Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present the main strands of John Hick’s response to the problem of evil. I start by contrasting the rudiments of traditional theodicy with the essential ideas of St. Irenaeus, who was John Hick’s principal source of inspiration. Then I compare some of the components of Hick’s theodicy, epistemological distance, soul-making process and universal salvation, with the thought of non-analytical philosophers such as Franz Rosenzweig, Józef Tischner, and Viktor E. Frankl. I also analyse the main objections to an Irenaean type of theodicy formulated on the ground of contemporary analytical philosophy of religion. Finally, I claim Hick’s view to be one of the most interesting approaches to the problem of horrendous evil in the history of theodicy.