Introduction

Violence and supernatural claims charge hand in hand through the battlefields of history. This introductory chapter focuses on the intertwined nature of divine intervention, political authority and violence. It starts in the ancient Near East and moves through biblical Israel, Greece, Rome and the first three centuries of Christianity. In the case of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, modern examples show the ongoing importance of the supernatural in politics and war. This introduction sets the stage for this volume that focuses on medieval and early modern warfare.