| Abstract | From the earliest days of Christianity to today, battle, war, and warfare have had a longstanding and persistent alliance with religion. Throughout history, from the Battle of Rephidim in the Book of Exodus, and the Medieval Crusades, all the way to World War I, religion, or at least Christianity and war, have had an inseparable bond. Religion is key to understanding those wars – to comprehend why so many people participated in wars, and why they persisted in fighting during these wars. Early twentieth century war narratives, especially those connected to the First World War, have the presence of various religious elements, which are used to demonstrate the authors’ attitudes towards religion and the role religion had in that war. This master’s thesis will explore the idea of a holy war using the theoretical foundation of Philip Jenkins’ book The Great and Holy War (2014) and analyze various religious elements present in selected World War I narratives: Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms (1927), Robert Graves’s Goodbye to All That (1929), and Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front (1957). These religious elements will then be compared to reveal their scope, function, and significance. |
