The Sword of the Lord: Military Chaplains from the First to the Twenty-First Century / Edition 1

The Sword of the Lord: Military Chaplains from the First to the Twenty-First Century / Edition 1

by Doris L. Bergen
ISBN-10:
0268021767
ISBN-13:
9780268021764
Pub. Date:
03/25/2004
Publisher:
University of Notre Dame Press
ISBN-10:
0268021767
ISBN-13:
9780268021764
Pub. Date:
03/25/2004
Publisher:
University of Notre Dame Press
The Sword of the Lord: Military Chaplains from the First to the Twenty-First Century / Edition 1

The Sword of the Lord: Military Chaplains from the First to the Twenty-First Century / Edition 1

by Doris L. Bergen

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Overview

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.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780268021764
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press
Publication date: 03/25/2004
Series: Critical Problems in History
Edition description: 1
Pages: 312
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.66(d)

About the Author

Doris L. Bergen is the Chancellor Rose and Ray Wolfe Professor of Holocaust Studies at the University of Toronto. She is the author of Twisted Cross: The German Christian Movement in the Third Reich (1996); War and Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust (2003), and editor of Lessons and Legacies VIII (2008).

Contributors: Ralph W. Mathisen, Michael McCormick, David S. Bachrach, Anne Laurence, Gardiner H. Shattuck, Jr., Hartmut Lehmann, Duff Crerar, Doris L. Bergen, Max B. Wall, Joseph F. O'Donnell, C.S.C., Anne C. Loveland, and Michael J. Baxter, C.S.C.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrationsix
Preface and Acknowledgmentsxiii
Introduction1
Chapter 1Emperors, Priests, and Bishops: Military Chaplains in the Roman Empire29
Chapter 2The Liturgy of War from Antiquity to the Crusades45
Chapter 3The Medieval Military Chaplain and His Duties69
Chapter 4Did the Nature of the Enemy Make a Difference? Chaplains in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, 1642-4989
Chapter 5Faith, Morale, and the Army Chaplain in the American Civil War105
Chapter 6In the Service of Two Kings: Protestant Prussian Military Chaplains, 1713-1918125
Chapter 7"Where's the Padre?" Canadian Memory and the Great War Chaplains141
Chapter 8German Military Chaplains in the Second World War and the Dilemmas of Legitimacy165
Chapter 9"We Will Be": Experiences of an American Jewish Chaplain in the Second World War187
Chapter 10Clergy in the Military--Vietnam and After: One Chaplain's Reflections215
Chapter 11From Morale Builders to Moral Advocates: U.S. Army Chaplains in the Second Half of the Twentieth Century233
Chapter 12In Place of an Afterword: My Argument with Fr. William Corby, C.S.C.251
Bibliography271
Contributors287
Index289
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