Seeing the many trials that occur both in the world and in the Church, Saint Basil the Great composed a homily addressing a central theological question: “That God Is Not the Cause of Evils” (where “evils” refers to afflictions and human suffering, not to sin). He describes evil as “a subject much debated” (PG 31:33).
Those who are weak in faith, when they encounter suffering and difficulties, begin to raise troubling questions: “Is there truly a God? If He exists, does He see human affairs? Does He care for us? Does He judge justly and render to each according to his deeds?” When trials increase, some reach the tragic conclusion: “There is no God,” echoing Scripture: “The fool says in his heart, there is no God” (Psalm 14:1). Thus unbelief leads to further corruption and to the committing of abominable acts, again according to the words of Scripture: “They are corrupt, and they have committed abominable deeds” (Psalm 14:1).
When a person believes that there is no divine providence or righteous judge, nothing restrains him from wrongdoing: oppressing the poor, harming the orphan, the widow, or the stranger, committing every kind of injustice, and falling into corrupt passions and shameful sins. For Saint Basil the Great, such a person becomes truly foolish, because the denial of God does not lead to freedom but to moral collapse.
Saint Basil the Great identifies two equally mistaken positions. The first is atheism, which denies the existence of God altogether. The second is the distorted belief that God exists but is not good, since He permits suffering. Both positions ultimately deny the truth about God. However, Saint Basil the Great teaches that God, being perfectly good, permits trials not as evils in themselves, but for the benefit and healing of humanity.
He uses a powerful analogy from medicine. Just as a physician may cause pain in order to restore health, so God allows suffering for the healing of the soul. In the time of Saint Basil the Great, surgical procedures were performed without anesthesia, and patients endured intense pain. Yet the patient does not blame the physician, because he understands that the doctor is not the cause of the illness. Rather, the illness itself is the cause of the suffering. In the same way, God is not the cause of evil; evil arises from sin and human corruption, while suffering often functions as therapy for the soul.
Saint Basil the Great summarizes the matter clearly: the only true evil is sin, and the source of sin lies in man himself. Therefore, God is not the cause of evil; rather, evil arises from the misuse of human free will. (His homily is found in PG 31:329–353).
Leave a Reply