the same time, tlie working compromise at the opening of tlio 1st cent. A.l). covered hot ashes, Avhich might llanie up ; two elements still survived in Jewish religion — the intractable passion for national freeilnm and supremacy which was repre- sented in an extreme form by the Zealots, and the strain of militant uiessianisni which glowed in a|)ocalypticcircles.* Tlie problem of Christianity's relation to war, during the primitive period, is partlj' determined by these two factors in the con- temporary situation. We must therefore begin by taking account of their bearing upon the ideas and practice of the early Church.
1. The teaching and practice of Jesus in rela- tion to war. — Tlie rdiuion of .Jesus was never intended to sjircad by force of arms. So much is clear from the teaching of the Gospels. He never aimed at heading a Galihean revolt against the lioman power.and in fact llee.\plicitly discotiraged all attempts to exploit His personality and in- fluence for nationalistic ends. He deliberately disappointed such hopes. It is a fair verdict that some sections of His te.acliing cannot be understood (cf. H. M. Hughes, in ^'.r^Txxvii. [191,5-16] 151 f. ; K. Lake. The Enrlicr KpiMlcs of St. Paul, London, lllll, p. 30-->f., The Stetimrdship of Faith, London, 191.5, p. 30 f.) apart from the theories of the Zealots or the dagger-men of the age (cf. DACi. 1U3; H. B. Sbarman, -The Teaching of Jesns about the Future, Chicago, 1909, ji. 113 f.), whom He im- l)licitly repudiates. He is not an Essene, opposed to war, but He is not a Zealot. One of His dis- ciples, .Simon, had originally belonged to that party, but Jesus evidently hail offered him a nobler outlet for his enthusiasm. The mere fact that He stood aloof from such aspirations must have seemed intensely unjiatriotic, even to the Pharisees. Jose]ilius is sjieaking more as a pro-Roman than as a Pharisee «lien he argues that, as the Jews have never succeeded in war, they are evidently meant by God to be pacilists (see below), but the Pharisaic party practically acted on a policy of inaction. They opjiosed the Zealots. Only, they opposed Jesus even more.
' At great politic.il crises he who opposes the patriots is not so likely to be considereci their worst foe, as he who ignores them. It was not that our Lord preached submission to Home, though no doubt the decision as to the tribute money was capable of being represented in that light — it was that He raised a spirit which moved in another plane than that of resistance or sub- mission to imperial power. He created a weapon (it would seem) and withheld it from the service of the State. It will be found, in general, that no other treason is felt so deadly as this. To use power aijainst the State is penal ; — to hold power, and not use '\tJor the State, is. to the zealot for the State, far more hateful. Christ would neither join the alliance with worldly power, nor the fanaticism of revolt against worldly power.' t
And, as Jesus declined to he drawn into any revolutionary movement of His own nation, as He ' withdrew' (Jn 6") when an enthusiastic crowd of (JaliUcans would have forcibly made a king of Him, as He seems to have sliown no symjiathy with the Galila-ans whom Pilate had ruthlessly murdered (Lk 13'--), .so He withheld His own party from resenting by force .any attack or outrage on themselves. When the Jew would retaliate, if he could, and take up arms against any foreign power which viol.ated his religious scruples or pro-
* Both were combined in the revolt of Bar Cochba (c. a.d, 135), for Rabbi .Akiha made the tragic mistake of hailing him as the fultiller of Nu 241". The rebellion was so serious, especially after the outburst against Trajan, that Hadrian had no alterna- tive but to crush Judaism as a national menace to the empire. After this, war ceased to be a serious outlet for Jewish natinn.al- ism or religion. The vitality of the Jews ' was thenceforth pressed into two channels only : (o) the study and cultivation of a curiously subtle and profound, but narrow and in many ways morbid, system of theology and law . . . (/*) international commerce and trade' (Emil Heich. <_!rnerai Uistory of the Weslirn Xaliim3, il. (London, lOOSJ 273-274).
t Julia Wedgwood, The llutage of Israel, London, 1894, p. 306.
faned his sacred possessions, the disciple of Jesus was to suiter patiently and passively. Neither hot word nor quick blow was to defend His faith. Like the great prototype of their Leader, who was led as a lamb to the slaughter. His followers were to let their throats be cut, unresislinj^ slieeii as they were, butchered by the cruel knife (ci. Ro 8»-^).
In the apocalyptic address of the Synoptic tradi- tion the di.sciples in .luda'a are warned that they will ' hear of wars and rumours of wars' (Mk, Mt ; 'of wars and disturbances,' Lk) : but they are not to be scared. Why? liecause this does not mean the end of all things yet. Mark and Matthew regard these terrors as the first stage of the end, while Luke, who omits the apocalyptic ipxv liSlvui' Toira, rather suggests that they arc simply prior to the end ; but in either case the outlook is the same. There will be international strife as well as physical catastrophes. Hut Christians are never for a moment supposed to take any part in the former ; it is a clasli of pagan powers. In the invasion of .ludoca the disciples will suffer, hut they .are hidden withdraw to the hills and leave Jerusalem to its fate, since the ' City of Peace ' had failed to recognize 'the things that belonged to' her true peace. There is no active rOle for them in this grim prelude of the final tragedy. It is now the period of the end, but they have no concern with the issue between Jews and Romans ; it will be a miserable time, throbbing with social anarchy and the horrors of an invasion, with con- vulsions and delusions, but soon the Son of Man will appear to muster His non-combatant elect for safety and bliss, liftin" them right out of the jarring, untoward world. It was not His design to 'restore the kingdom to Israel' (Ac 1"). He h.ad no faith in the nation.ilistic fury and pro- gramme of Judaism. He foresaw a catastrophe, and His regulations for the disciples were made in view of a crisis, not only for the Jews but for the universe.