Abstract:
For centuries, philosophers and theologians debated how to reconcile the existence of an allpowerful,
all-loving, and ever-present God with the problem of evil. However, the question of
why the righteous suffer remains unanswered. Given the omnipresence of God, one wonders
why the sufferers experience what seems like God’s absence in their adversity. This study
presents a theodicy of narrative analytic theology because the experiences of the saints of old
compel us to rethink our approach to the problem of evil from the ‘God’s-eye view’ to the
experiential and existential worries of the sufferer. The study looks at the story of Job and
Daniel and his friends in Babylon. The narrative theodicy approach helps us understand why
the righteous never denounced God in the Old Testament. The New Testament, in line with
the Old Testament, reveals a suffering motif of the saints, which includes participation in the
atoning work of Christ and the purification of the souls of the sufferer. Nevertheless, it seems
some evils are pointless. The sufferers do not see their suffering as a punishment or a weakness
from God but as a distraction and a test to perfect their covenantal relationship with the Triune.
Ultimately, the suffering of the righteous will be overcome at the eschaton.
INTRADISCIPLINARY AND/OR INTERDISCIPLINARY IMPLICATIONS : This article aligns with the scope
of Verbum et Ecclesia. It contributes to the current discussion on the problem of suffering
within the broad discipline of theology, philosophy of religion, and how narrative analytic
theology can enhance our response to the problem of evil.
