Required reading
Ante-Nicene Fathers (Vol 6) (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read 'Concerning free-will'.
My summary
This week Methodius teaches us about free will.
The tract recounts a discourse between Orthodoxus and Valentinian about the origin of evil.
The debate initially revolves around God's creation and whether he is the creator of the substance of matter or only the qualities of matter.
Then attention focuses on the free will of man as the origin of evil. Thus, God is not the origin of evil, man is: 'For this was the meaning of the gift of Free Will. And man after his creation receives a commandment from God; and from this at once rises evil, for he does not obey the divine command; and this alone is evil, namely, disobedience, which had a beginning.'
What grabbed me
I don't agree with the conclusion that there is some matter that is uncreated:
'Do you say then, that there co-exists with God matter without qualities out of which He formed the beginning of this world?
Valentinian. So I think.
Orthodoxus. If, then, matter had no qualities, and the world were produced by God, and qualities exist in the world, then God is the maker of qualities?
Valentinian. It is so.'
This is not true. The Bible teaches us that God made all things from nothing.
Next week's reading
Read 'From the discourse on the resurrection'.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
No comments:
Post a Comment