Justification of War in the Works of St. Augustine

This paper examines Augustine's writings dealing with the justification of war, and concentrates on the thesis that Augustine has a reasonably coherent just war theory. It strives to explain what the main principles of that theory are and argues that Augustine's view of war is closely related to his general political and theological assumptions. The article starts with an analysis of selected works of Augustine and demonstrates that Augustine does not subscribe to either of the two main rival positions on the issue in question, namely pacifism and permissivism. On the contrary, it is maintained that, according to Augustine, war - under some specific circumstances - can be justified. Through interpretative reconstruction the paper reveals the main principles of Augustine's Just War theory and claims that the core propositions of his Just War theory are consistent with his basic political and theological beliefs.

Keywords: Augustine; Just War theory; Justification of war; Just War principles