A Review of Edwards’ Recent Publication on the Historical Problem of Evil

In 2023, Mark Edwards published a masterful study on the problem of evil in the ancient world, examining perspectives from Homer to Dionysius the Areopagite. This work is nuanced, insightful and thought-provoking.

I recently wrote a book review for the peer-reviewed journal The Evangelical Review of Theology and Politics to cover this book, discussing its strengths and potential short-comings. I highly recommend you to go check out the book review here:

Here is a short abstract for this book review:

In The Problem of Evil in the Ancient World, Mark Edwards applies his expertise in Platonism and patristics to examine the development of the problem of evil in the ancient world from both Christian and non-Christian perspectives. This examination helps Edwards demonstrate the value of studying ‘dead philosophers’ and the differences between the problem of evil in the ancient world and in modern scholarship. While modern scholars focus on the compatibility of God and evil, the ancient problem was concerned with the nature of evil, God, and humans with specific emphasis on providence. Due to this difference, Edwards analyses the themes of evil, the supernatural, and providence instead of presenting ancient views within the framework of the logical or evidential problems of evil and modern theodicies.