Eric
Nguyen
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
Scripture states:
Exodus 4:21: And the Lord said to Moses, "When
you go back to Egypt, see that you do before
Pharaoh all the miracles which I have put
in your power; but I will harden his heart,
so that he will not let the people go.
Exodus 7:3, 14: but I will harden Pharaoh's
heart, and though I multiply my signs and
wonders in the land of Egypt. (14) Then
the Lord said to Moses, "Pharaoh's
heart is hardened, he refuses to let the
people go.
Exodus 9:12: But the Lord hardened the
heart of pharaoh, and he did not listen
to them; as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
In the above passages from Exodus, the Lord
has hardened Pharaoh's heart. However,
it would seem that God is not the cause of
the hardness of his heart. Basically, God
is good, and therefore, He would not harden
anyone's heart so that they can commit evil.
St. Augustine says that God does not cause
the human being to become worse.
St. Thomas Aquinas says that God is the
cause of the hardness of the heart.
Both of these people are saints and Doctors
of the Church. Both are highly regarded to
be geniuses in the theology.
Please help,
I'm really curious.
Eric
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{
Why do St. Augustine and St. Thomas disagree on whether God hardens people's hearts? }
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Paul
replied:
Hello Eric,
I admit the passages you speak of
are a bit perplexing; but is it not
possible that both Augustine and
Aquinas are correct?
- Could God not have hardened
pharaoh's heart as a response
to the stubbornness freely chosen
by the Pharaoh?
A more philosophical look at this
could see God is the First Cause
of all things. We, as secondary causes,
freely act as extensions of the First
Cause. So whenever we do anything,
we could say that God is the Ultimate
Cause of it occurring; yet it is
our fault if we choose not to cooperate as a secondary cause with God's will.
There is a mystery here that has
the First Cause and human free will
working simultaneously, creating
what is known as God's
positive will (when we
cooperate with Him) and God's
permissive will (when
we don't).
Regardless, God, in the bigger picture, that
only can His eternal perspective can see, will bring about
a greater good from all of it.
Paul
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