In his dissertation, Andreas Gerstacker addresses the question of the relationship between pre-Constantinian Christianity and soldierhood. To this end, the historian analyses selected passages from three early Christian authors: Tertullian (c. 155–c. 220 AD), Clement of Alexandria (c. 150–c. 215 AD) and Origen (185–253/254 AD). The passages are examined primarily with regard to the question of how the respective authors evaluate Christian soldiering.
In his first and most extensive chapter (pp. 35–194), Gerstacker turns to Tertullian. He centers his analysis on three works by the Carthaginian author, in which the military service of Christians is assessed very differently: While Tertullian describes Christian soldiering in rather positive terms in his Apologeticum, he considers military service in De idololatria (On Idolatry) as completely incompatible with a Christian life. Finally, in his work on the soldier’s crown (De corona militis), he takes the middle ground between these two positions (p. 35).
While some scholars sought to explain this contrast by a development in Tertullian’s thinking, Gerstacker tries to explain the different appraisals first and foremost through the different objectives of the three writings (p. 188). Furthermore, the historian also identifies some principles regarding Tertullian’s attitude towards Christian soldiering that are valid in all three works: On the one hand, the Carthaginian author strongly rejects the entry of already baptised Christians into the Roman army. On the other hand, those who were already in the military service at the time of their baptism, are allowed to remain soldiers under certain circumstances (p. 189).
Next, Gerstacker looks at several works by Clement of Alexandria (pp. 195–256). Clement paints a much more coherent picture of the military service of Christians than Tertullian: In case someone was already a soldier before his conversion to Christianity, he may remain in the army. He need only orientate himself towards God in the exercise of his military service. This rather positive stance towards Christian soldiers can be observed, as Gerstacker shows, not only in the Protreptikos (Exhortation to the Greeks), which primarily addresses pagans, but also in the Paidagogos (Pedagogue), which mainly aims at a Christian audience (p. 218; 244). Gerstacker also examines the question of how Clement evaluates Christians who enter military service only after they have been baptised. Although the author cannot provide his readers with a definitive answer, he is at least able to show that Clement at no point reveals a fundamentally hostile attitude towards such an action (p. 245).
Finally, Gerstacker turns to Origen (pp. 257–352), focusing on his apologetical writing Contra Celsum (Against Celsus) as well as on various exegetical works. He concludes that, on religious grounds, Origen is opposed to already baptised Christians joining the Roman army. As the author argues, this attitude is largely based on the fact that, in Origen’s view, Christians have a different task to fulfil in this world than to fight for the Roman emperor: They have to wage a spiritual, not a secular war (p. 349).
At the same time, however, Gerstacker shows that Origen’s attitude towards Christians serving in the Roman army is generally not as critical as Tertullian’ s. This may be explained by the fact that Christian soldiery was more widespread in Origen’s time than in Tertullian’s (pp. 354–355).
Overall, Gerstacker certainly succeeds in contributing to a deeper understanding of all three authors’ attitudes towards Christian military service. This is essentially due to his method to not only compare the passages examined, but to also understand them against the background of the main objective and the historical context of the respective work. Therefore, Gerstacker’s dissertation allows a highly valuable, albeit limited, insight into the relationship of pre-Constantinian Christianity and soldiery.