num_pages: 113
description: The author seeks to establish a clear distinction between a holy war which concerns religion, and a just war which concerns ethics. He makes us understand that the root of the problem of the definition of holy war resides in the ambiguity of the notion of 'sacredness', in its metamorphoses or in its displacements. By revealing the ideas behind holy war by examining speeches and events of many eras and cultures, he criticizes the sacred character of the wars between Jews and Moslems, jihads and crusades, the religious and Byzantine wars, the two World Wars of the twentieth century, and the Gulf War.
language: English
title: Holy War: History of an Idea
titlecomplete: Holy War: History of an Idea
ratings_count: 4
publisher: Edwin Mellen Pr