In this paper i will explore Dionysius the Areopagite's views on good and evil which come into question as a result of his stance on that the different names given to God are as a result of the things created giving way to the theodicy question.At the beginning of his book,Divine Names, Dionysius expresses how there are so many names given to the Creator because he is transcendent of all things and he is in all things and still remains within himself, therefore we cannot begin to comprehend or understand His nature.
Because God created everything and he is Good, his essence is ultimately good thus according to Dionysius this good is imparted into all created things from those at the highest ranks which would be angels to the lowest:nature, all created things owe their existence to it, "It sends the rays of its undivided goodness to everything with the capacity,such as this may be ,to receive it.These rays are responsible for all intelligible and intelligent beings"(pseudo-dionysius 1987:72)Because our substance is made up of this good, we are naturally and ultimately drawn into seeking more of it.The implication of of this view by Dionysius is that as created creatures our existence and
…show more content…
Many would disagree with this notion of good present in eveil things and more so in the devil mostly because the teachings be it in Church or even school emphasise the greatest evil to be present in the devil who delights in leading people astray from righteousness .However with careful consideration if we were to ask ourselves why this battle between good and evil is of paramount significance and why the devil's ultimate mission is to incite sin the simple answer would bring us back to created good in all things and that free will too which was given to mankind allows one to choose whether to continue in the path of his nature which is good or to stray from it ,"Man is left alone with his 'two strivings' that for good and for evil, and the decision is his alone" (Cooper