Theodicy Provides New Perspectives on God According to 4 Ezra

Abstract

Understanding and explaining the problem of evil and death in this world remains a crucial and difficult theological issue. It is called theodicy which can be defined in a rational (Eichrodt) or a social-religious (Berger) way. The answers lie on a rational-irrational continuum. Selected moments from Old Testament theodicy provide a comparable framework to evaluate 4 Ezra and the occurrence of evil and death as part of the righteous' life on earth according to the New Testament. The answers of God through the angel Uriel on the problem of evil and misfortune of the righteous during the recent age have lead Ezra to come to new insights concerning theodicy, and these insights provide new perspectives on God.