ABSTRACT
Two ongoing crises in the early Christian experience swayed the church in the direction of such a compromise. The first was the consolidation of doctrine in the face of repeated heretical movements; the second was the sporadic but nonetheless devastating outbreak of persecution. Both would color the conversation over law and judgment. In both, the church confronted threats to its very existence. St Paul's thoughts on law and judgment must be understood primarily not in terms of the revelation to Moses or any other statutory decrees, but with a focus upon faith and the indwelling Spirit. Augustine attempts to steer a course faithful to Christian non-violence that also recognizes the inevitable bloodshed that accompanies earthly conceptions of legal justice. He argues that Christians who assent to the divine sanction of established authority become a tool or sword in the hand of that power.
