Everywhere we look, we see nations at war. Some of these wars we may be tempted to believe are “just”. And while they may serve a just cause, wars themselves are unjust by their very nature. War, as the antithesis of peace, belongs to the realm of human sin. Therefore, as a sin, war can never embody the justice, righteousness, and peace that are the very essence of reconciliation between God and humanity. Let’s explore this a bit more…
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Offensive vs. defensive war
Orthodoxy makes clear that offensive war and violence are never the means by which God achieves justice. Even in the case of a defensive war, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople states that the Church only “forgives an armed defense against oppression and violence” in a few specific cases (Cosmic Grace – Humble Prayer, 2003). Therefore, regardless of the type of war we fight, we perpetrate injustice by spilling the blood of our brethren. And it is indeed better “to be treated with injustice ourselves than to do injustice to others” (ibid.) Likewise, Saint John Chrysostom teaches that changing the minds of our enemies and bringing about a change of soul is far more wonderful than killing them.
While it is our moral obligation in this fallen world to defend our nation when threatened, any action that takes the life of another is a sin worthy of repentance and penance. Saint Basil the Great’s Canon 13 enumerates this well: “Homicide in war is not reckoned by our Fathers as homicide; I presume from their wish to make concession to men fighting on behalf of chastity and true religion. Perhaps, however, it is well to counsel that those whose hands are not clean only abstain from communion for three years.” (Canon 13 of St. Basil, The Rudder).
War is a sin that requires penance
Those who are familiar with the divine services of the Orthodox Church know that “peace” is mentioned quite frequently. Most major services contain the “litany of peace,” which begins with, “In peace, let us pray to the Lord”. It continues, “For the peace from above and the salvation of our souls . . . for the peace of the whole world, the good estate of the holy churches of God, and the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.” Orthodox faithful hear repeated petitions for peace, in its personal, social, and global dimensions.
To an Orthodox Christian, peace is not merely the absence of warfare and conflict. Rather, it is an active state of harmony and well-being. Peace is the divinely ordained state of humanity. Therefore, every form of conflict and strife – especially war – is the antithesis of peace, a manifestation of sin.
However, in the same services, we see petitions commemorating the armed forces, in which we pray they obtain “victory over every enemy and adversary.” Yet, Orthodox canon law prescribes that soldiers who kill in warfare must undergo a penitential period of separation from the eucharist (e.g. excommunication). The taking of human life is always an objective evil, even when done in the pursuit of a “just cause.” As such, it has the effect of rupturing one’s communion with Christ and thus requires repentance.
A bit of a contradiction?
It can seem a bit contradictory. Orthodox Christians pray for the peace of the world, while also praying for the armed forces and their victory over enemies. How can we reconcile this?
In Orthodox ethics and canon law, there are two unique applications: akrievia and economia. Akrievia represents the strict application of the gospel principles embodied in canon law. Economia, on the other hand, is a dispensation from the strict requirements in view of human weakness and life in a fallen world.
To understand how this works, let’s take a look at divorce. According to akrievia, there is one marriage for life, and divorce and remarriage constitutes adultery. This is a direct word of the Lord, and the expectation for all Christians who marry in the Church. Regardless, the Orthodox Church blesses the remarriage of divorced persons in certain circumstances as an act of mercy.
Similarly, peace, in its very nature, embodies the gospel. War by nature is a manifestation of sin, and therefore, can never be “just.” We must avoid war at all costs, and we must pursue peaceful resolution without restraint. However, because of our fallen world, there are times when the peaceful resolution is not possible. For example, a hostile enemy attacks and attempts to deprive peace-loving Christian citizens of life and liberty. In such situations, a pacifistic position may indeed attract and beget violence because of its public refusal to defend even the innocent against violence and murder.
Evil vs. Lesser Evil
When we cannot reach peaceful resolution and must wage war, doing so is a “necessary evil”. Why is it necessary? Because we must protect the good and innocent. Why is it evil? Because the protection of the innocent requires the taking of human life, which is reprehensible.
Contrary to popular belief, the Orthodox Church is not pacifistic. Though in its practices, the Church does encourage governments to always pursue peaceful resolution to conflict. The Church does, however, recognize that governments cannot be held to the strict requirements of the gospel because we live in a fallen world. At times statesmanship fails. Governments will call on their Christian citizens to defend their commonwealth by means of war. Failing to do so would result in an increase of evil in the world, rather than a decrease.
Keep Reading: Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?
Conclusion
The teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ tell us to live in harmony with God and with one another. They instruct us to return good for evil, leave retribution to God, and “turn the other cheek”. Despite our reluctance, Christ would much rather we suffer injustice ourselves than be the cause of it. We must deal with injustice righteously and seek ways to peacefully influence the enemy to change and repent. If we cannot, the most we can do is defend ourselves, without seeking to harm the enemy beyond what is necessary to stop the attack. In summary, the Orthodox Church teaches that war is a necessary evil, and that those who take life should repent, confess their sins, and abstain from Holy Communion for a time.
Read More: Turning Prayer Into Action
7 Responses
This is an excellent article. Thank you for publishing this. I was looking everywhere for some guidance regarding self-defense and war and it was very difficult to find something that was orthodox in view and also addressed the contradictions that exist. I have a better understanding now and feel more at peace.
Eleni,
Glory to God! We are humbled to hear that our words have had such an effect on you. May the Lord’s peace be with you, and may He keep you always by His grace.
