Early Christian Views on Soldiers and Military Service
Early Christian writers gave mixed answers about soldiers and military service. Tertullian argued that warfare itself was not fit for Christians, while Clement, Justin, Origen, and Cyprian speak in ways that can include soldiers or military language. Luke 3:14 is the clearest Bible passage here for soldier conduct, calling soldiers to stop extortion and be content with their wages.
124 early-church witnesses · 236 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about soldiers and Military Service?
Early Christian writers did not all say the same thing about soldiers and military service. Clement of Alexandria and some later Christian writers speak as if military service could exist, while Tertullian argues more sharply that warfare itself is not proper for Christians because of oath-taking, idolatry, and killing. Justin Martyr and Origen use soldiers as examples or say Christians help rulers in prayer, but that is not the same as plainly endorsing Christian enlistment.
The Bible passages in this set also go in different directions: John the Baptist tells soldiers to act justly, while other passages use military language for Israel or for spiritual life. Overall, the early Christian witness is broad but mixed, and the strongest direct anti-war voice in this set is Tertullian. Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Tertullian is the clearest early writer here against Christian warfare.
- Luke 3:14 tells soldiers to act justly and be content with pay.
- Some early Christian writers use soldier language for Christian life without directly approving war.
- This topic is mixed: the evidence is not one simple answer.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians question whether warfare was right for believers?
Tertullian directly asks whether a believer may turn to military service and argues that warfare itself may be improper for Christians. Lactantius also says a just man should not engage in warfare because killing is prohibited.
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Tertullian, De Corona Direct teaching
... issue of the military crown, I think we must first ask whether warfare itself is proper at all for Christians. What is the point of discussing what is merely secondary, when the thing it rests on is itself to be condemned? Do we believe it is lawful for a human oath to be added to a divine one, for a man to come under promise to another master after Christ, and to abjure father, mother, and all his nearest kinsfolk, whom even the law has commanded us to honor and love next to God Himself, and to whom the gospel also, holding them only of less account than Christ, has likewise given honor? Should it be considered lawful to make an occupation of the sword, when the Lord declares that he who uses the sword shall perish by the sword? And should the son of peace take part in battle, when it does not become him even to sue at law? And should he apply the chain, the prison, the torture, and the punishment, when he is not even the avenger of his own wrongs? Should he really keep watch-service for others more than for Christ, or should he do it on the Lord's Day, when he does not even do it for Christ Himself? And should he keep guard before the temples he has renounced? And should he t
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Tertullian, On Idolatry Direct teaching
But now inquiry is made about this point, whether a believer may turn himself unto military service, and whether the military may be admitted unto the faith, even the rank and file, or each inferior grade, to whom there is no necessity for taking part in sacrifices or capital punishments.
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Tertullian, De Corona Supporting witness
Neither does military service hold out escape from punishment of sins, or exemption from martyrdom.
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Tertullian, On Idolatry Supporting witness
In that last section, decision may seem to have been given likewise concerning military service, which is between dignity and power.
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Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness
Thus it will be neither lawful for a just man to engage in warfare, since his warfare is justice itself, nor to accuse any one of a capital charge, because it makes no difference whether you put a man to death by word, or rather by the sword, since it is the act of putting to death itself which is prohibited.
What did early Christians say about soldiers becoming Christians?
Justin’s First Apology compares Christian endurance with soldiers who take the military oath, and Tertullian explicitly asks whether the military may be admitted to the faith. These sources show that soldiers were part of the early Christian discussion, even where the moral questions remained unresolved.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Direct teaching
...etrothed a virgin and has not yet married her, the humane law orders such a man to be relieved from military service. This is first for military reasons, lest, bent on his desires, he should become sluggish in war. For those who are untroubled by passion boldly face dangers. It is also from motives of humanity, since, in view of the uncertainties of war, the law judged it not right that one should not enjoy his own labors, while another, without taking pains, should receive what belonged to those who had labored. The law also seems to point out manliness of soul by enacting that he who had planted should reap the fruit, and he who had built should live in it, and he who had betrothed should marry. For it does not provide vain hopes for those who labor, according to the gnostic saying: "For the hope of a good man, dead or living, does not perish," says Wisdom. "I love those who love me; and those who seek me shall find peace," Proverbs 8:17, and so forth. What then? Did not the women of the Midianites, by their beauty, seduce the Hebrews from wisdom into impiety through licentiousness, when they were making war against them? For, after seducing them from a serious way of life, an
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Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Direct teaching
he prohibits the inactive man from undertaking the business of the state, the sluggish from bodily exercise, the timid from military service.
