Teodicéia: o discurso da sociedade e a resposta escatológica

Abstract

With the title Teodiceia O Discurso da Sociedade e A Resposta Escatológica [Theodicy the Society’s and the Discourse Eschatological Answer], this thesis aims to analyze some aspects of the approach to the theme of Theodicy in the conception of philosophy, theology and the Bible. The main goal is to verify these concepts, if they influence society through their discourses and confront them with the comprehension found in the book of Revelation which also deals with the subject of theodicy. To contextualize the referred study, initially a general panorama of the theme was drawn out, listing the themes, concepts, observations and types of theodicies which have been developed by various researchers, highlighting evil as a human reality. Next, the theological perspective of theodicy is analyzed. Theological schools such as the Patristics and scholasticism are influential in the formation of a comprehension on the part of society with regard to the object of research. This influence is observed from medieval times up to the present. But a philosophical perspective is also presented. The philosophers deal with this theme repeatedly. Usually in a dimension which transits through an atheist orientation, although some theist philosophers also transit in this theme. In this perspective the starting point is Epicure’s paradox. An analysis of what is called the Epicure’s trilemma. Another approach is the biblical one. What is registered in the Bible about theodicy? There are words that refer to the nuances of evil. The Old as well as the New Testament transit in this subject, clarifying for their readers how evil presents itself and how to relate this with the reality of a good and all powerful God as presented by the Bible itself. Finally, the singularities of the book of Revelation and how these demonstrate a discourse on theodicy which is on a collision course with the theodicy discourse which affirms that the good and all powerful God is an impossible reality since evil exists. An exegesis with emphasis on the word all powerful which corroborates the central teaching of Revelation and its respective theodicy discourse.