The Bible is diverse and complex but it is dominated by violent images of God, violent story lines, and violent expectations and explanations of history. The Exodus involves genocide and ethnic cleansing but is understood within the tradition as a story of God’s liberating violence. Exile stories explain the people’s horrible historical plight under one crushing empire after another as a consequence of their sin and God’s punishing violence. Prophets promise that repentance and right conduct can lead to another round of liberating violence, historical reversals in which God “saves” Israel by crushing Israel’s enemies. Apocalyptic writers and prophets, including John the Baptist, portray violence as part of a cosmic struggle, with historical consequences, between the forces of good and evil, with hope rooted in God’s vindicating violence at the end of history as we know it. The Gospel writers offer competing and arguably irreconcilable portraits of Jesus: Jesus who loves enemies and calls us to be peacemakers; and Jesus who will return as violent, apocalyptic judge.