through love, mercy, and forgiveness. His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) are among the most powerful articulations of nonviolence in religious history.

• “Turn the Other Cheek”: In Matthew 5:38–44, Jesus explicitly challenges retributive justice. Instead of retaliation, He urges His followers to “turn the other cheek,” to love their enemies, and to pray for their persecutors. These are not passive resignations but active resistance to the cycle of violence. The Gospel proposes a new order: one in which peace is not maintained through fear or force, but through self-sacrificial love.
• The Cross as the Ultimate Refusal of Violence: The crucifixion of Jesus is the definitive symbol of Christian nonviolence. He suffers unjust violence without resorting to violence Himself. As He is arrested, Jesus rebukes Peter’s sword with the words: “Put your sword back into its place. For all who draw the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). Far from being a tragic defeat, the Cross is a victorious act of divine mercy. By accepting suffering, Jesus exposes the futility of violence and breaks its power. His resurrection affirms that life, not death, has the final word.

11.3 The Tension Between Divine Justice and Mercy

Throughout the Scriptures, there is a dynamic tension between God’s justice and God’s mercy. This tension is not a contradiction but a dialectic — an invitation to deeper understanding.

a) The Prophetic Tradition

The prophets constantly called Israel back to justice, but their vision was one of restoration, not retribution. Amos denounced economic oppression; Micah called for justice, mercy, and humility (cf. Micah 6:8); Isaiah envisioned a world where “they shall beat their swords into plowshares” (Isaiah 2:4).

Their critiques extended beyond idolatry and ritual impurity to social violence: exploitation of the poor, neglect of widows, and abuse of power. They revealed that violence is not merely physical but systemic — embedded in unjust structures and attitudes.

b) Mercy as the Fulfillment of Justice

In the New Testament, Jesus embodies this prophetic legacy. His parables, such as the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), demonstrate that true justice is fulfilled in mercy. The Gospel redefines power not as domination but as service; authority not as control but as compassion.

This movement from justice-as-punishment to justice-as-restoration is foundational for Christian ethics and social teaching. As Saint James wrote, “Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13).

11.4 The Early Church’s Reception of Jesus’ Nonviolence

The Acts of the Apostles and Pauline letters show a Church that took seriously Christ’s message of peace. The early Christians refused to return evil for evil. They were persecuted, imprisoned, and killed — yet they did not revolt violently. Paul exhorted: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).

This early witness, rooted in love and hope, laid the foundation for the Church’s future reflections on war, justice, and peace.

11.5 A Biblical Vision of Peace

The Bible does not present a simplistic answer to the problem of violence. Instead, it offers a journey — from the tribal codes of survival to the radical ethics of the Kingdom of God. The Scriptures reflect both the brokenness of humanity and the redemptive love of God.

In Jesus Christ, the ultimate revelation of God’s will, we find not a warrior-king but a crucified savior. His message is clear: peace is not the absence of struggle, but the fruit of love, forgiveness, and trust in the Father.

This biblical foundation sets the stage for how the Church would understand and engage with violence in history — sometimes faithfully, sometimes tragically.

12. The First Church Centuries: Martyrdom, Persecution, and the Witness of Peace

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”
— Tertullian, Apologeticus, c. 197 A.D.

The first three centuries of Christianity were marked by vulnerability, marginalization, and violent persecution. The Christian community, small and dispersed across the Roman Empire, was regarded with suspicion and often subjected to brutal repression. Yet these centuries did not produce violent uprisings or organized military resistance from Christians. Rather, they gave rise to a deeply countercultural witness: martyrdom, voluntary suffering, and a radical commitment to nonviolence.

The early Church, formed by the teachings of Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit, responded to systemic violence not with revenge but with unwavering fidelity and peace.

12.1 Early Christianity as a Persecuted and Pacifist Faith

From its inception, Christianity presented a challenge to the Roman imperial order. Not by political revolution or armed rebellion, but by proclaiming a new Lord — Jesus Christ — whose Kingdom was “not of this world” (John 18:36). This nonconformity to imperial religion and civil worship brought suspicion and often brutal reprisal.

• Roman Persecution and Christian Fidelity: Christians were accused of atheism (for rejecting Roman gods), treason (for refusing emperor worship), and even cannibalism (a misunderstanding of the Eucharist). Imperial policies varied by region and emperor, but periods of intense persecution occurred under emperors such as Nero, Decius, and Diocletian. Despite the danger, Christians did not take up arms to defend themselves. The refusal to engage in violence was not merely strategic — it was rooted in discipleship. To be a follower of Christ meant to imitate His nonviolent love, even unto death.
• Pacifism and Military Service: Many early Christians rejected military service outright. They could not reconcile killing — even for the state — with the teachings of the Gospel. Tertullian, one of the earliest Christian theologians, wrote: “The Lord, in disarming Peter, unbelted every soldier.” This rejection was not a judgment against soldiers per se, but an expression of a radical alternative ethic: one in which loyalty to Christ superseded allegiance to the empire, and love of enemy took precedence over state-sanctioned violence.

