ABSTRACT
Christian ethics subverts the doctrine by its concept of human weakness and the power of evil. One may describe the concept of sin as the specially revolutionizing factor in Christian ethics. Sin is neither a mere mistake nor simply guilt. It is a determining, seductive power in life. Certainly upon man falls the consequence—the wages of sin—but he is not its master. Truly, there is a principle of moral conduct which is deeply anchored in the metaphysical nature of man. How man determines his course depends upon his "intelligible character"; his character is the moral decision. Manifestly the morally good man knows in some form or other what the good is. If virtue can be taught, its contents cannot be an original possession of the moral consciousness. The virtue can be taught only because and in so far as it is an aprioristic insight.
