War and Religion - by Arnaud Blin (Hardcover)

About the Book

"War has existed throughout the course of human history. And while the root causes vary, religion has played its part in provoking and fueling some of our bloodiest conflicts while some clerics attempted at the same time to control or channel the violence. This history of war and religion begins with the concurrent emergence of the great empires of the Mediterranean and the great polytheistic religions. Allied by circumstances and working together, clerics, statesmen and soldiers established during the first centuries of the Common Era the norms that would define politics and international relations in Europe and the Greater Middle East for more than a thousand years, with armies often pitted against one another claiming to uphold their faith or to impose it on others. In this book, Arnaud Blin argues that religion has not only fueled a great number of the conflicts that took place during the period, it has also determined how these conflicts were fought. Spanning millennia, religion has not only defined the art of war, it has also exerted a great influence in molding the ways and means in which societies either partook in or were affected by them. Between the 4th and 17th centuries, religion was the greatest driver of the wars that took place in Europe, the greater Middle-East, and even in the Americas during the initial phase of European colonization. This book takes a panoramic view of the history of war and religion which sprung out of Europe and the Mediterranean, starting with late Antiquity and moving through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Modern Era, concluding with an analysis of recent trends and how we might understand them in light of our shred past"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

The resurgence of violent terrorist organizations claiming to act in the name of God has rekindled dramatic public debate about the connection between violence and religion and its history.

Offering a panoramic view of the tangled history of war and religion throughout Europe and the Mediterranean, War and Religion takes a hard look at the tumultuous history of war in its relationship to religion. Arnaud Blin examines how this relationship began through the concurrent emergence of the Mediterranean empires and the great monotheistic faiths. Moving through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and into the modern era, Blin concludes with why the link between violence and religion endures. For each time period, Blin shows how religion not only fueled a great number of conflicts but also defined the manner in which wars were conducted and fought.

From the Back Cover

"Arnaud Blin's book is a seminal contribution to the history of conflicts and the lasting impact of religions on politics through history and civilizations. It sheds new light on a very important topic with clarity and draws a superb panorama of the past two millenium without ideological bias."--Gérard Chaliand, A Global History of War: From Assyria to the Twenty-First Century

"This book provides an impressive historical sweep that covers the entire range of Christianity and Islam. In provocative and engaging ways, it explores the problematic relationship between religion and war and challenges our understanding of both. Daring and controversial, this book will be much debated and long discussed."--Mark Juergensmeyer, author of Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence

Review Quotes

"For those engaged in conflict and peace studies, Arnaud Blin has provided sheer pleasure in this book of historical, philosophical and linguistic clarity."

-- "Journal for the Academic Study of Religion"

About the Author

Arnaud Blin is a French-American historian and biographer. His works are widely translated, and he is the author, coauthor, or editor of many on the history of conflict, including The History of Terrorism: From Antiquity to ISIS. Blin is a Research Associate with the French Institute for Strategic Analysis (Paris). He lives in upstate New York.