Thank you for this article. I’m sorry if this is a pain but would there be scripture related to this? Or any writings from Saints or church fathers?
Monos,
Christ is in our midst! Indeed, there are many Church Fathers who write about this topic, including St. Justin Martyr, Patriarch Athenagoras, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, Irenaeus, St. Augustine of Hippo, and Lactantius, among others. Regarding the Scriptures, there are many different references to war and peace; it would depend what, specifically, you are looking for. Feel free to respond and let us know, so we can further assist. God bless!
My argument is about the apparent contradiction between St. Basil’s teaching concerning killing and the Old Testament commands of God.
St. Basil the Great teaches that killing in war is sinful. He describes those who have killed as having “unclean hands” and prescribes a period of penance before returning to Communion.
Therefore, killing in war is sinful, even though St. Basil distinguishes it from murder.
If killing is intrinsically sinful, then the fact that the killing produces a good outcome cannot make the killing non-sinful. A good consequence does not transform a sinful act into a righteous act.
The Old Testament contains passages in which God commands Israel to kill people as part of divine judgment.
Therefore, if killing is intrinsically sinful, God’s command would appear to require Israel to perform something sinful.
But God cannot command people to sin, because God is perfectly holy and cannot be the author of sin.
Therefore, there appears to be a serious theological contradiction between the claim that killing is sinful and the Old Testament passages in which God Himself commands Israel to kill.
The central question is:
How can Orthodox theology reconcile St. Basil’s teaching that killing is sinful with the Old Testament passages in which God Himself commands Israel to kill?
I need an answer to this Bc none could answer me, and I might leave orthodoxy BC of it
Christ is in our midst! Thank you for taking the time to lay out your reasoning so carefully. This is a serious question, and we understand why it would trouble you if St. Basil’s teaching seemed to contradict the Old Testament.
We think the difficulty begins with a premise that needs to be corrected: St. Basil does not teach that every act of killing is intrinsically homicide or sinful in the same sense as murder. In Canon 13, he writes that “homicide in war is not reckoned by our Fathers as homicide,” and then recommends that those whose hands are not clean abstain from Holy Communion for three years. That distinction is important. St. Basil recognizes that killing in war is morally and spiritually serious, but he does not simply equate a soldier defending others with a murderer. The Church’s contemporary Orthodox social teaching makes the same distinction. It describes killing in war as a tragedy and acknowledges that soldiers may sometimes be placed in a position where they must kill to defend the innocent. It also explains St. Basil’s penance as a means of spiritual healing rather than mere punishment.
The Old Testament makes a similar distinction between murder and other forms of taking life. The commandment “You shall not murder” exists alongside laws prescribing capital punishment and commands concerning warfare under particular circumstances. See, for example, Deuteronomy 20:10–18, Joshua 6:15–21, and 1 Samuel 15:1–3. The biblical question is therefore not simply, “Was a human being killed?” It also asks who acts, by what authority, for what purpose, and within what covenantal and judicial context.
That brings us to the deeper question: How could God command something that would otherwise be sinful? The Orthodox answer begins with the truth that God is the Giver of life and the Judge of all creation. He alone possesses absolute authority over life and death. When God commands Israel to carry out an act of judgment, He is not commanding them to commit murder and then calling the murder good. He is assigning a particular act of divine judgment within a particular moment of salvation history.
This is also where Father Stephen De Young’s work on the Old Testament is especially helpful. He argues that modern readers often miss the ancient biblical worldview behind the conquest narratives. In his reading, the wars described in Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua are bound up with God’s judgment against spiritual powers and the human societies under their dominion, rather than representing an ethnic program of genocide. He also argues that the biblical text distinguishes between the peoples Israel was commanded to destroy completely and other peoples who were dispossessed from the land. That does not make the deaths in these narratives trivial or easy. They remain difficult passages because death itself entered the world through sin, and human beings are made in God’s image. But Scripture does not present every taking of life as morally identical.
There is also an important distinction between the Old Testament’s unique acts of divine judgment and the Church’s life in Christ. Israel was a particular people with a particular covenant, land, priesthood, and calling. The Church has received a different mission. Our warfare is against sin, the passions, and the spiritual powers of darkness. Christ does not establish the Church as a nation that conquers earthly territory by the sword.
So we would not say that the Old Testament contradicts St. Basil. Rather, St. Basil helps us see something more nuanced: killing in war is not identical to murder, yet the shedding of human blood still wounds and burdens the person who does it. That is why the Church can recognize the necessity of defending others while still mourning the taking of life and calling the soldier to spiritual healing.
One clarification about our own article may also be helpful. Our statement that taking a life in war is “a sin” was intended to express the Church’s understanding of the spiritual seriousness and tragic nature of bloodshed. St. Basil’s actual wording gives us a more precise distinction than that sentence alone conveys. He does not place every soldier who kills in the same category as a murderer.
Your question is therefore a legitimate one, but the apparent contradiction disappears once we stop treating **all killing as morally identical to murder**. The Orthodox tradition holds together both truths: human life is sacred, and there are circumstances in which a person may be required to use force to defend others. Even then, the Church does not celebrate the taking of life as though nothing spiritually significant has occurred.
In a future rewrite of this article, we will strongly consider drafting it in a way that allows for all this nuance and helps clarify this issue for others who also might wrestle with it. We pray this answer has edified you, and that the Lord will continue to guide you. God bless!
Thanks you so much brethren. It helped a lot God bless