Comments on: Fr Ernesto on the Theodicy Meme http://raphael.doxos.com/2008/06/15/fr-ernesto-on-theodicy/ We are Flesh-and-Spirit on a journey to Integral Unity with God. Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:51:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Fr. Ernesto http://raphael.doxos.com/2008/06/15/fr-ernesto-on-theodicy/#comment-4674 Fr. Ernesto Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:01:41 +0000 http://raphael.doxos.com/?p=2745#comment-4674 The way I worded it was a rather "Western" way to word it. A good number of Orthodox would say that even the phrase "God is Love," is simply an expression of how we experience His energies. In fact, all descriptions of God, such as Justice, King, Shepherd, etc., are shorthand ways of speaking of how He works with us. But, the totality of His being is unknowable to us. We experience a type of "overload" when we delve into the divine nature. The words used in Scripture are true, but point to the unknowable. Having said that, I feel a kinship with the "Western" scholastic description of God as "simple," meaning what I commented above. In the "Western" description, all the "God is. . ." statements in Scripture are of equal value, none is pre-eminent. I feel a bit of frustration with myself in that I love philosophy, yet nowhere feel its limitations---and mine---as much as when I try to address hypothetical questions regarding God. The way I worded it was a rather “Western” way to word it. A good number of Orthodox would say that even the phrase “God is Love,” is simply an expression of how we experience His energies. In fact, all descriptions of God, such as Justice, King, Shepherd, etc., are shorthand ways of speaking of how He works with us.

But, the totality of His being is unknowable to us. We experience a type of “overload” when we delve into the divine nature. The words used in Scripture are true, but point to the unknowable.

Having said that, I feel a kinship with the “Western” scholastic description of God as “simple,” meaning what I commented above. In the “Western” description, all the “God is. . .” statements in Scripture are of equal value, none is pre-eminent.

I feel a bit of frustration with myself in that I love philosophy, yet nowhere feel its limitations—and mine—as much as when I try to address hypothetical questions regarding God.

]]> By: Huw http://raphael.doxos.com/2008/06/15/fr-ernesto-on-theodicy/#comment-4651 Huw Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:56:00 +0000 http://raphael.doxos.com/?p=2745#comment-4651 "He is Love / Justice / Wrath / Healing / Judge / Lord / King / Master / Shepherd / Friend as one unseparated integrated nature." I don't see - in our tradition (scripture, fathers, etc) - a comparing of "God is Love" with any of these other things. I do see these other things, of course, but his nature is love that tempers all these others, yes? “He is Love / Justice / Wrath / Healing / Judge / Lord / King / Master / Shepherd / Friend as one unseparated integrated nature.”

I don’t see - in our tradition (scripture, fathers, etc) - a comparing of “God is Love” with any of these other things. I do see these other things, of course, but his nature is love that tempers all these others, yes?

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