3.4 The Irenaean theodicy; the vale of soul-making theodicy

Question 1

Describe St Irenaeus

Question 2

What impact did John Keats make on theodicies?

Question 3

Compare St Augustine’s theodicy with the Irenaeus/Hick theodicy

Question 4

Explain St Augustine’s theodicy

Answer 4

• soul-deciding theodicy: all humans are born sinful (original sin) because they ‘inherit’ sin from Adam & Eve, who ate from the Tree in the Garden of Eden (The Fall)
• similarly, this explains the cause of evil & suffering: humanity
• therefore, humans tend to depend on God’s grace in order to be saved from our sin: this is in the form of Jesus Christ’s atoning crucifixion on the cross; not everyone is saved!

Question 5

Explain St Irenaeus’s theodicy

Question 6

John Hick on the vale of soul-making theodicy

Answer 6

“A world which is to be a person-making environment cannot

Question 7

What is the mystery of the problem of evil?

Answer 7

how an all-loving (omnibenevolent), all-powerful (omnipotent), & all-knowing (omniscient) God could allow evil & suffering to exist

Question 8

Summarise St.Ireneaus’ theodicy

Answer 8

1. humans are created imperfect so they can grow & develop
2. evil is a necessary part of this development - it helps us learn right from wrong
3. eventually, all humans will reach spiritual perfection & unity with God (eschatological justification)

Question 9

Imagine a world where there is no suffering. What might be the problem with this?

Question 10

How does Irenaeus’ theodicy explain why evil exists?

Question 11

State the common strengths of St Irenaeus’ theodicy

Question 12

State the common weaknesses of St Irenaeus’ theodicy

Question 13

Discuss whether suffering always makes people better; why or why not?

Question 14

Can all evil be justified as necessary for growth?

Question 15

Summarise Irenaeus’ theodicy in one sentence

Question 16

Is St Irenaeus’ theodicy a convincing response to the Problem of Evil? Discuss

Question 17

State and explain the key ideas of Irenaeus’ theodicy