Series Contributions to Peace Ethics

Vol. 42

Heinz-Gerhard Justenhoven, Hans-Georg Ehrhart
Intervention im Kongo: eine kritische Analyse der Befriedungspolitik von UN und EU.
Stuttgart 2008. 217 pp.
EUR 24,00
ISBN 978-3-17-020781-3

Within the framework of a UN mission, the EU sent soldiers to the DR of Congo to provide security for democratic elections. If it is true that "no country intervenes without its own interests in mind" (Joschka Fischer), then one must ask what the interests of those involved in this intervention were. What is about peace for the Congolese people, or about a democratic legal order with a freely elected parliament and president? Or were national interests of the intervening states or interests of the EU as global players in the foreground? Are these players in Congo really striving for stable political order which is based on political participation? What do the Congo interventions teach us for future military missions of the UN and the EU in Africa and elsewhere?


Vol. 41

Klaus Ebeling
Militär und Ethik: moral- und militärkritische Reflexionen zum Selbstverständnis der Bundeswehr.
Stuttgart 2006. 90 pp.
EUR 18,00
ISBN 3-17-019733-9

Military action - and everything which serves it - is per se problematic as it is defined by that which should not take place between human-beings: violence. It is also critically observed and under massive pressure to justify itself in cases of violence as an answer to violence or as an element of conflict management aimed at preventing violence - and rightly so. The following investigation "Militär und Ethik (The Military and Ethics)" aims to demonstrate how this ethical task could be fulfilled: by finding given normative textures of human actions and by describing them in a differential way (descriptive ethics), by analysing them critically in a transparent way (critical ethics) and by developing a basis for orientation from this (constructive ethics).


Vol. 40

Gerhard Beestermöller/Heinz-Gerhard Justenhoven (Eds.)
Der Streit um die iranische Atompolitik: völkerrechtliche, politische und friedensethische Reflexionen.
Stuttgart 2006. 148 pp.
EUR 16,00
ISBN 3-17-019548-6

The dispute about Iran's nuclear policy is coming to a head. The West, Russia and China appear to have agreed on a policy of dissuading Iran from establishing the complete cycle of civil nuclear energy, as it is feared that Iran would then be in a position to build nuclear bombs. Is there a basis in international law for this proposal? What goals is Iran pursuing with its nuclear programme? Is there any ethical justification at all for contesting Iran's right to possess the bomb? Which role does religion play in this political conflict?


Vol. 39

Thomas Bruha/Dominik Steiger
Das Folterverbot im Völkerrecht.
Stuttgart 2006. 57 pp.
EUR 14,00
ISBN 3-17-019438-0

The shocking and horrific pictures of acts of torture and other despicable and degrading treatment of prisoners who basically have no rights in the internment camps at Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib are uneasily connected to the unspeakable discussion about legitimising or even legalisation and regulation of torture which has been rekindled at the same time. The renaissance of an old "torture debate" which would barely seem possible in this day and age has also reached international law and discourse about international law. The authors demonstrate the normative basis for a ban on torture in international law and the dangers it faces at present and discuss the most important questions. They reach the conclusion that, in international law, too, "torture may not stand above law" and that it is essential to maintain the absolute character of the ban on torture.


Vol. 38

Thomas R. Elßner/Theresia Heither
Die Homilien des Origenes zum Buch Josua: die Kriege Josuas als Heilswirken Jesu.
Stuttgart 2006. 127 pp.
EUR 16,80
ISBN 3-17-019323-6

The starting point for Origen's (185-254) interpretation of Joshua is the fact that in Greek the Old Testament name Joshua is the same as Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament. Both have the name Jesus. Consequently, it is not always clear in the sermons if it is Joshua or Jesus who is being spoken about or perhaps both at the same time. With this in mind, the capture of Jericho, for instance, turns into a battle against the desires and sins of the man himself and of this world.
For the first time with this edition, a complete German translation of the homilies on Joshua will appear which is meant as a contribution to the history of the interpretation and influence of the Book of Joshua.


