{Put up again thy sword} (apostrepson t(886e) machairan sou).
Turn back thy sword into its place. It was a stern rebuke for
Peter who had misunderstood the teaching of Jesus in Lu 22:38
as well as in Mt 5:39 (cf. Joh 18:36 ). The reason given by
Jesus has had innumerable illustrations in human history. The
sword calls for the sword. Offensive war is here given flat
condemnation. The Paris Pact of 1928 (the Kellogg Treaty) is
certainly in harmony with the mind of Christ. The will to peace
is the first step towards peace, the outlawing of war. Our
American cities are often ruled by gangsters who kill each other
off.
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