Theme 2B: Augustinian Theodicy Flashcards
What does theodicy mean?
An attempt to justify the existence of a loving God in the face of evil
What are the criteria for a successful theodicy?
- Must be internally coherent
- Done within the context of natural theology
- Must cohere with other theology
- Must be personally convincing
Where did evil come from?
- The fall in Genesis
- Humans were originally made perfect
What was the relationship between Humans and God before the fall?
God walked in the ‘cool of the garden’ with man and woman and spent time with them
What was the relationship between humans and God after the fall?
‘Hid from God’
What was the relationship between men and women before the fall?
- Took ‘one of the mans ribs’ and made a woman from it
- ‘She shall be called woman for she was taken out of man’
- ‘A man leaves his father and mother and is united to be his wife, and they become one flesh’
- Adam and his wide were both naked and they felt no shame
What was he relationship between men and woman after the fall?
- ‘realised they were naked’ and ‘made coverings for themselves’
- For women, ‘pains in childbearing will be severe’ and ‘your husband will rule over you’
What was the relationship between humanity and nature before the fall?
God saw all that he made and it was ‘very good’
What was the relationship between humanity and nature after the fall?
- Land will ‘produce thorns and thistles’
- ‘Cursed is the ground’
Who is responsible for evil according to the Bible?
Humans
What are the main features of the Augustine theodicy
- Evil is a consequence of sin and the fall of human beings and creation
- Evil as privation
- Everyone is guilty because everyone was seminally present in Adam
- Cross overcomes evil
- Soul deciding redemption
What does evil as a consequence of sin mean?
- Evil did not come from God as Gods creation was perfect
- God made everyone ex nihilo
- Humans and angels are from the created order and so they are susceptible to change and have the ability to turn away from God
- The turning away from God is an act of free will, is what causes evil
What does evil as privation mean?
- Evil is a loss of goodness
- Blindness is a privation of sight
- Evil is not a thing or substance but instead falling short of God intended perfection
- The cause of evil is linked to the fallen angels and original sin of Adam and Eve
What does everyone is guilty mean?
- Adam and Eve committed the original sin of disobeying God and the consequences of this is that all descendants have inherited original sin and the worlds disharmony
- This is because of humanity was present ‘in the seminal loins of Adam’
What does the cross overcomes evil mean?
- God loved his creation and sent Jesus so that through his suffering and death there is possiblility of salvation to belivers
- This is known as Felix culpa - happy mistake