12.2 Martyrdom as a Rejection of Violence and Affirmation of Faith

Martyrdom, from the Greek martyria meaning “witness,” became the central spiritual and theological response to persecution. Far from seeking death, the martyrs faced it with courage and serenity, refusing to deny Christ even under torture or execution. Their deaths bore witness not only to the truth of the Gospel but to the power of nonviolence.

a) The Theology of Martyrdom

Martyrs were seen as imitators of Christ, who “did not retaliate when insulted” and “entrusted Himself to the one who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). Their sacrifice was not motivated by hatred of their persecutors but by love of God and fidelity to the truth.

The Acts of the Martyrs, such as the account of St. Polycarp, emphasize the peace and even joy with which many Christians met death. Before his execution, Polycarp prayed:

“I bless you for judging me worthy of this day and hour, that in the company of the martyrs I may share the cup of Christ.”

Their blood, like the blood of Christ, became redemptive — not in the sense of violence returned, but violence absorbed and transformed by love.

b) Public Witness and Evangelization

The patient endurance of the martyrs had a profound effect on both Christians and non-Christians. Their nonviolent witness often converted bystanders and impressed even Roman officials. This embodied a new ethic: one that confronted evil not with arms but with holiness.

As Origen declared:

“We do not fight as the heathens do… for we have been taught not to strike back at those who strike us, nor to go to court with those who rob us, nor to curse those who speak evil of us.”

The Christian martyr became a living contradiction to the logic of domination and vengeance.

12.3 The Church Fathers and Early Reflections on Legitimate Violence

Although early Christian communities generally rejected violence, the increasing complexity of life within the empire prompted some to wrestle with the question of legitimate defense, justice, and the role of the state.

a) Tertullian and Radical Nonviolence

Tertullian (c. 160–225), one of the most vocal defenders of nonviolence, argued strongly that Christians could not participate in warfare or public office that involved coercion or death:

“Christ, in disarming Peter, disarmed every soldier.”
— De Corona, XI

For Tertullian, the Christian life was a radical separation from the violent structures of the world. The Church was a community of peace, a new humanity, where the sword had no place.

b) Clement of Alexandria and Christian Discipline

Clement (c. 150–215) emphasized that Christians were to wage a different kind of warfare — spiritual rather than physical. He described the faithful as “soldiers of peace,” whose only weapon was virtue:

“If you enroll as one of God’s people, heaven is your country and God your lawgiver. And what are His laws? You shall not kill, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. To him that strikes you on the one cheek, turn to him the other also.”

“It has been God’s fixed and constant purpose to save the flock of men: for this end the good God sent the good Shepherd. And the Word, having unfolded the truth, showed to men the height of salvation, that either repenting they might be saved, or refusing to obey, they might be judged. This is the proclamation of righteousness: to those that obey, glad tidings; to those that disobey, judgment. The loud trumpet, when sounded, collects the soldiers, and proclaims war. And shall not Christ, breathing a strain of peace to the ends of the earth, gather together His own soldiers, the soldiers of peace? Well, by His blood, and by the word, He has gathered the bloodless host of peace, and assigned to them the kingdom of heaven. The trumpet of Christ is His Gospel. He has blown it, and we have heard. “Let us array ourselves in the armour of peace, putting on the breastplate of righteousness, and taking the shield of faith, and binding our brows with the helmet of salvation; and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” Ephesians 6:14-17 let us sharpen. So the apostle in the spirit of peace commands. These are our invulnerable weapons: armed with these, let us face the evil one; “the fiery darts of the evil one” let us quench with the sword-points dipped in water, that, have been baptized by the Word, returning grateful thanks for the benefits we have received, and honouring God through the Divine Word.”

“If a loud trumpet summons soldiers to war, shall not Christ with a strain of peace issued to the ends of the earth gather up his soldiers of peace? By his own blood and by his word he has assembled an army which sheds no blood in order to give them the Kingdom of Heaven. The trumpet of Christ is his Gospel. He has sounded it and we have heard it. Let us then put on the armour of peace.”

—Clement of Alexandria, Protrepticus, 10-11.

While not as adamant as Tertullian, he too avoided justifying physical violence.

c) Origins of Just War Thought in Ambiguous Contexts

By the end of the third century, as Christianity gained more converts among Roman citizens, including military personnel, the question of participation in state structures — including war — became more pressing. Some Christians began to distinguish between unjust aggression and legitimate defense, but this development remained limited before the Constantinian shift.

At this stage, the general ethos of the Church remained committed to nonviolence, deeply influenced by the example of Christ and the martyrs.

Thus, the first centuries of Christianity represent a powerful and often forgotten chapter in the history of nonviolence. Faced with systemic persecution and deadly hostility, the early Church responded not with insurrection or retaliation, but with patience, faith, and peace. This was not weakness but a conscious imitation of Christ crucified. Martyrdom became the ultimate act of resistance — not by shedding others’ blood, but by refusing to abandon love, even in death. The Church Fathers, especially in the pre-Constantinian period, upheld a vision of the Christian life that excluded violence and embraced the cross. This witness of the early Church continues to challenge the modern Christian conscience. It invites reflection on how the power of God is revealed not in force or conquest, but in weakness and sacrificial love. The next chapter will explore how this nonviolent faith encountered a seismic shift when Christianity moved from a persecuted minority to the favored religion of the empire — a transformation that would profoundly affect its understanding of violence.

(To be continued…)