ORIGINAL ARTICLE ANALYSIS OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF JUST / UNJUST WARS AS FORMULATED BY SAINT AUGUSTINE IN HIS TREATISE “THE CITY OF GOD”

The article provides an analytical review of Saint Augustine’s Christian attitude towards war. His concept of just / unjust war, as outlined in his treatise “The City of God”, has its own foundation and principles. The main principle is the need to categorise wars as just or unjust before making a moral or Christian assessment. The article highlights and examines the characteristics of wars that can be identified in the theological treatise of Saint Augustine. Based on an in-depth analysis of his approach to the concept of war, a general overview of his theory is proposed. It is shown that Augustine’s approach to the phenomenon of war can be characterised as a middle way. His ideas, although they can be used by representatives of both pacifist and militaristic schools of thought, avoid extremes. Saint Augustine attempts to strike a balance, justifying a just war as a lesser evil and as an attribute exclusively of the earthly city.