THE “ STRONG MAN ARMED ”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22833, 18 March 1936, Page 7

THE “ STRONG MAN ARMED ”

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —“ Christ’s teaching of the strong man armed” is cited by Air G. Steel as refuting pacifism, or at least Christian pacifism. One wonders whether your correspondent and the many war-upholders who rely on this parable have ever read the passage. The “ strong man armed ” in Christ’s meaning was clearly Beelzebub, whom a Christian would hardly be expected to regard as his ideal and model. Your readers may be interested in Air A. A. Alilne’s explanation in his book Peace witn Honour.” After quoting the text (Luke xi, 21), “When a, strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace,” he says: “The Christian apologist for war stops there, conveniently, hoping that the irreligious pacifist doesn’t read his Bible. For the next verse says: • But when a stronger than he shall come upon him. and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour whenn he trusted, and divideth his spoils,’ which seems to show what Christ thought of militarists. For the occasion of these words was the casting out of a devil; and, as will be remembered, some of the people said: ‘He casteth out devils through Beelzebub, the chief of the devils. Whereupon Christ explained that Satan could not cast out Satan and that devils could only be cast out by somebody stronger than themselves. So in the parable which follows, the ‘strong man armed’ is Beelzebub, and the ‘stronger than he who takes from him all hie armour wherein he trusted ’ is God. It is not altogether out of keeping with Christ’s character as we know it to suppose that armour did not make any very powerful appeal to him, and it is not out of keeping with the situation to assume that the miracle of healing which he had just performed was not meant as a preliminary to the use of mustard gas.’—l am, etc., Stuart G. Kinoan. Otago University.