Znaczenie cierpienia w antropologii biblijnej na tle kultur Bliskiego Wschodu
The Significance of Suffering in Biblical Anthropology – Based on Cultures of the Middle East

Res sacra miser – a Suffering Man is Sacrosanct

Summary/Abstract: The basis for the biblical answer to the question of why man suffers is found in the ancient civilizations. In the civilization of Egypt, suffering was associ- ated with the violation of the principles of Maat. In Mesopotamia there existed two sources of suffering, one was the wrong decisions of human beings, and the other was the work of demons. In the Greek civilization, in mythology, the source of suffering may be the rebellion of man. In philosophy, one tries to rationalize suffering and lead a person to such a state where he would experience as little of it in life as possible. Inspired authors know suffering, which is recorded in the nature of the living world, and man, through the gift of reason, should prudently avoid it. Most often, however, these authors see the source of suffering in sin. In the history of theology, there has also appeared the question about the possibility of the suffering of God. Under the influence of the Greek philosophical ideas of controlling passions and accepting the attitude of apatheia, the possibility of God experiencing suffering was rejected. God was pushed into the sphere that is only driven by love to a limited degree, and yet God is love. It went unnoticed that there are two ambivalent sources of suffering, one is born of evil, and the other is the highest bond of love. Those who love are most fully united in suffering, therefore, God was open to this narrative when His Son suffered and is also open when man suffers.

• Details
• Contents