Metaphor - Narratio - Mimesis - doxology - in this tape the presentations of the four symposia of Mainz are summarized morality meetings from the years 2012-2014 to these forms of justification ancient Christian ethics. An interdisciplinary approach by biblical scholarship and patristic, Judaism, classics, philosophy, theology and other disciplines opens Systematic the forms in which early Christianity has moral relevance generated and communicated. Here alternatives to dominant since the Enlightenment rationalistic argumentative ethics justification (eg utilitarianism) are shown, which can even enrich the current ethics discourse. The authors of the contributions examine the metaphors, obtained by the ethical persuasion that implicit values ​​discourses of "narrative ethics", the adaptation of the self or of the action of a person or an ideal as part of a "mimetic ethics" and finally the in speech of praise and celebration offered action Justification of "doxological ethics". It is shown that the language forms not only represent insignificant vehicle but authoritative expression media ethics. Examine the contributions, what exactly the difference which added value or limitations of such metaphorical, narrative, mimetic or doxologischer ethics exist.