Vol. 37

Gerhard Beestermöller/Michael Haspel/Uwe Trittmann (Eds.)
"What we're fighting for ..." - Friedensethik in der transatlantischen Debatte.
Stuttgart 2006. 156 pp.
EUR 16,80
ISBN 3-17-019037-7

The question of the legitimacy of the Iraq war has shaken NATO. Disagreement about principles is a major cause for concern. If the one side relies on international law, the other side refers to the criteria of the doctrine of just war. A manifesto entitled "What we're fighting for", which was published by 60 American intellectuals in 2002, provided the impetus for a debate about this question. They regard the use of military force in the fight against terrorism after the attacks of 11th September 2001 as just. In answer to that, German intellectuals declared the doctrine of just war to be obsolete. This volume documents a convention at the Lutheran Academy (Evangelische Akademie) Iserlohn in 2004 which signatories of "What we're fighting for" also participated in. The effort to develop perspectives for trans-Atlantic peace ethics is evident.


Vol. 36

Peter Fonk
Frieden schaffen - auch mit Waffen?: Theologisch-ethische Überlegungen zum Einsatz militärischer Gewalt angesichts des internationalen Terrorismus und der Irak-Politik.
Stuttgart 2003. 60 pp.
EUR 12,00
ISBN 3-17-018106-8

Immeasurable suffering has always accompanied the use of military violence, even when it is used to defend basic property. The decision to use violence and thereby to break the international law which initially condemns every war of aggression, is however not as bad, in the case of true "humanitarian intervention", as deciding in favour of the only other possible alternative which would mean taking no action in the face of severe human rights violations. Demanding the right to wage a preventive war which was declared only on the basis of suspicion and speculation is, however, just as inadmissible in this regard as military action which results in new waves of uncontrollable violence and therefore causes more problems than it solves. An absolute necessity for the ethical justification of military action is: such action must be part of a comprehensive political concept and this concept must have as its goal the achievement of a "just peace", i.e. a permanent and comprehensive peace.


Vol. 35

Gerhard Beestermöller
Krieg gegen den Irak - Rückkehr in die Anarchie der Staatenwelt?: Ein kritischer Kommentar aus der Perspektive einer Kriegsächtungsethik.
Stuttgart 2., durchges. Aufl./2nd, rev. ed. 2003. 107 pp.
EUR 14,00
ISBN 3-17-018064-9

The American government has made it absolutely clear that their patience with Saddam Hussein has run out. Either he follows the resolutions of the UN Security Council immediately or there will be war - if at all possible with a UN mandate, but if necessary also without. A war against Iraq can only be legitimate - according to the main thesis of this book - if the rule of law status in international relations which has been achieved is at least not destroyed by it again. Using the classical criteria for a just war, the author presents five conditions which have to be fulfilled in order for a war to be legitimised from the perspective of outlawing war by the rule of law. There is considerable doubt as to whether a war against Hussein under the leadership of the USA can be justified.


Vol. 34

Monika Suchan
Macht verschafft sich Moral?: Gewalt in der Politik der Reformpäpste.
Stuttgart 2002. 39 pp.
EUR 12,50
ISBN 3-17-017263-8

The 11th century popes are seen as having been important initiators of a development which was to change the occidental Middle Ages permanently: the separation of "state" and "church". Their insistence on reform culminated in the demand to take over Christianity as the immediate successors and representatives of Jesus Christ. The participation of the reform popes in armed conflict consequently gave rise to the problem of whether a will to have power of this kind did not fundamentally contradict the New Testament commandment of love and non-violence. Did the pope therefore in the end presume at will to define as "moral" what was actually sin, namely the spilling of blood? Just a few years before the first Crusade, the participation of Christ's representative on earth in the conflicts of his time will be put to the test of church administration and secular political management.


Vol. 33

Andreas Kunz
Zions Weg zum Frieden: jüdische Vorstellungen vom endzeitlichen Krieg und Frieden in hellenistischer Zeit am Beispiel von Sacharja 9-14.
Stuttgart 2001. 43 pp.
EUR 12,50
ISBN 3-17-016822-3

Concepts of war and peace during the Hellenistic period, using the Old Testament book Deutero-Zechariah (Zech. 9-14) as an example, are examined here. The individual sections provide a disparate picture: on the one hand, war can be felt to be a threat and Israel is dependent on God's helpful intervention, on the other hand, it is seen as caused by Yahweh and waged for the benefit of Israel. With regard to the evaluation of war and peace, the author's perspective is critical. While the war of the foreign powers is rejected, Deutero-Zechariah comes out in support of the Maccabean uprising against the Seleucid empire in the second century B.C..


