Abstract
Augustine was one of the first theologians to approach the problem of evil from an aesthetic perspective. Even though Augustine is usually known as the champion of freewill theodicy, his anthropological explanation of evil is logically dependent on his aesthetic theodicy. In beauty Augustine finds a fundamental logic of contrastive harmony, which integrates even the wound of human freedom into a poem of the universe. Heaven and hell together highlight God's providential care of the world. After examining Augustine's aesthetic theodicy of harmony, I argue that there can be no eternal hell even in the Augustinian universe. God's beautiful justice will not tolerate the eternal frustration of hell.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.