Rivalry and its antidote in charity: Lessons from the crucifixion for wars and rumours of wars
| Date | 01 February 2015 |
| Published date | 01 February 2015 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1755088214555465 |
| Author | Rosemary Durward |
Journal of International Political Theory
2015, Vol. 11(1) 80 –94
© The Author(s) 2015
Reprints and permissions:
sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/1755088214555465
ipt.sagepub.com
Rivalry and its antidote in
charity: Lessons from the
crucifixion for wars and
rumours of wars
Rosemary Durward
King’s College London, UK
Abstract
According to anthropologist, René Girard, the crucifixion of Jesus acts as an antidote to
rivalry and scapegoating through revelation of the innocence of the victim. This article
assumes an Augustinian perspective to argue that this revelation calls for something
more than a response of peace in the face of rivalry and spiralling violence. The death
of Jesus was not an act of peace but an act of charity in the form of sacrifice for peace
with justice. This article argues that charity is an under-appreciated virtue in the Just
War tradition, yet it is the perfect antidote to the rivalry that both provokes and
characterises war.
Keywords
Charity, justice, peace, rivalry, scapegoat, war
Introduction
The 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War is a sobering reminder of
the gap that exists between near universal hopes of peace and the experience of conflict
and war. The fact that wars have been frequent throughout the twentieth and into the
twenty-first century, despite sincere efforts at their prevention, makes identifying and
resolving the causes of war an urgent objective. René Girard argues that war is nothing
but the most extreme form of rivalry. Discussing military strategist Carl von Clausewitz’s
secret admiration for Napoleon in the nineteenth century, Girard offers a prophetic warn-
ing that unless there is an awareness of the operation of mimetic desire and its outwork-
ing in spiralling rivalry and scapegoating, there will be an ‘apocalyptic end’ to human
Corresponding author:
Rosemary Durward, Defence Studies Department, King’s College London, Faringdon Road, Shrivenham,
Wiltshire SN6 8TS, UK.
Email: rosemary.durward@kcl.ac.uk
555465IPT0010.1177/1755088214555465Journal of International Political TheoryDurward
research-article2015
Article
To continue reading
Request your trial