Continuity and discontinuity in the interpretations of Genesis 1--3: Moving toward the tragic (Saint Julian of Norwich, Saint Augustine, Paul Ricoeur)

This dissertation looks at three renditions of the origin of evil, all loosely based on the creation accounts of Genesis 1--3, to discern whether evil's emergence can be understood from a tragic rather than juridical perspective. It begins by looking at Augustine's interpretation of the fall and how he blames the creaturely will for the incursion of evil. It finds, however, that Augustine cannot sustain his defense even in his pure-case scenario (the angelic fall) and winds up implicating God for the existence of evil. The dissertation then turns to Julian of Norwich who wrestles with the received tradition but learns from her revelatory encounters with God that God does not blame humanity. Indeed, she is told that evil is inevitable, a function of human creatureliness, and that God desires to reward, not punish, humanity for the creaturely afflictions it suffers. As we move from Augustine's primarily juridical construction to our investigation of Julian, we find the beginnings of a tragic construal of evil which reaches its denouement in the work of Paul Ricoeur. Ricoeur holds God responsible for the inevitability of evil but must turn to the book of Job to prove his case.; Each of these writers turns to alternative texts to demonstrate his or her point concerning God's role in the origin of evil. It is my contention that the tragic notion of evil's inevitability, given the way creation is structured, is discernible in the Genesis text without having to resort to supplemental narratives. This dissertation offers exegetical evidence that evil was, indeed, unavoidable, that Eve's desire for knowledge was legitimate as well as necessary, and that any notion of "original sin" constellates around Eve's failure to accept responsibility for the decision she made. If God is ultimately responsible for evil, as Ricoeur compellingly suggests, then it is possible that the crucifixion represents God's acceptance of the consequences of evil into Godself thereby modeling a mutuality of repentance and responsibility that redeems both God and humanity, frees humanity from the burden of undeserved guilt, and authenticates God's truly compassionate nature.