SOURCE: Wells, G. A. “Ethical Absolutism, Hebbel and Judith.” New German Studies 12, no. 2 (summer 1984): 95-106.

In the following essay, Wells discusses ethical issues in Judith.

What is meant by saying that moral rules are either absolute or relative? An illustration will help. Suppose that a man has sought refuge in my house knowing that the police are seeking to arrest him on a capital charge. Suppose further that I know he is innocent, yet that circumstantial evidence is likely to lead to his conviction and execution if he is arrested. If a policeman then calls, and asks me whether I know where the man is, my reply may depend on the relative weighting I give to three obvious moral rules, the first two of which conflict with the third:

1) That maximum cooperation must be given to the authorities who enforce the law.

2) That the truth must be told...