The Sword of the Lord

Description

The Sword of the Lord is the first book to examine military chaplains and the development of the military chaplaincy across history and geography—from the first to the twenty-first century, from Europe to North America. The scope of this work reveals the astonishing fact that the military chaplaincy has existed in a recognizable form for more than 1,600 years. Contributors analyze specific historical moments in the development of the chaplaincy, beginning in antiquity and progressing through the Crusades, the English Civil War, the American Civil War, both World Wars, and the Vietnam War.

Four key themes connect the chapters of this book. The first is the basic issue of historical development over time. Where and when did the military chaplaincy begin and how has it changed? A second theme involves the emotionally and spiritually intense relationships that develop between chaplains and the men and women they serve. How have military chaplains dealt with the enormous responsibility of ministering to soldiers about to kill or possibly be killed? The third theme is that of chaplains' often precarious position between military and religious authorities. Are military chaplains primarily morale boosters, retained by rulers and military commanders because they prepare soldiers to fight hard and face death bravely? Or are they above all pastors, caring for the spiritual needs of their constituency? How do they balance conflicting duties and demands? A fourth related theme is the profound moral and theological dilemmas raised by the chaplaincy. Even under the least morally ambiguous circumstances, chaplains work in the midst of violence, coercion, and suffering. How have they understood their tasks and carried them out in deeply troubled and brutal times? What are the ethical implications of their work?

In addition to contributions by historians, this book includes vivid accounts by two former chaplains—an American rabbi who served in World War II and an American Catholic priest who served in Vietnam. This remarkable work treats with care and sensitivity a fascinating and important topic. Anyone interested in military history, religious studies, ethics, or pastoral care will profit from reading this book.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Preaching
• Christian Ministry
• HISTORY
• Philosophie et théologie
• WW2
• Primera Guerra Mundial
• Segunda Guerra Mundial
• World War I
• Crusades
• Minister (Christianity)
• General officer
• World War II
• Vietnam War
• Spirituality
• English Civil War
• American Civil War
• General
• Crusade
• Guerre de Sécession
• Première Guerre mondiale
• Seconde Guerre mondiale

Informations

• Publié par: University of Notre Dame Press
• Date de parution: 25 mars 2004
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780268048839
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 7 Mo

Extrait

S WOR D L ORD TH E OF TH E

C R I T I C A L P I NRO B L E M S H I S TO RY

The University of Notre Dame Press gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Dilenschneider family in the publication of titles in this series.

S WORD OF TH L ORD THE E

Military Chaplains from the First to the Twenty-First Century

edited by D ORIS L. B ERGEN

University of Notre Dame Press

Notre Dame, Indiana

University of฀Notre Dame฀Press Notre Dame, Indiana46556 www.undpress.nd.edu All Rights Reserved

Copyright ©2004฀by University of฀Notre Dame Published in the United States of฀America

Reprinted in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011,฀2012,฀2014

This฀ebook฀has฀been฀made฀possible฀in฀part฀by฀a฀major฀grant฀ from฀the฀National฀Endowment฀for฀the฀Humanities:฀Exploring฀ the฀human฀endeavor.฀Any฀views,฀findings,฀conclusions,฀or฀ recommendations฀expressed฀in฀this฀book฀do฀not฀necessarily฀ represent฀those฀of฀the฀National฀Endowment฀for฀the฀ Humanities.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The sword of the lord : military chaplains from the first to the twenty-first century / edited by Doris L. Bergen. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ฀13:฀ 978-0-268-02175-7฀(cloth : alk. paper)  13: 978-0-268-02176-4฀(pbk. : alk. paper) ฀13:฀978-0-268-04883-9฀(web฀pdf) 1I. Bergen, Doris L.— History. . Chaplains, Military 20.962 2004 355.3'47'09— dc22 2003020901

