The Problem Field of Christian Theodicy: A Historical Essay

Abstract

The problem of theodicy and reflections about evil have always disturbed the minds of philosophers and theologians. What has changed from the era of antiquity to our time? It can be said that antiquity, as well as Christian classical tradition, did not attach to the problem of evil the importance the second half of the 20th century bestowed on it. The moral and ontological aspect of evil, although raised questions, but could be safely answered in the spirit of St. Basil the Great: only the evil generated by the freedom of human choice is real; other kinds of evil are not evil in themselves. After the two world wars caused a collapse of hopes for building a new humanistic world, theologians and philosophers started contemplating in Gottfried Leibniz’s manner: do we live in the best possible world? How is it possible to believe in the God preached by Christians and allow the presence of so much suffering, given that the Lord is endowed with omnipotence and absolute goodness? The new secular and largely de-Christianized society cannot arrange an answer in the spirit of the holy fathers, where much rests on mystery. Modern people pose the question more radically: is it possible to rationally comprehend the mystery of evil and understand the Providence of God? To this challenge, thinkers of the 20th and 21st centuries are trying to find an answer which would satisfy not only religious believers, but also non-believers.