Christian pacifism is the theological and ethical position according to which pacifism and non-violence have both a scriptural and rational basis for Christians, and affirms that any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith. Christian pacifists state that Jesus himself was a pacifist who taught and practiced pacifism and that his followers must do likewise. Notable Christian pacifists include Martin Luther King Jr., Leo Tolstoy, Adin Ballou, Dorothy Day, Ammon Hennacy, and brothers Daniel and Philip Berrigan.
A Levite reading the Law to the Israelites. The Rambam famously rules that members of the tribe of Levi do not fight in the army.
Ecce Homo (c. 1880) by Antonio Ciseri
Martírio de Santo Hipólito (Martyrdom of Saint Hippolytus) by Cristóvão de Figueiredo
La Charité de Saint-Martin (The Charity of Saint Martin) by Louis-Anselme Longa
Christian ethics, also known as moral theology, is a multi-faceted ethical system. It is a virtue ethic, which focuses on building moral character, and a deontological ethic which emphasizes duty. It also incorporates natural law ethics, which is built on the belief that it is the very nature of humans – created in the image of God and capable of morality, cooperation, rationality, discernment and so on – that informs how life should be lived, and that awareness of sin does not require special revelation. Other aspects of Christian ethics, represented by movements such as the social Gospel and liberation theology, may be combined into a fourth area sometimes called prophetic ethics.
Sermon of the Beatitudes depicts Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, in which he summarized his ethical teachings. James Tissot, c. 1890
Marco da Montegallo, Libro dei comandamenti di Dio ("Book of the Commandments of God"), 1494
The devil, in opposition to the will of God, represents evil and tempts Christ, the personification of the character and will of God. Ary Scheffer, 1854.
The good Samaritan, Harold Copping