According to the english philosopher and theologian john hick, christian theology offers two main approaches to theodicy, one stemming from the work of st. If gods love was freely given, it would be of less value. Freedom and the irenaean theodicy, the journal of theological studies, volume xx, issue 1, 1 april. Perhaps the most significant difference between the two is that the augustinian version is a view of evil as a desert, whereas the. The irenaean theodicy st irenaeus was bishop of lyon in the 2ndc. Irenaeus theodicy avoids the issue of a perfect creation turning away from god whilst also allowing for freewill and gods omni characteristics. Some theodicies also address the evidential problem of evil by attempting to make the existence of an allknowing, allpowerful and allgood or omnibenevolent god consistent with the existence of evil or. John hicks irenaeanevolutionary theodicy recasts iranaeans pedagogical theodicy in an evolutionary context. Irenaean theodicy meaning irenaean theodicy deifnitio.
The irenaean theodicy was first identified as a form of theodicy by john hick in evil and the god of love, written in 1966. The third part in a series on the problem of evil designed for people studying philosophy of religion at asa2 level. Evaluating the theodicy of irenaeus some strengths. A theodicy is an attempt to justify or defend god in the face of evil by answering the following problem. Besides the distinctions mentioned in the above passages, the augustinian theodicy and irenaean theodicy are often compared by people in many other aspects.
Tes global ltd is registered in england company no 02017289 with its registered office at 26 red lion square london wc1r 4hq. Explain the theodicy of irenaeus the irenaean theodicy is a theory used to help justify the problem of evil. It is to answer the question of why a good god permits the. And so the irenaean answer to the question, why natural evil. His theodicy predates augustine but is still rooted in the biblical text of genesis. Can a world in which sadistic cruelty often has its way, in which selfish lovelessness is so rife, in which there are debilitating diseases, crippling accidents, bodily. The irenaean theodicy is a response to the evidential problem of evil which raises the problem that, if an omnipotent and omnibenevolent allpowerful and perfectly loving god exists, there should be no evil in the world. It is to answer the question of why a good god permits the manifestation of evil, thus resolving the issue of the problem of evil. Hick distinguished between the augustinian theodicy, which is based on free will, and the irenaean theodicy, which casts god as responsible for evil but justified in it. German philosopher max weber 18641920 saw theodicy as a social problem, based on the human need to explain puzzling aspects of the world. The irenaean theodicy is a christian theodicy designed to respond to the problem of evil. The purpose of the world is to create people to number one, no god and number two to love god. Evidence of evil in the world would make the existence of god improbable. God according to this theodicy is not unlimited in power but interacts with the universe which he.
Moreover, the evidential problem of evil reminds us that the sheer scale of suffering on earth goes beyond. John hicks soul making theodicy read the following extract from john hicks book philosophy of religion and summarize the 4 key points. The problem was also analyzed by premodern theologians and philosophers in the islamic world. The irenaean theodicy is a christian theodicy designed to respond to the problem of evil as first identified by john hick in 1966. His theodicy is more concerned with the development of humanity. If one were interested in a systematic reconciliation of the original sin theodicy and hicks theodicy, it would be a rather simple task. Thirdcentury philosopher and theologian irenaeus offers a different theodicy.
A soul making theodicy is applied by irenaeus, which means to move from the state of imperfection through moral struggle toward eventual completed humanization. A crucial justification of the ways of god to man theng huat leow eugene, or. What are the differences between augustinian theodicy and irenaean theodicy. Evil and human suffering in islamic thoughttowards a mystical theodicy. The other is his irenaean theodicy, and how theists can reconcile a belief in the infinite goodness of god in light of the presence of evil and suffering in the world. There are two great traditions in christian theodicy, the augustinian and the irenaean john hick 1977.
Quite different from the augustinian theodicy, the irenaean theodicy which was created by saint irenaeas 202 ad and later developed by john hicks and richard swinburne doesnt see the world as created allgood and describes an almost opposite process compared with the. This makes it sound like john hick first identified the problem of evil, which is of course not the case. Theodicy irenaeus of lyon 125202 john hick 19222012 context. In part one i gave an introduction to the problem of evil. Even if god is like a physician or a teacher, he is still allowing human beings to suffer for his goals, not for theirs. Augustine evil as privation of good stemming from misused freedom.
Theodicy addresses the evidential problem of evil by attempting to make the existence of an allknowing, allpowerful and allgood or omnibenevolent god consistent with the existence of evil or suffering in the world. Although hick addresses the problem of evil and suffering from a largely christian perspective, he is aware that this is not a. Augustines approach has been much more influential, but hick finds the ideas of. Iranaean theodicy hick irenaean theodicy unit 3 meaning. What are the differences between augustinian theodicy and. Through his writings he helped to establish the canon of scripture. The main part of the lesson involves using an information sheet to answer a set of questions on its key features, including a comparison to the augustinian theodicy as an extension task, followed by class notetaking and brief discussion tasks on john hicks extension of the theodicy, followed by a ranking task. Irenaeus theodicy allows for the humanity to recognise the value of a relationship with god. As such, it defends the probability of an omnipotent and omnibenevolent allpowerful and perfectly loving god in the face of evidence of evil in the world. In the augustinian sensethat evil is the absence of goodwe can accept that god is not a. Theology critical thinking essay on the irenaean theodicy. Does the irenaean theodicy solve the problem of evil.
Irenaean theodicy fabien michael pering systematic theology 1 december 6, 2017 i learned a lot about the trajectory of life towards death and destruction as an emergency medical technician. Irenaeus argued that human creation comprised two parts. Read the following extract and note down your responses to the 2 questions at the end. I stand there next to a 45foot waterfall and examine the drop and myself, while im at it. Hicks basic principle is that we live in a soul making universe. Iranaean theodicy hick irenaean theodicy unit 3 meaning of life irenaeus of lyon125202 john hick19222012 contextsee video biography english. This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on the irenaean theodicy. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. Can a world in which sadistic cruelty often has its way, in which selfish lovelessness is so rife, in which there are debilitating diseases, crippling accidents, bodily and mental decay, insanity, and all manner of natural disasters be regarded as the expression of infinite creative goodness. So weve discussed augustines solution, but it is clear that despite his view fitting in with classical theology, his theodicy is fundamentally flawed due to its scientific and logical errors such as the the claim that we are seminally present in. The problem of evil raises questions as to whether there is a god as he is supposed to be omnibenevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient. The irenaean theodicy irenaean theodicy pdf irenaean theodicy is soul making. Theodicy, in its most common form, attempts to answer the question why a good god permits the manifestation of evil. The only issue would be in assuming that god allowed the fall because he wanted human beings to ascend to moral perfection.
The irenaean theodicy also edges out the process theodicy. Major work adversus omnes haereses detailed attack on gnosticism. The irenaean theodicy, in any of its forms, suggests that god inflicts suffering for his own ends, which is immoral. Numerous variations of theodicy have been proposed which all maintain that, while evil exists, god is either not responsible for creating evil, or he. I saw a lot of people who were hurting due to illness or accidents inflicted either by themselves or others. A comparison of augustinian theodicy and irenaean theodicy.
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