Vol. 32

Stefan Kwiatkowski
Der Deutsche Orden im Streit um Polen-Litauen: eine theologische Kontroverse über Krieg und Frieden auf dem Konzil von Konstanz (1414-1418).
Stuttgart 2000. 55 pp.
EUR 13,00
ISBN 3-17-015911-9

At the Council of Constance (1414-1418) there was a fierce theological controversy between the envoys of the Teutonic Order and Poland-Lithuania. What was behind this controversy was the war of the Teutonic Order against the pagan Lithuanians, subjects of the Polish king. The Teutonic Order stressed the lawlessness of the pagans and the legitimacy of the violent mission. In order to justify its actions, the Teutonic Order referred to Augustinian positions. With recourse to Thomas Aquinas, the Polish envoys protested against this attitude and worked out the rights of the pagan Lithuanians. The author shows how different theological ideas and positions were used for political interests in this early German-Polish controversy.


Vol. 31

Ludwig Jacob/Heinz-Gerhard Justenhoven (Eds.)
Wehrstruktur auf dem Prüfstand: zur Debatte über die neue Bundeswehr.
Stuttgart 2. Auflage/2nd edition 1999. 83 pp.
EUR 13,00
ISBN 3-17-016259-4

The end of East-West conflict leaves the way open to new conditions of security and peace in our time. Conflicts today take a form which classical strategies and concepts cannot deal with. Therefore, a change is taking place in the national military policies of many European countries and the armed forces are being entirely restructured. The sweeping changes in the French Armed Forces, turning away from the mass armies and classical military structures of the 19th and 20th centuries - and therefore also from conscription - have also made themselves felt in Germany. The legitimacy of the mission, the soldiers' idea of themselves, the principles of civic education and leadership and the present reform of the Armed Forces and the conscription army are now being examined. This volume is a contribution to this discussion, with reference to political, constitutional, social and military aspects.


Vol. 30

Gerhard Beestermöller/Heinz-Gerhard Justenhoven (Eds.)
Friedensethik im Spätmittelalter: Theologie im Ringen um die gottgegebene Ordnung.
Stuttgart 1999. 94 pp.
EUR 14,80
ISBN 3-17-015580-6

The change from the 13th to the 14th century was marked by the conflict between the Sacerdotium (priesthood), which was striving for absolute political supremacy, and increasingly autonomous secular power. It was not at least this conflict which led to the formation of European nation states. The articles in this volume on Albert the Great, the medieval theory of the right to resist, Duns Scotus, Dante Alighieri and Marsilius of Padua elucidate the growing problem of faith in the medieval order as a manifestation of divine will with regard to the ability of human beings to live together. The longing for autonomy of secular powers in the late Middle Ages caused for a secular, functional concept of peace.


Vol. 29

Rudolf Hiestand
"Gott will es!" - Will Gott es wirklich?: Die Kreuzzugsidee in der Kritik ihrer Zeit.
Stuttgart 1998. 34 pp.
ISBN 3-17-015406-0 (vergriffen/out of print)

War and the Christian maxim 'love thy neighbour', Crusades and the idea of peace are seen by us today as extreme, if not insurmountable opposites. This is particularly true of the Crusades, in which many people see the church as having strayed far from its proper path. Medieval contemporaries, too, were critical of the Crusades - above all Joachim of Floris, Roger Bacon and others. Hiestand examines a broad sprectrum of this criticism, which covers indignation, the degeneration of war and basic theologically critical enquiries.


Vol. 28

Hubert Irsigler
Ein Weg aus der Gewalt?: Gottesknecht kontra Kyros im Deuterojesajabuch.
Stuttgart 1998. 40 pp.
EUR 10,50
ISBN 3-17-015272-6

Towards the end of the Babylonian Exile (6th century B.C.), "Deuterojesaja" (so-called in exegetic research) expected and proclaimed the coming of the Persian king Kyros who would overcome Babylonian rule and free the exiled Israelites. This looks different in the so-called songs of the anonymous servant of God in Isaiah 42,1-4; 49,1-6; 50,4-9; 52,13-53,12. Here we see an extremely critical appraisal of this enthusiasm for "Kyros" and above all an intense struggle to understand the true nature of the saviour YHWH has called for His people and for all people. This article examines the first two songs by this servant of God, which up to today have kept alive the hope of finding an effective way out of violence.


