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Zusatztext This volume offers a well-written and clear tracing of Origen's treatment of the problem of evil...[it] rewards the attentive reader far beyond expectation Informationen zum Autor Mark S. M. Scott is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Thorneloe University. Klappentext Journey Back to God explores Origen of Alexandria's creative, complex, and controversial treatment of the problem of evil. It argues that his layered cosmology functions as a theodicy that deciphers deeper meaning beneath cosmic disparity. Origen asks: why does God create a world where some suffer more than others? On the surface, the unfair arrangement of the world defies theological coherence. In order to defend divine justice against the charge of cosmic mismanagement, Origen develops a theological cosmology that explains the ontological status and origin of evil as well as its cosmic implications. Origen's theodicy hinges on the journey of the soul back to God. Its themes correlate with the soul's creation, fall and descent into materiality, gradual purification, and eventual divinization. The world, for Origen, functions as a school and hospital for the soul where it undergoes the necessary education and purgation. Origen carefully calibrates his cosmology and theology. He portrays God as a compassionate and judicious teacher, physician, and father who employs suffering for our amelioration. Zusammenfassung Journey Back to God explores Origen of Alexandria's creative, complex, and controversial treatment of the problem of evil. It argues that his layered cosmology functions as a theodicy that explains unjust suffering and shows how that theodicy hinges on the journey of the soul back to God. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Theodicy as Navigation: Toward a Theoretical Paradigm Chapter 2: Framing Questions: God and Evil in Paradox Chapter 3: Paradise Lost: Pre-existence, the Fall, and the Origin of Evil Chapter 4: The Physician of Souls: Suffering as Remedial Punishment Chapter 5: Theology of Ascent: The Journey of the Soul to Perfection Chapter 6: Journey's End: The Triumph of Good and Universal Salvation Conclusion Bibliography ...