∞ The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” How deeply poignant and meaningful, then, is the act of an individual who is willing to sacrifice himself not just for another person’s corporeal life but for his soul. Rudyard Kipling, in his masterful historyThe Irish Guards in the Great War, touched on the role of the military chaplain when he wrote that the command- ing officers first advised and finally ordered the padres not to expose them- selves “wantonly in forward posts or attack. . . . That the priests, to the huge content of the men, should disregard the order (‘What’s a casualty compared to a soul?’) was most natural of all.” C. S. Lewis has commented, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the f orm of every virtue at the testing point. Courage is the first virtue because it makes all the other virtues possible.” Those who choose to become chaplains in their nations’ armed forces have, or at least seek, that virtue. They seek it not for glory but to help their fellow pilgrims in their ultimate hour of need. All of us recognize the apparent randomness of survival. The soldier is even more acutely aware than most of the thin line between life and death. “There are no atheists in foxholes” may be a cliché, but only fools would bet that it’s untrue. Those who face death as part of their job description tend to think seri- ously about God. And although the force oforganized religion varies with time and place, and, according to many, is diminishing across the Western world, yetfewarmieshaveeverlackedmemberswhoarepriests,ministers,rabbi,sor other “holy men.” I cannot think of chaplains without remembering my dear friend John Car- dinal O’Connor, who spent twenty-seven years of his life serving with the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and considering it a high privilege to do so. He left the Marines to go to another combat zone — the Archdiocese of New York. The Sword of the Lordis a history of military chaplaincy that needed to be written and that lays the foundation for other studies of this topic. It takes the reader from the pre-Christian era to the present, raising important religious, political, and philosophical issues along the way. This is a book that should be read by scholars and will be enjoyed and appreciated by the general public.

—Robert L. Dilenschneider

C O N T E N T S

List of Illustrations Preface and Acknowledgments

Introduction Doris L. Bergen

       1 Emperors, Priests, and Bishops: Military Chaplains in the Roman Empire Ralph W. Mathisen

       2 The Liturgy of War from Antiquity to the Crusades Michael McCormick

       3 The Medieval Military Chaplain and His Duties David S. Bachrach

       4 Did the Nature of the Enemy Make a Difference? Chaplains in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms,1642 ‒ 49 Anne Laurence

       5 Faith, Morale, and the Army Chaplain in the American Civil War Gardiner H. Shattuck, Jr.

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       6 In the Service of Two Kings: Protestant Prussian Military Chaplains,1713 ‒ 1918 Hartmut Lehmann

       7 “Where’s the Padre?” Canadian Memory and the Great War Chaplains DuffCrerar

       8 German Military Chaplains in the Second World War and the Dilemmas of Legitimacy Doris L. Bergen

       9 “WeWill Be”: Experiences of an American Jewish Chaplain in the Second World War Rabbi Max B. Wall

       1 0 Clergy in the Military —Vietnam and After: One Chaplain’s Reflections Joseph F. O’Donnell, C.S.C.

       1 1 From Morale Builders to Moral Advocates: U. S. Army Chaplains in the Second Half of the Twentieth Century Anne C. Loveland

       1 2 In Place of an Afterword: My Argument with Fr. William Corby, C.S.C. Michael J. Baxter, C.S.C.

Bibliography Contributors Index

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233

251

271 287 289

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I L L U S T R A T I O N S

Protestant pastor Christian Finkenstein performs a baptism at the base in Prizren, September1999. Photograph by Walter Linkmann. Evangelisches Kirchenamt für die Bundes wehr, Bonn. Used with permission.4

Sacrificial Procession from Trajan’s Column, in Graham Web- ster,The Roman Imperial Army of the First and Second Centuries A.D. (London: Adam and Charles Black, 1969). Copyright ©. Used with permission.31

Relief of Marcus Aurelius sacrificing in front of the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. From the Photographic Archive of the Musei Capitolini, Rome. Used with permission.32

Jupiter Dolchinius (Jupiter Dolichenus), a third-century stela from Wiesbaden. Copyright by Les Editions Nagel & Briquet, Geneva (Switzerland). All rights reserved in all countries. Used with permission.34 Mithras’ killing of the bull, “Mitrasrelief ” (AS I624). Kunst- historisches Museum, Vienna (Austria). Used with permis - sion.35 Mosaic, Ravenna, S. Vitale. Emperor Justinian with guards, court o fficials, and ecclesiastics, ca. 547. Alinari18224. Courtesy of Art Resource. 55 Union9th Corps chaplains near Petersburg, Virginia. Courtesy of the Libr ary of Congress, Washington, D. C . LC-B8171- 7049.108 Paul Henry Wood, Absolution under Fire,1891. Courtesy of the Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame.113

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