Vol. 27

Wolfgang Palaver
Die mythischen Quellen des Politischen: Carl Schmitts Freund-Feind-Theorie.
Stuttgart 1998. 83 pp.
EUR 13,00
ISBN 3-17-015135-5

Carl Schmitts' definition of what is political, with his emphasis on the difference between friend and foe, is based on a political theory which is characterised by the contradictions of ancient myths. The contradictory nature of the myths is a result of the violent transference of the internal violence of a group of people onto external enemies. At the same time, Schmitts' definition of what is political is an attempt to prevent internal civil war by channeling the violence outwards - by differentiating between friend and foe. Schmitts' theory is clothed in a particular form of Catholic theology. However, a close analysis of his interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount and teachings on original sin, as well as his understanding of the Trinity shows that in these central theological questions, too, it is not Biblical revelation, but mythical logic that is the determining factor.


Vol. 26

Frank-Lothar Hossfeld
"Du sollst nicht töten!": Das fünfte Dekaloggebot im Kontext alttestamentlicher Ethik.
Stuttgart 2003. 76 pp.
EUR 12,00
ISBN 3-17-014410-3

The focus of this study is the prohibition against killing as prominently found in the Ten Commandments (Ex 20,13 / Dtn 5,17) as well as in other texts of the Old Testament. The Ten Commandments have the status of being the basic law with respect to Israel's liberation: the Ten Commandments inform all following laws of Pentateuch / Thora.
Hossfeld interprets the use of the Hebrew word "to kill" as well as the scope of the prohibition against killing. He analyses different biblical passages that contain the word. The study shows the many-layered use of the word in the Old Testament.


Vol. 25

Bernhard Töpfer
Eigentum und Unfrieden: zur Deutung eines Seneca-Zitats durch Autoren des 12. bis 14. Jahrhunderts.
Stuttgart 1996. 25 pp.
EUR 8,00
ISBN 3-17-014140-6

"Everybody would live in great peace if the words 'mine' and 'yours' didn't exist." This saying, attributed to Seneca, was interpreted by several authors during the Middle Ages as meaning that the existing ideas of ownership were the main cause of conflict and discord. On the other hand, 13th century scholars stressed that, after the Fall of man, it was the wickedness and greed of men which was the main cause of discord, whereas property rights contributed to maintaining public order. In the 14th century, the Fransicans, with Seneca's saying, amongst others, in mind, believed that only the complete renouncement of rights of ownership would lead to overcoming conflict.


Vol. 24

Gerhard Beestermöller (Ed.)
Ökumenische Sozialethik als gemeinsame Suche nach christlichen Antworten.
Stuttgart 1996. 80 pp.
EUR 15,00
ISBN 3-17-014141-4

The ecumenical process of "justice, peace and the integrity of creation" has made it clear that it is possible for all the churches to find common answers to concrete questions. The paths they have taken from the Biblical message to these answers have been many and varied. Lutheran, Reformed and Catholic specialists of social ethics discover common concepts in their discussions of contemporary thought, with a critical eye on the paradigms which are specific to their individual denominations.


Vol. 23

Klaus Arnold
Mittelalterliche Volksbewegungen für den Frieden.
Stuttgart 1996. 25 pp.
EUR 8,00
ISBN 3-17-014142-2

War and violence are generally regarded as being characteristics of the "dark" Middle Ages. Fighting was a major part of the lives of the aristocratic warriors of the Middle Ages. During the early and high Middle Ages it was the aristocracy in particular who looked upon war and feud as their special privilege to get what they wanted. The constant presence of war, particularly in the high Middle Ages, the movements for the creation of a Truce of God in France and Germany and the peoples' movements for peace in the late Middle Ages in Italy are described here. Particular attention is paid to the movements of the high medieval Truce of God, principally a work of the Church. They served to contain feuds and crime and to prevent the unlawful deeds committed by the armed classes on the poorer population.


