Christian Ethics

Christian ethics is a branch of Christian theology that defines concepts of right (virtuous) and wrong (sinful) behavior from a Christian perspective. Various sources inform Christian ethics, including Judaism and pagan ethics (as well as identifying the limits of the latter), and the life of Jesus. "Comprehensive Christian ethical writings use four distinguishable sources: (1) the Bible and the Christian tradition, (2) philosophical principles and methods, (3) science and other sources of knowledge about the world, and (4) human experience broadly conceived." Although Christian ethics is informed by numerous sources, the Christian Bible, both Old and New Testaments, figures prominently. According to Long, "Christian ethics finds its source in diverse means, but it primarily emerges from the biblical narrative" which includes various accounts in the Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views. According to The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics, "The Bible is the universal and fundamental source of specifically Christian ethics."

Christian ethics developed in the first centuries of the Christian Era in the Holy Land and other early centers of Christianity as Christianity emerged from Second Temple Judaism. Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire erupted periodically, beginning with the Crucifixion of Jesus in Roman Judaea (c.30-33 AD) to the time Nero blamed Christians for setting Rome ablaze (64 AD) until Galerius (311 AD) and the Peace of the Church (313 AD). Consequently, early Christian ethics included discussions of how believers should relate to Roman authority and to the empire. In the 13th century Thomas Aquinas and others derived the Four Cardinal Virtues from Plato (justice, courage, temperance, prudence) and added to them the Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity (cf. 1 Corinthians 13), together known as the Seven Virtues. Other schema include the Seven Deadly Sins.

Christian ethics have been criticized for a variety of reasons, including Jesus' teachings, even during his earthly ministry, and in the analysis and interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount.