The question of whether a cleric can kill a sinner (criminal) is not one that occupies the thoughts of Christians today. But whenever we find such a question that occupies a past thinker it’s important to reflect on why we don’t find such questions pressing. Sometimes we don’t find the question pressing anymore because the past thinker has settled the question decisively. Take, for example, the question of whether Christians should read and theologize about the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament). This isn’t a pressing question today among Christians partly (perhaps primarily) because Augustine settled the issue in The City of God. Similarly (perhaps), we don’t think the question of whether it’s lawful for a cleric to kill a sinner as pressing because Aquinas (at least partly) settled the issue.
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