Vol. 22

Gerhard Rottenwöhrer
Zeichen der Satansherrschaft: die Katharer zu Verfolgung, Mord und Strafgewalt.
Stuttgart 1996. 40 pp.
EUR 8,00
ISBN 3-17-013932-0

The Cathari, the "pure ones", who were common above all in northern Italy and the south of France from the 10th to the 14th centuries, were convinced that Satan held power over the earth. They saw in the expressions of this power - persecution, murder and punishment - unmistakable signs of Satan's rule. They believed that Satan used the Roman church and the state for his purposes. Nevertheless, the Cathari could not avoid using a certain amount of violence to maintain discipline in their own churches. Thanks to their view of salvation, they saw such dualistic experiences as only temporary. At the end of a frequently painful life, their faith taught them that salvation was certain.


Vol. 21

Ernst J. Nagel
Flüchtlinge und "Kirchenasyl".
Stuttgart 1995. 40 pp.
EUR 7,00
ISBN 3-17-013721-2

The legal position of refugees - from the Basic Law to the European Convention and the UN-Charter - is difficult, fluctuating and not always free from contradictions. It gets a poignantly human element from the fact that a person who is legally deported might be tortured or put to death in his or her home country. The application of the law often goes to the limits of the regulations, or even further. However, there are also examples of the opposite - and this is where the problem begins. It is not about the church's claim to be exempt from state law; it is about the duty of every responsible human being, in view of the threatened dignity of the refugee, to act according to his better judgement and to oppose deportation, even if this is formally against the law.


Vol. 20

Klaus Schatz
Ultramontanismus, Bellum Iustum und Kriegsdienstverweigerung.
Stuttgart 1994. 40 pp.
EUR 8,00
ISBN 3-17-013227-X

The subject here is the discussion of "just war", conscientious objection and international law which took place at the time of the First Vatican Council (1869/70) and was initiated by the Anglican David Urquhart. What was discussed and questioned here was the classical notion of "privilege of authority". In its absolute form, as was now the case in pastoral practice, this made the church's teaching of "just war" practically ineffective. Anti-military and anti-imperialistic attitudes which pointed the way to the future were combined with the hierocratic, medieval ideas along the lines of the 1302 Papal Bull "Unam Sanctam".


Vol. 19

Ernst J. Nagel
Neue sicherheitspolitische Herausforderungen aus ethischer Sicht: Eid, Wehrpflicht, Suffizienz und Friedensordnung.
Stuttgart 1994. 85 pp.
EUR 10,00
ISBN 3-17-013179-6

During the years 1989/90 there were huge global political changes with major economic and social effects, particularly in eastern Europe, but also in our own country. It is important to face present challenges and to find and make use of the new avenues of action which have opened up. Much of what we were used to needs to be revised and redefined, not least in the field of security politics. The author analyses these new challenges from the ethical point of view by taking a close look at three important questions - oath of allegiance, conscription and arms limitation according to the principle of sufficiency. The basic ideas of a European system of peace are behind his considerations.


Vol. 18

Alfons Weiser
Die gesellschaftliche Verantwortung der Christen nach den Pastoralbriefen.
Stuttgart 1994. 55 pp.
EUR 9,00
ISBN 3-17-013178-8

Social ethics has an important place in pastoral epistles. First of all it is concerned with central ethical notions such as "conscience", "law", "sound teaching". Then it deals with the main basic tenets of "piety", "thoughtfulness", "justice". The values involved have their roots in both form and content in an environment mainly influenced by popular Hellenistic-Roman philosophy, but also in a specifically Christian point of view and tradition. The reason for taking social conditions into account can be explained in the light of missionary work: the church must be recognizable to those around it as the place where their expectations and ideals with regard to the human community are realized.


