Caesar and the Lamb

"Kalantzis's skills as a historian shine in this remarkable, illuminating history. But his narration is much more than a fine historical survey; it is also a profound engagement with the theological and ethical reasons on why this history matters. Historians, theologians, ethicists, and anyone interested in discovering the witness of the early church are in his debt for such careful work. Any future discussion on the early church's response to war, and the Constantinian shift that occurred, must now pass through Caesar and the Lamb, or be ignored as incomplete."

--D. Stephen Long, Professor of Systematic Theology, Marquette University



"Caesar and the Lamb is a wonderful collection of pertinent voices from the early church on war and military service that will be of interest to laity, students, and scholars. But it is also much more than this. Kalantzis brings new insight to these texts with his brilliant introduction, placing the conversation in its proper context of identities, worldviews, and ways of life. The result is a collection with surprising and refreshing relevance today."

--Daniel M. Bell, Jr., Professor of Theology and Ethics, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary



"Caesar and the Lamb offers a valuable deepening of our understanding, not only of early Christian teachings and practices related to violence, but also the social-cultural-religious practices of the Roman Empire and the Roman military. This book contains both a helpful collection of the primary Christian texts and a substantial interpretive discussion. A significant addition to a growing Christian library of resources on this critical issue."

--David P. Gushee, Professor of Christian Ethics, Mercer University



"In this careful presentation of the evidence for early Christian attitudes and practices surrounding war and military service, George Kalantzis questions the notions that objections to military service were narrowly religious in a modern sense, or that nonviolence was the minority opinion of the church's intellectual elite. . . . Kalantzis makes no claims about the relevance of the ancient Christian understanding for modern believers, but the challenge to the contemporary church should be obvious."

--L. Edward Phillips, Associate Professor of Worship and Liturgical Theology, Emory University