The question we always seem to return to is, "what is virtue?" Is it something good or something bad? In Chapter 5 of Book 2, there is a theme of justice and goodness. In the beginning, he gives us two definitions the people have come up with. For goodness Origen writes the people "...think that no good is done to him who is visited with any sorrow" and for justice it is "... to do evil to the evil and good to the good" (125). In the passage that contains this quote, Origen is debating and arguing whether God can be good and just. He seems to come to the conclusion that virtues are good. And so, if virtues are good and God has virtues, how can God not be both good and just? God cannot be one without the other. Because God is good, he has to be just. Because God is just, he has to be good. These two virtues go hand in hand with each other.
I commented on Abigail's and Daniel's!
I commented on Abigail's and Daniel's!
This passage definitely reminded me of the constant debate over virtue as well. The need to define virtue seems to reoccur as one considers important questions about God and life in general.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see how virtue is questioned over and over again throughout different works of literature, but still there is not a clear definition. I agree completely with the fact that the two virtues are interchangeable.
ReplyDeleteMany people will look at the Bible from an outside view and question things they do not understand. Without the Holy Spirit and faith, its hard to comprehend the awesome nature of our God, and how He works all things for good. How he is good, just, steadfast in his love and faithfulness, and more amazing than we could ever comprehend.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Origen makes a pretty solid argument in a way that I had never really thought to argue it. I feel like good can still exist without justice being present because there are other forms of good.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that these qualities go hand in hand and more than that, one of these qualities cannot be one without the other. I also think this is why humans struggle to be either good or just. We can do things that fall under one of these categories but struggle to do both simultaneously which takes away from whichever we are doing at the time.
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