Augustine’s just war theory works because love erases the self-neighbor-enemy distinction

Evidence

Because distinctions between self, neighbor, and enemy are, for the love of God, abolished, Augustine can develop his complex doctrine of the just war without contradicting himself, without even mentioning, or needing to mention, the love of enemies. From the perspective of his Christian doctrine, that is to say, from the perspective of love, the enemy and the commandment to love the enemy exceed any particular sphere of the city (political-and therefore, military-social, or domestic) and encompass all of them. Like “any other object oflove that enters the mind,” the enemy is not particularly bound to the sphere of war, nor is he bound to the private sphere. Rather, the enemy relates, refers, and is defined in relation to God and the love ofGod. — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab, 171

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the sacred kingship and just-war discussions of the sacrifice article — how religiose sanction makes killing legitimate. — connects to: Christian love of neighbor should not depend on empirical safety calculations — Andrew L. Whitehead, American Idolatry, 403