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Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness
...him in maintaining justice, to fight for him, and, if he requires it, to fight under him or lead an army along with him. Our answer is that, when the occasion requires it, we do give help to kings, and, so to speak, a divine help, by putting on the whole armor of God. We do this in obedience to the apostle's command: "I exhort, therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority." The more anyone excels in piety, the more effective help he gives to kings, even more than soldiers who go out to fight and slay as many of the enemy as they can. And to those enemies of our faith who require us to bear arms for the commonwealth, and to slay men, we can reply: Do not those who are priests at certain shrines, and those who attend on certain gods, as you count them, keep their hands free from blood, so that with hands unstained and free from human blood they may offer the appointed sacrifices to your gods? Even when war comes upon you, you never enlist the priests in the army. If that, then, is a praiseworthy custom, how much more is this: while others are engaged in battle, these too
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Justin Martyr, The First Apology Supporting witness
...ght imitate the saying, “The tongue has sworn, but the mind is unsworn,” in this matter. But if the soldiers you enlist, who have taken the military oath, prefer their duty over their own life, family, country, and kin, even though you offer them nothing imperishable, it would be truly absurd if we, who passionately seek incorruption, did not endure everything to obtain what we desire from Him who can grant it.
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Tertullian, On Fasting Background
For even soldiers, though never unmindful of their military oath, yet pay a greater deference to Stations.
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Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathen Background
Has knowledge taken hold of you while engaged in military service?
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Ignatius, Epistle to Polycarp (Long Version) Supporting witness
A Christian has not power over himself, but must always be ready for the service of God.
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Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Background
Such soldiers appear to me to be indicated, and to be prepared for wars of this kind, in those persons who in the sacred books are ordered by God's command to be numbered.
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Cyprian, Treatises Background
I have been constrained to obey your so needful wish, so that as much as my limited powers, instructed by the aid of divine inspiration, are sufficient, some arms, as it were, and defences might be brought forth from the Lord's precepts for the brethren who are about to fight.
How did early Christians use soldier language for the Christian life?
Several writers describe Christians as soldiers in a spiritual or moral sense, stressing discipline, endurance, and readiness for God’s service. Cyprian especially uses military imagery for the Christian struggle and martyrdom.
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Luke 3:14 Direct teaching
Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
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Didache, Connection to Luke 3:14 Supporting witness
If a soldier come, let him be taught to "do no injustice, to accuse no man falsely, and to be content with his allotted wages: "
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Cyprian, Epistles Background
For while it behooves all Christ's soldiers to keep the precepts of their commander;
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Justin Martyr, The First Apology Background
...ayer to the gods of my country. But, as they did not respond, I called upon those among us known as Christians. Upon investigation, I found a great number and multitude of them and initially acted against them, which was quite inappropriate, as I later understood their power. They began the battle, not with weapons, armor, or bugles, as such preparations are detestable to them because of the God they carry in their conscience. Therefore, it appears that those we think are atheists have God as their guiding force entrenched in their conscience. Throwing themselves on the ground, they prayed not only for me but for the entire army, that we might be saved from the current thirst and hunger. We had been without water for five days because there was none, being deep in Germany, in enemy territory. Simultaneously as they threw themselves on the ground and prayed to God (a God unknown to me), water poured from the sky, refreshingly cool upon us but as withering hail upon Rome's enemies. Immediately we acknowledged the presence of God following their prayer—a God unconquerable and indestructible. Based on this, let us pardon such individuals who are Christians, lest they pray for and ac
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Cyprian, Epistles Background
...who will reject it, since for this reason peace should be granted to all who are about to enter the warfare, so that through our ignorance the first one passed over may not be the one who is to be crowned in the struggle.
Did early Christians connect military service with idolatry or sacrifice?
Tertullian links military service with sacrifices and other obligations that could conflict with faith. His argument is part of a larger anti-idolatry concern, not just a generic dislike of soldiers.
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Ignatius, Epistles of Ignatius Direct teaching
...e laws yourself but also explain them to others, as a dedicated servant of God. "No one involved in military service entangles himself with the affairs of this life, so he may please the one who chose him to be a soldier; and if a person competes for success, he is not crowned unless he competes lawfully." I, who am in confinement, pray that my soul may be in place of yours.
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Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians Supporting witness
Let us then, men and brethren, with all energy act the part of soldiers, in accordance with His holy commandments.
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Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
...given, the soldiers of God are proven, and heaven is opened to martyrs. For we have not enlisted in warfare in such a way that we should think only about peace and draw back from war or refuse it, when in this very warfare the Lord Himself walked first—the Teacher of humility, endurance, and suffering. So what He taught should be done, He Himself first did. And what He urges us to suffer, He Himself first suffered for us. Let it be before your eyes, beloved brothers, that He who alone received all judgment from the Father, and who will come to judge, has already declared the decision of His judgment and of His future acknowledgment. He foretold and testified that He will confess before His Father those who confess Him, and will deny those who deny Him. If we could escape death, we might rightly fear dying. But since it is necessary for a mortal man to die, we should embrace the opportunity that comes by the divine promise and condescension, and complete the end appointed through death with the reward of immortality. Nor should we fear being killed, since we are certain that when we are killed, we are crowned.
