1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910165038103321

Autore

Kopel David B.

Titolo

The morality of self-defense and military action : the Judeo-Christian tradition / / David B. Kopel

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Westport, CT : , : Praeger, , 2017

New York : , : Bloomsbury Publishing (US), , 2023

ISBN

979-84-00-68742-6

979-82-16-11925-8

1-4408-3278-1

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (xvii, 471 pages)

Collana

Gale eBooks

Disciplina

172/.42

Soggetti

History

War - Religious aspects - Judaism

War - Religious aspects - Christianity

Violence - Moral and ethical aspects

Self-defense - Moral and ethical aspects

Violence - Religious aspects - Judaism

Violence - Religious aspects - Christianity

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Includes index.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Acknowledgments Introduction PART 1: THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE JEWS 1.The Torah 2.The Rise and Fall of the Hebrew Republic and Monarchy 3.Israel Returns 4. Psalms, Prophets, and the Problem of Violence in the Hebrew Bible 5.Diaspora to Holocaust to Israel PART 2: THE NEW TESTAMENT TO THE PRESENT 6.The New Testament 7.From the Early Apostles to the Fall of Rome 8.The Middle Ages 9.Reformation 10.Revolutions 11.The American Revolution 12.Modern Christianity 13.Quakers: Respect for Conscience 14.Modern Pacifism Conclusion: Defending Creation Index

Sommario/riassunto

Shedding new light on a controversial and intriguing issue, this book will reshape the debate on how the Judeo-Christian tradition views the morality of personal and national self-defense.  Are self-defense, national warfare, and revolts against tyranny holy duties-or violations



of God's will? Pacifists insist these actions are the latter, forbidden by Judeo-Christian morality. This book maintains that the pacifists are wrong. To make his case, the author analyzes the full sweep of Judeo-Christian history from earliest times to the present, combining history, scriptural analysis, and philosophy to describe the changes and continuity of Jewish and Christian doctrine about the use of lethal force. He reveals the shifting patterns of thought in both religions and presents the strongest arguments on both sides of the issue.  The book begins with the ancient Hebrews and Genesis and covers Jewish history through the Holocaust and beyond. The analysis then shifts to the story of Christianity from its origins, through the Middle Ages and the Reformation, up the present day. Based on this scrutiny, the author concludes that-contrary to popular belief-the legitimacy of self-defense is strongly supported by Judeo-Christian scripture and commentary, by philosophical analysis, and by the respect for human dignity and human rights on which both Judaism and Christianity are based.