THE GENESIS OF THE CHRISTIAN CONCEPT OF JUST WAR IN THE POLITICAL AND LEGAL DOCTRINE OF AMVROSII MEDIOLANSKYI
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Published:
Jul 15, 2026
Abstract
In this article, the authors examine the issues of war and peace, combining the concepts of war and justice, opening the discourse on ‘just war’ in the works of the outstanding Roman philosopher, lawyer, theologian, statesman and church leader Ambrose of Milan (c. 339/340-397). Analysing his works, the authors reveal how Ambrose formulated the principles of justice in the context of war, emphasising the importance of moral and ethical aspects in military conflicts. The study also focuses on the relationship between religious beliefs and legal norms that influenced the formation of the concept of ‘just war’ in the ancient world. The article offers an in-depth analysis of Ambrose of Milan's influence on the development of legal and moral ideas about war, as well as his contribution to the formation of a Christian approach to justice in military affairs. The authors explore how his ideas can be applied to contemporary conflicts, offering new perspectives for understanding the ethics of war in the context of global challenges. Thus, the article not only contributes to the study of the philosophy of war, but also opens new horizons for research on justice in military conflicts in the modern world.
How to Cite
Patlachuk, V., & Shyposha, A. (2026). THE GENESIS OF THE CHRISTIAN CONCEPT OF JUST WAR IN THE POLITICAL AND LEGAL DOCTRINE OF AMVROSII MEDIOLANSKYI. Baltic Journal of Legal and Social Sciences, (2), 82-90. https://doi.org/10.30525/2592-8813-2026-2-8
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Keywords
Ambrose of Milan, ‘just war,’ political and legal discourse, Roman Empire
References
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15. Sebain Dzhordzh H., Torson Tomas L. (1997) Istoriia politychnoi dumky [History of political thought] / Per. z anhl. Kyiv : Osnovy. 838 s. [in Ukrainian].
16. Semchynskyi K. (2004) Kontroversa teorii spravedlyvoi viiny u pratsiakh filosofiv i khrystyianskykh teolohiv [The controversy surrounding the theory of just war in the works of philosophers and Christian theologians]. Ukrainske relihiieznavstvo. № 29. S. 95–103. [in Ukrainian].
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18. Shchepanskyi V.V. (2015) Retseptsiia relihiinoi filosofii serednovichchia u “Trenosi” M. Smotrytskoho [The Reception of Medieval Religious Philosophy in M. Smotrytsky's “Trenos”] : dys. ... kand. filos. nauk : 09.00.11. – relihiieznavstvo / Natsionalnyi universytet “Ostrozka akademiia”. Ostroh. 195 s. [in Ukrainian].
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20. Ambrose. Selected Works and Letters by Philip Schaf. Christian literature Company, 1896. 700 р. URL : https://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/1819-1893,_Schaff._Philip,_3_Vol_10_Ambrose,_EN.pdf. (accessed 10 February 2026)
21. Bainton R.H. (1979) Christian Attitudes Towards War and Peacе: A Historical Survey and Critical Revaluation. New York and Nashville : Press. 300 р.
22. Bellamy A.J. (2006) Just Wars : from Cicero to Iraq. Malden, MA : Polity. 296 р.
23. Dahm K. (2021) Commotion, Rebellion, and War. Eusebius of Caesarea’s Narrative of Jewish Violence Against Roman Rule in His Ecclesiastical History. Journal of Early Christian Studies. Vol. 29. Issue 4. P. 495-523.
24. Frost Р. (2010) The Roman State and Genetic Pacification. Evol Psychol. Jul. Vol. 8. Issue 3. P. 376–389.
25. Johnson J.Т. (1991) Historical Roots and Sources of the Just War Tradition in Western Culture. In : Just War and Jihad / Ed. J. Kelsay and J.Т. Johnson. New York : Greenwood. Р. 4-30.
26. Johnson J.T. (2009) Thinking Historically about Just War. Journal of Military Ethics. Vol. 8. Issue 3. P. 246-259.
27. Lenox-Conyngham A. (2005) The Church in St. Ambrose of Milan. International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church. Vol. 5. P. 211–225.
28. Lietzmann H. (1952) The era of the church fathers. London : Lutterworth Press. 212 р.
29. McLynn N.B. (1994) Ambrose of Milan : Church and Court in a Christian Capital. Berkeley, CA : University of California Press. 436 р.
30. Russell F.H. (1975) The Just War in the Middle Ages. Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press. 332 р.
31. Swift L.J. (1970) St. Ambrose on Violence and War. Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association. Vol. 101. Р. 533–543.
