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Why are there sinners?

Augustine's response to Mackie

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Notes

  1. J.L. Mackie, ‘Evil and Omnipotence’,Mind, April 1955.

  2. J.L. Mackie,Ibid., p. 209.

  3. John Hick, ‘The Problem of Evil’,The Encyclopedia of Philosophy (The Macmillan & The Free Press, New York), Vol III, pp. 137–8.

  4. David Hume,Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (ed. Henry D. Aiken, Hafner Publishing Co., New York, 1966, p. 66).

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  5. Augustine,De Civitate Dei XI. 23 (trans., Marcus Dods, p. 366).

  6. Augustine,De Libero Arbitrio I. 1. 1 (trans. Robert P. Russell,The Free Choice of the Will in The Fathers of the Church, Series Vol. 59, The Catholic University of America Press, 1968, p. 72).

  7. Augustine,Ibid. II, 19. 50 (trans. Russell, p. 159).

  8. Ibid. II, 18. 50 (trans. Russell, p. 159).

  9. See Augustine,Retractationes I, 9. 6; PL 32, 598.

  10. Antony Flew, ‘Divine Omnipotence and Human Freedom’,New Essays in Philosophical Theology 1955. pp. 149–53. cf. Hick,Evil and the God of Love (Harper & Row Publ., New York, 1966) pp. 303–4.

  11. A Flew,Ibid., p. 152.

  12. See Alvin Plantinga, ‘The Free Will Defence’ in B.A. Brody, ed.,Reading in the Philosophy of Religion (Prentice-Hall, 1974), pp. 186–200.

  13. J. Hick,Philosophy of Religion (Prentice-Hall, 1983), p. 42.

  14. See Augustine,Enchiridion de Fide, Spe et Caritate 104, 105.

  15. Augustine,De Libero Arbitrio II.1.3 (trans. Russell, p. 109).

  16. Augustine,De Diversis Questionibus II. 13 (trans. J.H.S. Burleigh,Augustine: Earlier Writings, The Westminster Press, p. 395).

  17. Romans 5:18 (The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Oxford University Press, N.T., p. 214). See also Augustine,Enchiridion de Fide, Spe et Caritate XXVIII.

  18. Augustine,De Correptione et Gratia Q.33 (XII) PL., P.956 ‘Prima ergo libertas voluntatis erat, posse non peccare; novissima erit multo major, non posse peccare’ (trans. Peter Homes and Robert E. Wallis). It ought to be said that in this sentence Augustine is seeking to contrast the first liberty with the last and for rhetorical effect he compares ‘able not to sin’ with ‘not being able to sin’. In fact, elsewhere (see note 14), he describes the first liberty of the will not only as being able not to sin but also as being able to sin. So this quotation should not be taken to mean that Augustine denied the potentiality to sin as an aspect of Adam's free will. He clearly believed that it was.

  19. Romans 5:18 (The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Oxford University Press, N.T., pp. 214–5).

  20. Augustine,De Libero Arbitrio III.3.7 (trans. Russell, p. 172).

  21. Augustine,Ibid. III.3.8 (trans. Russell, p. 173).

  22. Augustine,De Duabus Animabus Contra Manichaeous X.14 (trans. Newman,On Two Souls, against the Manichaeans inA Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Vol. IV, Eerdmans Publ. Co., 1956, p. 103).

  23. Gospel of John 3:16 (The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Oxford University Press, N.T., p. 128).

  24. Book of John 3:17–18. (The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Oxford University Press, N.T., p. 128).

  25. Augustine,De Continentia 6; PL 40, 359 ‘Non autem potestas Deo defuit, talem facere hominem qui peccare non posset’.

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  1. Philosophy Centre, Oxford University, UK

    Sung-Keun You

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You, SK. Why are there sinners?. Int J Philos Relig 37, 1–12 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01314000

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