Irenaean type theodicies

Question 1

How is Irenaeus’ theodicy different from Augustine?

Answer 1

He presents God to be responsible for the possibility of the existence of evil

Question 2

How is God being responsible for evil deliberate?

Answer 2

He wanted human beings to develop qualities that make us spiritually perfect

Question 3

What part of the Bible is crucial for Irenaean type theodicies?

Answer 3

The first part of genesis

Question 4

What quote from Genesis is crucial for Irenaean type theodicies?

Answer 4

‘Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness.”’

Question 5

What did Irenaeus believe humans were created with?

Answer 5

Partial maturity but the potential to develop and grow into the image and likeness of God

Question 6

What is an example of this partial maturity?

Answer 6

Adam and Eve being expelled from Eden, not because they were perfect and then sinned, but because they were immature

Question 7

What did theologian John Hick make an analogical distinction between?

Answer 7

Image, possessing the potential qualities of God’s spiritual perfection, and likeness, actualising these qualities

Question 8

For Hick what is an inevitable part of maturity?

Answer 8

The fall as it becomes ‘the most valuable potentialities of human personality

Question 9

What are examples of second-order goods?

Answer 9

Courage and compassion

Question 10

What happens if we develop second-order goods?

Answer 10

Human beings could mature from ‘image’ into ‘likeness’; this created order provides an opportunity for development

Question 11

What does this development become?

Answer 11

‘A vale of soul-making’

Question 12

Through what is the process of soul making justified?

Answer 12

Through salvation

Question 13

How is soul making justified through salvation?

Answer 13

By resurrection to the afterlife human beings become fully realised in terms of both image and likeness

Question 14

What is essential for maturity?

Answer 14

Free will and the ability to choose to do good

Question 15

What does true freedom for human beings require?

Answer 15

An epistemic distance from God

Question 16

What is an epistemic distance from God?

Answer 16

Human beings are unaware of the knowledge of God

Question 17

What happens as a result of an epistemic distance from God?

Answer 17

We make spiritual and moral decisions through faith accepting God through faith

Question 18

Why is an epistemic distance essential?

Answer 18

It ensures that free choice is more valuable and that any sense of being watched avoids any choices being compromised

Question 19

What does God’s mercy allow?

Answer 19

For all those people who reject God or have no opportunity to perfect this growth and development to take up or continue this process in the afterlife

Question 20

What is the challenge of logical consistency of eschatological justification? (Irenaeous)

Answer 20

If everyone will be saved eventually then why behave morally now and do we have free will when even if we initially refuse salvation

Question 21

What is a challenge for Irenaous’ theodicy about suffering as an instrument?

Answer 21

The idea that suffering as an instrument of a loving God is more akin to the abuse of a tyrant exercising power or control in a cruel, unreasonable and arbitrary way

Question 22

What is the challenge of the length of Irenaeus’ theodicy?

Answer 22

The overall process is lengthy and painful therefore there must be a better way to achieve spiritual and moral development

Question 23

What arguments were presented by Rowe and Paul?

Answer 23

The evidential arguments

Question 24

What do the evidential arguments question?

Answer 24

Evil as a tool for learning as in reality the amount of misery caused is unnecessary

Question 25

What is the challenge of Irenaeus’ use of the term ‘soul-making’

Answer 25

The theodicy appears to be more ‘soul breaking’ than ‘soul-making’

Question 26

“Human goodness slowly built up through personal histories of moral efforts…

Answer 26

…has a value in the eyes of the creator’ Hick

Question 27

“But the man was a little one, and his discretion still undeveloped…

Answer 27

…wherefore also he was easily misled by the deceiver” Irenaeus