The inconsistent triad refers to the three propositions that cannot all be true at the same time: the existence of evil, the existence of an all-powerful and all-loving God.
What is a theodicy?
A theodicy is a philosophical or theological attempt to explain why a benevolent and all-powerful God allows evil and suffering in the world.
What was Iranaeus' Theodicy?
Soul-making. It said that God created evil and we have to strive to be good like God. Suffering is a test for humans and we are in an immature moral state.
What was St Augustine's theodicy?
Soul-deciding. It said that the concept of evil was brought into the cosmos by Satan. Creation is fundamentally good. Evil doesn't exist but is a privation of good and the fall has created a fractured world and we are born with original sin.
The Augustinian theodicy also said that humans were given freewill but were made perfect.
The Augustinian theodicy allows for God to exist as omnibenevolent because he is not directly responsible for creating evil, because evil does not exist (just the privation of good).
