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A Treatise on the Anger of God Addressed to Donatus

Lactantius

Chapter 3

About this work

A philosophical and theological argument that divine anger is compatible with divine goodness because providence, moral law, reward, and punishment require God’s active concern for human conduct.

Author: Lactantius
Date: Early 4th century
Origin: North Africa or Nicomedia
Genre: Theological Treatise

Chap. III.—Of the Good and Evil Things in Human Affairs, and of Their Author.

First, no one ever said this

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respecting

God

,

that

He

is

only

subject

to

anger

,

and

is

not

influenced

by

kindness

.

For

it

is

unsuitable

to

God

,

that

He

should

be

endowed

with

a

power

of

this

kind

,

by

which

He

may

injure

and

do

harm

,

but

be

unable

to

profit

and

to

do

good

.

What

means

,

therefore

,

what

hope

of

safety

,

is

proposed

to

men

,

if

God

is

the

author

of

evils

only

?

For

if

this

is

so

,

that

venerable

majesty

will

now

be

drawn

out

,

not

to

the

power

of

the

judge

,

to

whom

it

is

permitted

to

preserve

and

set

at

liberty

,

but

to

the

office

of

the

torturer

and

executioner

.

But

whereas

we

see

that

there

are

not

only

evils

in

human

affairs

,

but

also

goods

,

it

is

plain

that

if

God

is

the

author

of

evils

,

there

must

be

another

who

does

things

contrary

to

God

,

and

gives

to

us

good

things

.

If

there

is

such

a

one

,

by

what

name

must

he

be

called

?

Why

is

he

who

injures

us

more

known

to

us

than

He

who

benefits

us

?

But

if

this

can

be

nothing

besides

God

,

it

is

absurd

and

vain

to

suppose

that

the

divine

power

,

than

which

nothing

is

greater

or

better

,

is

able

to

injure

,

but

unable

to

benefit

;

and

accordingly

no

one

has

ever

existed

who

ventured

to

assert

this

,

because

it

is

neither

reasonable

nor

in

any

way

credible

.

And

because

this

is

agreed

upon

,

let

us

pass

on

and

seek

after

the

truth

elsewhere

.