Christianity and violence, Eastern approaches

This article by Lebanese philosopher Jad Hatem examines Eastern Christian approaches to violence, drawing on contemporary Middle Eastern thinkers. Proceeding through comparative study, it successively analyzes the theology of non-violence of Metropolitan Georges Khodr, the anti-violent ethics of Coptic Patriarch Shenouda III, the liberation theology of Palestinian Episcopalian Naim Ateek, and the mystical meditation of Lebanese Jesuit Michel Hayek. The central idea is that Eastern Christian Churches, marked by a permanent condition of vulnerability assimilated to "Holy Saturday," have developed distinct theological responses to violence, oscillating between eschatological non-violence, personalist ethics, and political engagement. The contribution of the article lies in shedding light on the internal coherence of these Eastern approaches, rooted in a kenotic Christology and an ecclesiology of witness, distinct from Western traditions on just war.