Explain Augustine’s theodicy

A theodicy is a philosophical or theological study which attempts to satisfy the problem of the existence of evil and suffering alongside that of an omniscient, omnipotent and omnibenevolent God. The Christian approach to the problem of evil has largely been based on two Theodicies, the Irenaean and the Augustine. Both use the defence of free-will as their basic answer to the question, but they differ substantially in their response. Augustine of Hippo (354-430AD) based his theodicy on key Biblical passages, such as Genesis 3 and Romans 5. Genesis 3 is the story of Adam and Eve and their ‘Fall’ in Garden of Eden. This is the story of the serpent convincing the woman to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. Eve eats the fruit and also passes some to Adam. Because of this disobedience, God has them evicted from the garden and from thenceforth humans are labelled with ‘original sin’. In Romans 5, Paul describes belief that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross removed this label of ‘original sin’, and that in his self-sacrifice Jesus has made available the ability to become truly good and righteous. For many years the traditional Christian church has used the Augustinian theodicy as a main part of their teaching, in particularly using it for its Doctrine of Original Sin.

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Augustine begins his theodicy with the concept that God is perfect. The world he has created is one that reflects perfection. He then also continues to say that in this perfect world, for it to be perfect, humans were born with free will and this was harmonious. After sin and death entered the world through not only Adam and Eve’s disobedience but also the fall of the Archangel Lucifer, disharmony was brought about in both humanity and the Creation. Subsequently, Aquinas believes that the whole of humanity experiences this disharmony because we are descended from Adam’s ‘loins’. Augustine claimed that: ...

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