Wright surveys the way the early church viewed war. He demonstrates how complex the views were during the period of the early martyrs, i.e. the first three centuries. The prominence of idolatry in the Roman army complicated the attitudes of Christians. The church did not function with a worked-out public ethics. Next, he reflects on how holy war and just war functioned in the Christian Empire and Augustine. During the Middle Ages the function of the Crusades took centre stage. Wright then surveys the attitude towards war during the Reformation, through the eyes of Martin Luther and John Calvin in particular.