Vol. 17

Wolfgang Palaver
Kollektive Sicherheit in Europa und österreichische Neutralität: eine ethische Reflexion aus der Sicht der Katholischen Soziallehre.
Stuttgart 1993. 44 pp.
ISBN 3-17-013269-5 (vergriffen/out of print)


Vol. 16

Johann Maier
Friedensordnung und Kriegsrecht im mittelalterlichen Judentum: dargestellt auf der Basis der Schriften des Maimonides.
Stuttgart 1993. 176 pp.
ISBN 3-17-013268-7 (vergriffen/out of print)

One of the main causes of tension in Jewish tradition is the relationship of the love of God for all people and His particular relationship to His Chosen People. Nowhere is this tension greater than on the topic of "martial law and peace order". Does God want peace for all people or only for Israel? What do Israel's wars mean in God's universal plan of salvation? Maier addresses these and similar questions through the three great eopchs as well as through early modern and modern Judaism. Maier's study is essential for a deeper understanding of the politics of Israel today.


Vol. 15

Klaus Ebeling
Der Handel mit Rüstungsgütern als Anfrage an eine Ethik der Politik: eine Problemskizze.
Stuttgart 1992. 52 pp.
EUR 9,00
ISBN 3-17-013267-9


Vol. 14

Norbert Lohfink
Krieg und Staat im alten Israel.
Stuttgart 1992. 38 pp.
ISBN 3-17-013266-0 (vergriffen/out of print)


Vol. 13

Rudolf Weigand
Krieg und Frieden in den Rechtssammlungen des Ivo von Chartres.
Stuttgart 1992. 22 pp.
EUR 7,00
ISBN 3-17-013265-2


Vol. 12

Wilfried Hartmann
Der Frieden im früheren Mittelalter: zwei Studien.
Stuttgart 1992. 61 pp.
EUR 9,00
ISBN 3-17-013264-4


Vol. 11

Raymund Kottje
Die Tötung im Kriege: ein moralisches und rechtliches Problem im frühen Mittelalter.
Stuttgart 1991. 21 pp.
ISBN 3-17-013263-6 (vergriffen/out of print)


Vol. 10

Marlis Gielen
1 Petr 2, 13-17 zur staatlichen Macht.
Stuttgart 1990. 19 pp.
ISBN 3-17-013262-8 (vergriffen/out of print)


Vol. 9

Johann Maier
Krieg und Frieden sowie das Verhältnis zum Staat in der Literatur des frühen Judentums.
Stuttgart 1990. 118 pp.
ISBN 3-17-013261-X (vergriffen/out of print)


Vol. 8

Thomas Hoppe
Ethik als sicherheitspolitische Entscheidungshilfe?: Anmerkungen zu den Kriterien "Hinlänglichkeit" und "Abrüstungsverträglichkeit" des Wortes der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz "Gerechtigkeit schafft Frieden"
Stuttgart 1990. 31 pp.
ISBN 3-17-013260-1 (vergriffen/out of print)


Vol. 7

Josef Rief
"Bellum" im Denken und in den Gedanken Augustins.
Stuttgart 1990. 110 pp.
ISBN 3-17-013259-8 (vergriffen/out of print)


Vol. 6

Thomas Hoppe/Hans J. Schmidt
Konventionelle Stabilisierung: militärstrategische und rüstungspolitische Fragen eines Kriegsverhütungskonzepts mit weniger Kernwaffen aus ethischer und politikwissenschaftlicher Sicht.
Stuttgart 1990. 145 pp.
ISBN 3-17-013258-X (vergriffen/out of print)


Vol. 5

Ernst J. Nagel
Die Friedenslehre der katholischen Kirche: eine Konkordanz kirchenamtlicher Dokumente.
Stuttgart 1990. 219 pp.
ISBN 3-17-013257-1 (vergriffen/out of print)


Vol. 4

Wilhelm Geerlings
Die Stellung der vorkonstantinischen Kirche zum Militärdienst.
Stuttgart 1989. 19 pp.
ISBN 3-17-013256-3 (vergriffen/out of print)


Vol. 3

Ernst L. Grasmück
Äußerungen zu Krieg und Frieden in der Zeit der frühen Kirche.
Stuttgart 1989. 19 pp.
ISBN 3-17-013255-5 (vergriffen/out of print)


Vol. 2

Maximilian Forschner
Stoa und Cicero über Krieg und Frieden.
Stuttgart 1988. 23 pp.
ISBN 3-17-013254-7 (vergriffen/out of print)

Vol. 1

Friedo Ricken
Platon und Aristoteles über Krieg und Frieden.
Stuttgart 1988. 29 pp.
ISBN 3-17-013253-9 (vergriffen/out of print)