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peacemaking in the modern era 1439

Jesus.Instead,Jesus’ message was available to anyone who Hawthorne, G. F., & Martin, R. P. (Eds.). (1993). Dictionary of Paul and
believed in his life, death, and resurrection, regardless of his letters. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity.
Roetzel, C. J. (1998). The letters of Paul: Conversations in context (4th
ethnicity (Galatians, Romans). Paul also gave instruction ed). Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox.
regarding the significance of Christian doctrines such as Sanders, E. P. (1983). Paul, the law, and the Jewish people. Philadelphia,
PA: Fortress.
the resurrection and the second coming of Jesus (1–2
Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians). Paul’s discussion of the
Eucharist, or the Lord’s Supper, in 1 Corinthians and the
hymn about the Incarnation (the belief that Jesus is both
human and divine) in Philippians 2 are the first descrip- Peacemaking in
tions of these doctrines. Furthermore, because Paul wrote
to specific congregations, he had much to say about social the Modern Era
ethics in each of his letters. For example, the status of
women in the early church is mentioned in 1 Corinthians, heoretically, Raymond Aron defines peace as the
and Philemon may address slavery, although no scholarly Tsuspension of violence or rivalry between two polit-
consensus exists regarding the exact purpose of the letter. ical units (1966). This process by which two warring
Paul’s legacy remains controversial.While some schol- powers come to terms and stop fighting can be either
ars credit him for the establishment of Christian theol- imposed by the defeat of one adversary’s military forces
ogy, others accuse him of establishing Christian anti- or, in the case of military stalemate, negotiation aimed at
Judaism because of his occasionally polemical critiques stopping the fighting. Peacemaking is thus the political
of Jewish practices and his claim that only faith in Jesus, process by which states shift from the state of armed con-
and not adherence to Jewish tradition, makes one right- flict to the state of peace, theretofore confirming the polit-
eous before God. His opinions about women and slaves ical, geographic, economic, or social changes imposed by
also have been criticized for their apparent support of the war.
first-century ideals, which kept both groups in a socially Related to the birth of the modern international sys-
subservient position to freemen.Whether one considers tem, peacemaking is associated with the basic principles
him worthy to be a saint or denounces him as the ring- structuring international relations: sovereignty of the
leader of Christian anti-Jewish sentiment and an advo- state; the formally recognized equality of the interna-
cate for social oppression, Paul left his permanent and tional actors; codification and recognition of interna-
unmistakable mark on the New Testament and conse- tional law; and the regulating influence of the balance of
quently on all forms of Christianity, past and present. power mechanism.
As John J. Mersheimer explains, since states “live in a
Stacy Davis
fundamentally competitive world where they view each
See also Jesus other as real, or at least potential, enemies, and they
therefore look to gain power at each other’s expense”
and, moreover, “have powerful incentives to take advan-
Further Reading tage of other states,” peacemaking seeks to limit the risk
Achtemeier, P., Green, J. B., & Thompson, M. M. (2001). Introducing the of a new conflict (2003, 52–53).
New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
Dahl, N. A. (1977). Studies in Paul:Theology for the early Christian mis-
sion. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg. The Westphalian System
Dunn, J. D. G. (1998). The theology of Paul the apostle. Grand Rapids, In the seventeenth century, the emergence of the modern
MI: Eerdmans.
Harrelson, Walter J. (Ed.) The new interpreter’s study Bible. (2003). state and the rule of law in Europe set the conditions for
Nashville,TN: Abingdon. peacemaking. International relations in the feudal period