The Meaning of Evil

By Charles Journet

The modern age is marked by a singular preoccupation with the problem of evil and its attendant implications for the Gospel message. In The Meaning of Evil, Charles Journet conducts a robust theological study of the Christian tradition and its response to this perennial question.

“Man has places in his poor heart which do not yet exist, and into them enters suffering, that they may have existence.” –Léon Bloy

Carefully and competently restating and elaborating upon the tradition, Journet lays out clearly the problem of evil in its nature and its forms; considers the relation of evil to an omnipotent and loving God; distinguishes natural evils from moral evils; establishes freedom as the condition for both good and evil; and, in closing, reflects upon evil in human history, suffering as “trial,” and the authentically human attitude toward suffering.

Charles Journet (1891–1975) was a Swiss Roman Catholic theologian and cardinal. In 1926, with his close friend Jacques Maritain, Journet founded the influential theological journal Nova et Vetera. His works in English include: The Dark Knowledge of God, The Church of the Word Incarnate, and The Meaning of Grace.

Paperback

Pages: 284