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The Four: A Survey of the Gospels
Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom
From Behind the Veil: The Epistles of John
Deep Exegesis:The Mystery of Reading Scripture
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
McGivern again, pointing to the ambivalence regarding military service evident in the accounts of military martyrs. On the one hand: “When Maximilian, the first known conscientious objector in Christian history, declared at his trial in A.D. 295 that ‘It is not right for me to serve in the army because I am a Christian,’ his execution was seen as a glorious martyrdom that elevated him as a model of sainthood. One would have thought that the lesson was clear: the army is no place for Christians.”
On the other hand: “less than ten years later, when Julius the Veteran was martyred for refusing to offer incense to Diocletian, he boasted at his trial that he had served faithfully in the military for twenty-seven years, fought in seven major campaigns, and never had a commanding officer who found any fault with his record or conduct. He too was revered as a model.”
McGivern suggests that these manifest two different ecclesiologies operating within the early church: “In one, the model of the church is that of Origen, a people set apart, aloof, priestly, rendering spiritual service, refusing dirty or bloodied hands. In the other, the model of the Church is that of Augustine, a people called already to work toward the City of God but not yet rid of the ravages of sin. Its destiny as the spotless Bride of Christ will be achieved only in the eschaton.”
(I’m not sure that this is an accurate description of Augustine, but the point about divergent ecclesiologies stands.)
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Thursday, December 24, 2009 at 3:21 pm
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