THEODICY (from Gk. (k6s, thcos, god + ohm, dike, justice). The exposition of the theory of divine providence, and particularly the defense of the goodness and wisdom of God against ob jections drawn from the existence of pain and sin in the world. The problem is as old as human thinking; the name is modern and dates from the close of the seventeenth century. The first to consider the question in its entire scope was Leibnitz (q.v.) in his Essays de theodieee (1710). In England a long list of publications has ap peared. principally in reply to the sensational school beginning with Hume and closing with S. Mill, who could scarcely maintain the exist ence of God, and saved His benevolence only at the expense of His omnipotence. In America, where Jonathan Edwards made contributions to the dis cussion in his famous Preedom of the Will (1754), and was followed by Bellamy, Wisdom of God in the Permission of Sin (1758) ; Hopkins, Sin Through the Divine Interposition an Advan tage to the Universe (1759) ; and many others.
down to N. W. Taylor, whose contribution to the subject may be condensed in the hypothesis that in the best moral system a benevolent God might not be able to prevent sin consistently with the maintenance of the system and the attainment of the highest results therefrom. He thus gave a place to the human will which no theologian of orthodox descent had previously given. Since the appearance of Hegel, the Christian idea of God has met with new objections, and theodicy has been enlarged to consider these, especially by Maret and Gratry in France. The appearance of pessimism in Germany has given a new turn to the argument, since it is no longer possible to assume as undisputed the principle of Leibnitz. that God has chosen the best possible world. And with the appearance of evolution and the Spen cerian agnosticism, the argument has turned to the more fundamental matters; so that theodicy has almost disappeared as a distinct department of theology.