32. The Ethics of War : Shared Problems in Different Traditions / R. Sorabji and D. Rodin, ed. Burlington, VT : Ashgate, 2006. 264 р.
33. War and Christian Ethics : Classical and Contemporary Readings on the Morality of War. 2nd / ed. Holmes A.F., ed. Grand Rapids, MI : Baker Academic, 2005. 412 р.
2. Borysova O.V. (2022) Doktryna spravedlyvoi viiny u rozrobtsi khrystyianskykh myslyteliv chasiv Serednovichchia [The doctrine of just war in the works of Christian thinkers of the Middle Ages]. Visnyk Luhanskoho natsionalnoho universytetu imeni Tarasa Shevchenka : Istorychni nauky. № 4 (352), cherven. S. 4-20. [in Ukrainian].
3. Zahrebelnyi I. Khrystyianske stavlennia do viiny [The Christian attitude towards war]. Rozvytok doktryny vid pershykh vikiv khrystyianstva do Serednovichchia. https://politteo.online/materialy/hrystyyanske-stavlennya-do-vijny/. (accessed 10 February 2026) [in Ukrainian].
4. Korniienko V.O. (2014) Mediolanskyi Amvrosii [Ambrose of Mediolanus]. Istoriia politychnoi dumky : navch. entsykl. slovnyk-dovidnyk dlia studentiv VNZ / Za zah. red. N. M. Khomy [V. M. Denysenko, L. Ya. Uhryn, H. V. Shypunov ta in.]. Lviv : “Novyi Svit-2000”. S. 24–25 [in Ukrainian].
5. Kokhanchuk R. (2003) Stanovlennia doktryny viiny v rannomu khrystyianstvi [The emergence of the doctrine of war in early Christianity]. Ukrainske relihiieznavstvo. № 26. S. 20–30. [in Ukrainian].
6. Kokhanchuk R. Stanovlennia kontseptsii spravedlyvoi viiny v katolytsyzmi. URL: https://risu.ua/stanovlennya-koncepciji-spravedlivoji-viyni-v-katolicizmi_n33486 (accessed 10 February 2026) [in Ukrainian].
7. Lukianenko K.I. (2022) Zbroini konflikty v istorychnii perspektyvi. Shcho mozhe daty dosvid mynuloho dlia rozuminnia sohodennia? [Armed conflicts in historical perspective. What can the experience of the past offer us in understanding the present?] Vid Vebera do Valerstaina: istorychna sotsiolohiia derzhav ta svit-system : Materialy X Mizhnarodnoi nauk.-prakt. konf. (m. Kyiv, 9–10 chervnia 2022 r.) / Ukladachi P. V. Fedorchenko-Kutuiev, O. L. Yakubin, O. M. Kazmirova ta in. Kyiv : Universytetska knyha. 248 s. S. 161-163 [in Ukrainian].
8. Liubit vorohiv vashykh [Love your enemies] (Lk 6:31-36). URL : https://dyvensvit.org/blogs/1031575/(accessed 10 February 2026) [in Ukrainian].
9. Moisieienko L. (2018) Problemy viiny ta myru v traktuvanni khrystyianskykh konfesii [Issues of war and peace in the interpretation of Christian denominations]. Istoriia relihii v Ukraini : Naukovyi shchorichnyk. Vyp. 28. Ch. IV. S. 545–565. [in Ukrainian].
10. Omelchuk V.V. Lisnycha V. M. (2011) Relihiina polityka starodavnikh i serednovichnykh derzhav [Religious policy of ancient and medieval states] : Navchalnyi posibnyk. Kyiv : Personal, 608 s. [in Ukrainian].
11. Panafidin I.O. (2014) Evoliutsiia idei spravedlyvoi viiny v konteksti teorii vichnoho myru (sotsialno-filosofskyi aspekt) [The evolution of the idea of a just war in the context of the theory of eternal peace (socio-philosophical aspect)] : dys. … kand. filos. nauk : 09.00.03. – sotsialna filosofiia ta filosofiia istorii / Kryvorizkyi pedahohichnyi instytut DVNZ “Kryvorizkyi natsionalnyi universytet”. Kryvyi Rih, 200 s. [in Ukrainian].
12. Poda T.A. (2016) Teoriia “spravedlyvoi viiny” : vid antychnosti do suchasnosti [The theory of “just war”: from antiquity to the present day]. Visnyk Natsionalnoho aviatsiinoho universytetu. Seriia : Filosofiia. Kulturolohiia. № 1 (23). S. 66–69. [in Ukrainian].
