THE PROBLEM OF EVIL AND JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN DEMONOLOGY

I. THE PHILOSOPHICAL "PROBLEM OF EVIL":
What is the source of evil, if God is good? or: Why does a good God permit evil?
Polytheistic early religions: divine ambiguity (Hinduism)
Monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam
Question becomes "How can a good God permit evil?"

THEODICY: any systematic attempt to answer this question
                    Greek root: theos = god; dix = justice

DUALISM as solution: dual, competing forces for good and evil;
                God no longer single or omnipotent (i.e. not all powerful)
                   effect: limit Good God's power to protect his goodness
                 Zoroastrianism:   (Persia 6th C. BC; founded by prophet Zarathustra)
                                               AHRIMAN = personified evil, demonic force

II. OLD TESTAMENT [OT]:  Judaic solutions to problem of evil
     Early books of O.T.: Yahweh as ambivalent, does good & evil
     Emergence of Satan figure:  Book of Job: Prologue (5th C. BC)

     Demonology: study of nature and powers of demons

III. NEW TESTAMENT [NT]: Early Christian
IDOLATRY:  Greek & Roman pagan religion seen as demon worship
                    Christianity as protective against demonic influence
BAPTISM: baptized Christians immune to power of evil
EXORCISM: NT ritual, drive demons from possessed person
Early Christian Exorcist saint: St. Anthony: 3rd C. Egyptian Christian monk
                                                    Biography by St. Athanasius:  desert hermit battles demons

IV. CLASSICAL GREEK PHILOSOPHY  Greek religion: ambivalent gods -- e.g. Hades/Plouton

                                         Hades (god of underworld) = same as Plouton (god of wealth)

PLATO (5th C. BC): Platonic approach to evil  1. modified dualism: matter vs spirit
2. theory of ideas (idealism): ideas more real than matter
3. negative solution: ("Swiss cheese theory" of evil) ; evil as privation or absence of good
4. Creator limited by pre-existing chaos (not all powerful) 

V. EARLY CHRISTIAN THEORIES OF EVIL 4-5th C. AD
Important terms for Christian thought:  ORTHODOX = "correct doctrine;"
versus   HETERODOX = "different doctrine"   HERESY = wrong doctrine

MANICHEAN HERESY:   dualist position, competing forces for good & evil
condemned as Christian heresy because not monotheistic

ST. AUGUSTINE (354-430 AD):   early Christian bishop and theologian
Confessions -- autobiographical account of his conversion
1) Manichean phase (youthful error)  2) Neo-platonism:  evil as privation of good
3) Christian elements:   God permits evil for his own purposes: to punish sin,
        bring good out of  evil test faith (OT Book of Job: selection lecture page)