Davies, Richard E. (1978, Spring). Relations between the early church and the Roman military establishment. Miliary Chaplains' Review. 23-34.
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"So there were Christian soldiers, in spite of the fact that the military was the strong supporter of Mithra, one of the serious contestants with Christianity in the Roman religious arena. But even through there were Christian soldiers, there was a great deal of ambivalence about whether or not a Christian had the moral right to serve in the Roman army." (p. 24)
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"The flamboyant Tertullian (c. 130-c. 220) and the ascetic Origen (c. 185-c. 254) had more to say about the military than any of the other Christian writers before the time of Constantine. Both of them argued that Christians should not serve in the military, while arguing at the same time that Christians should support the military with prayers. But if a Christian should not be a soldier, why not?
Cadoux demonstrates clearly that Origen held the pacifist positioin, saying that Christians should not fight. Other issues such as idolotry within the army and common immorality among soldiers were not particularly important for Origen. But Origen seems to stumble into ambivalence at the point of supporting the state. He stressed the positive contributions made to the state through intercessory prayers and through the influence on society of Christian education and the superior moral example of Christians.
Origen May have taken the clearest and, to modern ears, the most defensible position against Christian involvement with the military establishment, but if he had such a horror of war as Cadoux would claim, how would he pray for the success of pagan (Roman) armies? Origen recognized that the legions were necessary to the life of the empire, and he was not whole-heartedly ready to exchange the civilized empire for a barbaric chaos, regardless of his opinion of the army." (p. 28)
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I was out all afternoon and evening, so I just wanted to get one article in and this is an easier one. These texts just show that there is some history for pacifism in the church. Not that it's conclusive or that it's the last word on it; but that it does have a long history. Just something to think about and not to out of hand completely disregard views of Christians who chose to not support violence and war, who chose to put more emphasis on finding peaceful resolutions - more emphasis than is currently done.
I have come to espouse such a position.