13. Popsuienko L.O. (2009) Milanskyi edykt 313 r. – yurydychne pidgruntia v protsesi formuvannia pravovoho statusu khrystyianskoi tserkvy [The Edict of Milan of 313 – the legal basis for the formation of the legal status of the Christian Church]. Aktualni problemy polityky : Zbirnyk naukovykh prats / Kerivnyk avt. kol. S.V. Kivalov; vidp. za vyp. L.I. Kormych. Odesa : “Feniks”, Vyp. 36. S. 327–334. [in Ukrainian].
14. Radzivill O.A. (2017) Pravo narodiv vid neolitu do Novoho chasu [The rights of peoples from the Neolithic to modern times] : monohrafiia. U 2 t. T. 2. Kyiv : NAU, 428 s. [in Ukrainian].
15. Sebain Dzhordzh H., Torson Tomas L. (1997) Istoriia politychnoi dumky [History of political thought] / Per. z anhl. Kyiv : Osnovy. 838 s. [in Ukrainian].
16. Semchynskyi K. (2004) Kontroversa teorii spravedlyvoi viiny u pratsiakh filosofiv i khrystyianskykh teolohiv [The controversy surrounding the theory of just war in the works of philosophers and Christian theologians]. Ukrainske relihiieznavstvo. № 29. S. 95–103. [in Ukrainian].
17. Tsitseron M.T. (2021) Tuskulanski besidy. Pro oboviazky [Tusculan Disputations. On Duties] / per. V. Lytvynov. Kyiv : Apriori. 440 s. [in Ukrainian].
18. Shchepanskyi V.V. (2015) Retseptsiia relihiinoi filosofii serednovichchia u “Trenosi” M. Smotrytskoho [The Reception of Medieval Religious Philosophy in M. Smotrytsky's “Trenos”] : dys. ... kand. filos. nauk : 09.00.11. – relihiieznavstvo / Natsionalnyi universytet “Ostrozka akademiia”. Ostroh. 195 s. [in Ukrainian].
19. Ambrose. Duties of the Clergy. Ambrose. Selected Works and Letters by Philip Schaf. Christian literature Company, 1896. 700 р. URL : https://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/1819-1893,_Schaff._Philip,_3_Vol_10_Ambrose,_EN.pdf.
20. Ambrose. Selected Works and Letters by Philip Schaf. Christian literature Company, 1896. 700 р. URL : https://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/1819-1893,_Schaff._Philip,_3_Vol_10_Ambrose,_EN.pdf. (accessed 10 February 2026)
21. Bainton R.H. (1979) Christian Attitudes Towards War and Peacе: A Historical Survey and Critical Revaluation. New York and Nashville : Press. 300 р.
22. Bellamy A.J. (2006) Just Wars : from Cicero to Iraq. Malden, MA : Polity. 296 р.
23. Dahm K. (2021) Commotion, Rebellion, and War. Eusebius of Caesarea’s Narrative of Jewish Violence Against Roman Rule in His Ecclesiastical History. Journal of Early Christian Studies. Vol. 29. Issue 4. P. 495-523.
24. Frost Р. (2010) The Roman State and Genetic Pacification. Evol Psychol. Jul. Vol. 8. Issue 3. P. 376–389.
25. Johnson J.Т. (1991) Historical Roots and Sources of the Just War Tradition in Western Culture. In : Just War and Jihad / Ed. J. Kelsay and J.Т. Johnson. New York : Greenwood. Р. 4-30.
26. Johnson J.T. (2009) Thinking Historically about Just War. Journal of Military Ethics. Vol. 8. Issue 3. P. 246-259.
27. Lenox-Conyngham A. (2005) The Church in St. Ambrose of Milan. International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church. Vol. 5. P. 211–225.
28. Lietzmann H. (1952) The era of the church fathers. London : Lutterworth Press. 212 р.
29. McLynn N.B. (1994) Ambrose of Milan : Church and Court in a Christian Capital. Berkeley, CA : University of California Press. 436 р.
30. Russell F.H. (1975) The Just War in the Middle Ages. Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press. 332 р.
31. Swift L.J. (1970) St. Ambrose on Violence and War. Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association. Vol. 101. Р. 533–543.
32. The Ethics of War : Shared Problems in Different Traditions / R. Sorabji and D. Rodin, ed. Burlington, VT : Ashgate, 2006. 264 р.
33. War and Christian Ethics : Classical and Contemporary Readings on the Morality of War. 2nd / ed. Holmes A.F., ed. Grand Rapids, MI : Baker Academic, 2005. 412 р.