The world of the Roman Empire was made possible by the military exploits of Alexander the Great and the citizen armies of the Roman Republic. Out of Alexander’s military campaigns emerged Hellenistic culture which was then married to the Roman world as that small, Italian city-state became master of the Mediterranean. It was not lost on the ancient Christians that this Greco-Roman world was established by the providence of God particularly for the central act in all of Salvation History; the Incarnation of the Christ. Peaceful roads, seas, provinces, and borders, as well as schools of philosophy, common languages, and unified notions of culture made it possible for the Gospel to be proclaimed.
Of all the New Testament writers, St. Luke portrayed the Roman Empire not only as the authority that crucified Jesus, but also as a system of government that allowed the Apostles opportunities to speak openly concerning the Christ. One is hard put to find in any of the Gospels a condemnation concerning the work of soldiers. In fact, Luke records an exchange between a faithful centurion who desires that Jesus would heal his servant. Jesus praises the Roman officer saying, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” The humility of this warrior is recalled in the liturgy of many churches; “I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.” The “peacemakers” of the Sermon on the Mount, as recorded by Luke, are, “ones who actively establish peace.” That this can mean those who have assisted in the establishment of military and political treaties is important to understand. In the history of Christianity such men as Constantine and Charlemagne might be seen as “peacemakers.” Within the safety of peaceful, well-guarded borders Christian evangelists, theologians, philosophers, and apologists were able to do their work.
My father was among the modern peacemakers I have known. In response to the evil that had emerged in Europe, in part due to the dithering of Neville Chamberlain, my father and his friends were called to war. At 19, rather than study chemistry at MIT, he went to kill Nazis. This experience forever weighed on his mind and soul. But he refused to be a victim. We saw him as a hero. He was a man who helped make peace in a world where a lack of diligence and planning for war had created only greater danger. I am grateful that I can spend my life as a professor owing, in no small part, to my father and to the many men who fought bravely to establish the peace I enjoy.
In a recent meeting, the Hillsdale College faculty voted unanimously to establish a Center for Military History and Grand Strategy. I am so very proud that Hillsdale, once again in contrast to the rest of the academic world, will work to understand the importance of peacemaking. We will continue to promote the need for diligence in the creation of spheres of peace that allow for study, for happy family life, for prosperity, and for the free worship of the One who is the Author of peace.
