Four Recent Books on Killing, War, and the Pre-Constantine Church: church historian Ronald Sider reviews these books in order to distinguish speculation from historical fact. Two of these books argue that early Christians held widely divergent views. The other two argue that the historical record contradicts the view that the teaching of the early church on killing was “small, divided and ambiguous.” Sider’s detailed article is a useful introduction for students on this important, perennial discussion.
