Love of Enemies

Love of enemies, search for peace. In the current international political atmosphere where hope is in short supply these days within and outside the church (William Klassen), these twin themes hardly seem compatible. Klassen maintains, however, that the two are not only consistent but also have coexisted from ancient times to the present, due in large part to the Jesus movement. Examining the Hellenistic and Hebrew backgrounds of the two themes, Klassen illuminates old, familiar texts, as well as some that have been previously ignored. He shows how people today can strive for peace, both by following the examples of the twentieth-century figures before them and be returning, as warriors of peace, to long-neglected biblical resources.