Praktiken der Sakralisierung von Kriegen in der christlichen Spätantike

This article argues for refraining from using the concept of holy war to describe historical events and instead analyzing it primarily as a phenomenon of perception. The focus is therefore on practices of sacralizing wars, some of which can already be observed in non-Christian societies. Practices imbued with Christian meaning played a role from an early stage. After Constantine the Great converted to Christianity, they gained greater significance, particularly in the 4th and 5th centuries in statements made on the periphery of the Roman Empire (such as Armenia) and during civil wars. In the 6th and 7th centuries, however, the practices of sacralizing wars became more widespread; for example, wars were accompanied by religious ceremonies, and soldiers were promised eternal life after dying in battle. Georgius Pisides powerfully described the conflicts between the Roman Heraclius and the Persian Khosrow II as a holy war, though this does not mean that they fundamentally differed from other ancient wars, as is often claimed. Rather, it can be observed how, in different wars, depending on the context, practices of sacralization were employed or at least described in contemporary sources.