A form of theological ethics that has been prominent in Christianity and Islam but less important in Jewish traditions is theological VOLUNTARISM. According to this view, morality depends, at least in part, on God’s will. In CHRISTIAN ETHICS, theological voluntarism often assumes that this dependence is specifically on the divine will as shown by divine commands, and so the position has come to be known as divine command ethics. Divine command theories are found in the Franciscan ethics developed by John DUNS SCOTUS (c. 1266-1308) and WILLIAM OF OCKHAM (c.1285-1347). Andrew of Neufchateau (c. 1340-1400), another Franciscan, conducted the lengthiest and most sophisticated known medieval defense of an ethics of divine commands.

Both Martin LUTHER (1483-1546) and John CALVIN (1509-1564) endorsed the divine command conception. It is also to be found in the ethical theory of William Paley and in the distinctively Christian ethics of Søren KIERKEGAARD (1813-1855).

The last three decades of the twentieth century saw a revival of philosophical interest in divine command ethics. Among those who have contributed significantly to this revival are Robert M. Adams, Janine M. Idziak, and Philip L. Quinn. Both the attractive features and the points of vulnerability of theological ethics stand out in particularly sharp relief in the case of divine command ethics, and for that reason the remainder of this article will focus on this particular variety of theological ethics.