Introduction: the importance of ethics in Christianity

Ethics was absolutely crucial to early Christian philosophers and a considerable part of their work is devoted to it. This is hardly surprising given the strong focus on ethics in Scripture. In the New Testament in particular God's justice (dikaiosynē) is repeatedly emphasized and becomes a central theme in Paul's Letter to the Romans. Paul argues that God's justice is a model for us and it in turn suggests a certain way of living to us. Paul sets out to outline this way of life, giving a number of ethical precepts. The other important ethical theme in the New Testament is the theme of the love one should have for others. In a way this theme replaces the role that friendship (philia) plays in the ethics of pagan philosophical schools. In the wide sense that friendship has in antiquity, it covers a large network of relationships within and outside the family. In the New Testament, the idea is that God's love to mankind shows us the way to love everyone, which entails forgiveness and care for others (Rom. 5.6–8, 7.7; 1 Cor. 13; 2 Cor. 7.2; John 13.1). These two themes, God's justice and God's love for man, permeate the New Testament and shape its ethics. Crucial for the view that God is the model for man to imitate is the statement in Genesis (1:26) that man is created in the likeness of God.