Christian Ethics. Volume I.—History of Ethics.

Adolf Wuttke, 19th century German professor and theologian, lived during one of the most intellectually vibrant times of the German-speaking nation's history. With the popularity of Hegelian philosophy and historical criticism of the Bible, German theologians had come to question the view of the world outlined by traditional Christian orthodoxy. Scholars across Europe reevaluated and reinvented the history of Christianity, and they redefined what lay within the bounds of Christian philosophy. Wuttke took on the task of crafting a Christian account of morality, feeling that most Christian philosophers and theologians had favored metaphysics or epistemology over ethics. The first volume of Wuttke's treatise gives an account of moral philosophy as it had developed over the ages, from ancient Egypt to Rome to the Middle Ages to the Protestant Reformation.

Kathleen O'Bannon
CCEL Staff