The theory of just war can be found throughout the centuries to the philosophy of Saint Augustine and beyond. Augustine was one of the first important figures to be challenged by concerns about justified war. Christianity, despite significant prosecution, grew out of the Roman Empire, which was pagan. Evolving Christianity was fundamentally pacifist, giving rise to the refusal of Christians to fight in the Roman army; the violence went against Jesus' teaching to turn the other cheek, never seek revenge, never defend oneself, and forgive seventy times seven. Likewise, they could not justify fighting for a pagan empire, and because they initially expected Jesus to return soon, war was not considered an important priority. However, when Emperor Constantine became a Christian, he made Christianity the official religion of the empire. Until then, Christianity remained pacifist. This was the problem Augustine faced; justify war for a Christian empire. Augustine exemplified the dominant Roman doctrine of justum bellum and accounts of wars fought on behalf of Israel in the Old Testament, as required by God. Augustine asserted that fighting on behalf of the Roman Empire was a Christian obligation since the empire was Christian. Augustine argued that this was a fight in the name of God against the enemies of God, just as Israel defended itself against the enemies of God in Old Testament times. Augustine's thinking has relied heavily on the discussion of what makes war justifiable to the present day. Since Augustine, two issues associated with just war theory have been distinguished: I. Jus ad bullum II. Jus in belloJus ad bellum refers to the circumstances in which...... middle of paper ...... Jus post bellum is vital to its ultimate function, which is to eliminate war, or at least to reduce its incidence. in the future. Each approach, however, has its limits. A Kantian, for example, might universalize nonviolence when his country is threatened with extermination, while a utilitarian might justify enslaving a human being if it leads to greater net happiness—which is why we call this a pig ethic. However, in any ethical case, elements of both approaches are necessary to justify moral action. Decisions must respect rights while being practical and must not give the impression that they are making the situation worse. It could be determined that the agent-centered morality of virtue ethics offers a better approach to conflict, because it shifts the focus away from goals and sanctions and examines what a just person might do in a particular situation..