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Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
...pany are eager to carry on the struggle with the same common zeal of courage, as is fitting for the soldiers of Christ in the divine camp. Let no attractions deceive the uncorrupted firmness of your faith, no threats terrify you, and no sufferings or tortures overcome you, because greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. Nor can earthly punishment do more to cast down than divine protection can do to lift up. This truth is proved by the glorious struggle of the brothers who, after becoming leaders for the rest by overcoming their tortures, gave an example of courage and faith. They fought in the contest until the contest itself gave way, being overcome. With what praises can I commend you, most courageous brothers? With what public proclamation can I exalt the strength of your hearts and the perseverance of your faith? You have endured the sharpest trial by torture, even to a glorious end. You have not yielded to sufferings, but rather the sufferings have yielded to you. The end of the torments, which the tortures themselves did not give, the crown has given. The trial by torture, growing more severe, continued for a long time toward this result: not to overthrow
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Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
...gathered together in one place, and the Lord's army may be assembled for the battle of the heavenly warfare. For the repentance of those who mourned was rightly extended for a longer time, with help given only to the sick at their departure, as long as peace and calm continued. That allowed the tears of the mourners to be put off for a long time, and delayed aid in sickness for the dying. But now peace is needed, not for the sick, but for the strong. Communion must be given by us, not to the dying, but to the living, so that we may not leave unarmed and defenseless those whom we stir up and urge on to battle, but may strengthen them with the protection of Christ's body and blood. And since the Eucharist is appointed for this very purpose, that it may be a safeguard to those who receive it, it is necessary for us to arm with the protection of the Lord's abundance those whom we want to be safe against the adversary. For how do we teach or urge them to shed their blood in confessing His name if we deny the blood of Christ to those who are about to enter the warfare? Or how do we make them fit for the cup of martyrdom if we do not first allow them, in the Church, to drink the cup of
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
2. For he who wars for God, dearest brethren, ought to acknowledge himself as one who, placed in the heavenly camp, already hopes for divine things, so that we may have no trembling at the storms and whirlwinds of the world, and no disturbance, since the Lord had foretold that these would come.
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Commodianus, Writings Supporting witness
When you have given your name to the warfare, you are held in by a bridle. Therefore begin to put away your former deeds. Shun luxuries, since labor and arms are pressing upon you. With all your virtue, you must obey the king's command, if you wish to attain the last times in gladness. A good soldier always waits for the things to be enjoyed. Do not be willing to flatter yourself. Completely put away sloth, so that you may be ready each day for what is set before you. Be watchful beforehand. In the morning, visit the standards again. When you see the war, take the nearest contest. This is the king's glory: to see the soldiery prepared. The king is present. Desire to fight beyond his hope. He prepares gifts. He gladly looks for victory, and appoints you to be a fit follower. Do not be willing to spare yourself for Belial. Rather, be diligent, so that he may give fame for your death.
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Methodius, Oration on the Psalms Supporting witness
Once, the aged Simeon met the Savior, Luke 2:29, and received in his arms, as an infant, the Creator of the world, and declared Him to be Lord and God. But now, instead of foolish elders, children meet the Savior, just as Simeon did. Instead of their arms, they spread tree branches under Him and bless the Lord God seated on a colt, as on the cherubim: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” And together with them, let us also cry out, “Blessed is He who comes, God the King of Glory, who for our sake became poor, though in His own proper state He did not know poverty, so that by His bounty He might make us rich.” Blessed is He who once came in humility and who will later come again in glory. The first time, He was lowly, seated on a donkey’s colt, and praised by infants, so that what was written might be fulfilled: “Your goings have been seen, O God, even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.” But the second time, He will be seated on the clouds in fearful majesty, attended by angels and powers. Oh, the sweet tongue of the children! Oh, the sincere teaching of those who are pleasing to God! David in prophecy hid the Spirit under the
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Lactantius, The Epitome of the Divine Institutes Background
States will carry on wars among themselves, every sex and age will handle arms.
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2 Timothy 2:3 Supporting witness
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
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2 Corinthians 10:3 Background
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.
Common Questions
Did early Christians allow soldiers to become Christians?
Some early Christian writings speak in ways that include soldiers, but Tertullian questions whether warfare itself is proper for Christians.
What did Christians teach soldiers to do?
Luke 3:14 tells soldiers not to extort money, not to falsely accuse people, and to be content with their wages.
Did early Christians use military language for faith?
Yes. Writers like Ignatius and Cyprian often describe Christians as soldiers in a spiritual sense.
Source Index for Soldiers and Military Service
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 236 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 124
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
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Unknown, Unknown Work
Bible Passages 80 shown of 112
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.
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