The Judeo-Christian Tradition Between Physical and Spiritual Warfare

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Many religious traditions know the concept of “spiritual warfare”. On the one hand, military metaphors seem to be a natural choice to express obtaining anything at a cost (“we fought hard to get here…”). On the other, fundamentalisms of any kind (religious, political, ideological, etc.) show that only too often violent metaphors used in speech produce the ugly fruit of violent actions. Christianity is no exception to this tendency. Given the abuse of the metaphor, would we be better off without its use? Which theological and spiritual notions are expressed and how do they relate to the violence contained in the images used to convey them? How does the violent strand in Christian language relate to the equally prominent one centered on peace and non- violence? This course will explore these and other questions by taking a deep dive into foundational texts of the Judeo-Christian tradition. In a survey of biblical texts, carefully read in the context of the whole biblical canon, we will observe a progressive, though often incomplete, spiritualization of violence. From these scriptural foundations, we will turn to the writings of early Christian teachers across the Aramaic, Egyptian, and Latin traditions, where spiritual warfare features prominently. The desired outcome of this course is a nuanced and critical understanding of this undoubtedly important notion in Christian spirituality—the ability, as it were, to wield or sheathe this two-edged sword.