the augustine theodicy

The Augustinian theodicy is a type of Christian theodicy designed to respond to the evidential problem of evil. As such, it attempts to explain the probability of an omnipotent and omnibenevolent (or all-powerful and perfectly loving) God amid evidence of evil in the world. A number of variations of this kind of theodicy have been proposed throughout history, but their similarities were first described by John Hick, who classified them as Augustinian. They typically assert that God is perfectly good, that he created the world out of nothing, and that evil is the result of the original sin of humans. The entry of evil into the world is generally explained as punishment for sin, its continued occurrence owing to the evil use of free will by humans. The Augustinian theodicy maintains that God is perfectly good and not responsible for evil or suffering.
Augustine of Hippo was the first to develop the theodicy. He rejected the idea that evil exists in itself, instead regarding it as a corruption of goodness, caused by humanity's abuse of free will. Augustine believed in the existence of a physical Hell as a punishment for sin, but argued that those who choose to accept the salvation of Jesus Christ will go to Heaven. Thomas Aquinas, influenced by Augustine, proposed a similar theodicy based on the view that God is goodness and that there can be no evil in him. He believed that the existence of goodness allows evil to exist, through the fault of humans. Augustine also influenced John Calvin, who supported Augustine's view that evil is the result of free will and argued that sin corrupts humans, requiring God's grace to give moral guidance.
The theodicy was criticised by Augustine's contemporary, Fortunatus, a Manichaean who contended that God must still be implicated in evil, and eighteenth-century theologian Francesco Antonio Zaccaria criticised Augustine's concept of evil for not dealing with human suffering. Twentieth-century philosopher John Hick presented an