“In this universe, even what is called evil, when it is rightly ordered and kept in its place, commends the good more eminently, since good things yield greater pleasure and praise when compared to the bad things. For the Omnipotent God, whom even the heathen acknowledge as the Supreme Power over all, would not allow any evil in his works, unless in his omnipotence and goodness, as the Supreme Good, he is able to bring forth good out of evil. What, after all, is anything we call evil except the privation of good? In animal bodies, for instance, sickness and wounds are nothing but the privation of health. When a cure is effected, the evils which were present (i.e., the sickness and the wounds) do not retreat and go elsewhere. Rather, they simply do not exist any more. For such evil is not a substance; the wound or the disease is a defect of the bodily substance which, as a substance, is good. Evil, then, is an accident, i.e., a privation of that good which is called health. Thus, whatever defects there are in a soul are privations of a natural good. When a cure takes place, they are not transferred elsewhere but, since they are no longer present in the state of health, they no longer exist at all.”
Quote by Augustine of Hippo
Work
The Augustine Catechism: The Enchiridon on Faith, Hope, and Love
Browse quotes and source details for this work. more
Author
You May Also Like
“Be simpler—and you’ll find the world coming closer to you.”
Source: A Rage Like Thunder
Source: Messy and Shattered
“[Religion is] a fantasy [and is] completely empty of any explanatory content. It is also evil.”
“Speak of evil, and you summon it.”
Source: The Shadow Cats
Source: Castaway