how did Augustine address the fact that the Greeks and their philosophy did not have the problem of evil?

<< Whereas the Greeks conceived it their chief task to give an account of man's relation to nature, the Christians considered that what alone matters is man's relation to a transcendent, infinite, absolutely perfect being. This changed the whole preoccupation of philosophy. For the Greeks, natural science and the social sciences were significant both in their own right and as instruments of the good life; for the Christians, they were irrelevant and even dangerous. For the Greeks, morality was essentially a social ethics and its aim was happiness. For the Christians, morality was a department of religious practice. Conduct was judged not by the end it achieves but by the degree of its conformity to God's commands, and since the perfection of the Deity gave the Christian an absolutely exalted ideal to aim at, the Christian alwasy felt a sense of failure. No matter how good he was, he was not as good as he ought to be. (70)

The Greeks lived in a universe that was basically one, and they believed themselves to be, as it were, in step with it. That is, their world was a cosmos of which they were a part. The central problem for them was to understand this world, which, just because it was a cosmos, they held to be in essence understandable. By contrast, the Christians lived in a universe in which something was profoundly amiss. On the one hand there was a transcendent creator god; on the other, a corrupt and erratic world. The central problem for them, therefore, was not scientific but practical: how to get back into step, how to return to the creator from whom men have wandered. (70) >>

http://www.drury.edu/ess/History/Medieval/Augustine.html

To understand how Augustine addressed the problem of evil in relation to the Greeks and their philosophy, we must delve into his writings and philosophical standpoint. Augustine, also known as Saint Augustine, was a Christian theologian and philosopher of the 4th and 5th centuries. He is credited with developing the concept of original sin and making significant contributions to the understanding of evil in Christian thought.

1. Begin by reading Augustine's "Confessions." This autobiographical work reflects his personal journey in search of truth and understanding. It provides insights into his philosophical development and beliefs.

2. Familiarize yourself with Greek philosophy, particularly the works of Plato and the Stoics. The Greeks had varying views on the nature of evil, but overall, they did not emphasize it to the same extent as Augustine did. For instance, Plato discussed the concept of a perfect, transcendent world of Forms, where evil was seen as a result of the imperfect material world.

3. Explore Augustine's interpretation of Christian theology. His understanding of the problem of evil was heavily influenced by his religious beliefs. Augustine argued that evil stemmed from the misuse of human free will, ultimately tracing it back to the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

4. Analyze Augustine's concept of original sin. He believed that every human being inherits this original sin from Adam and Eve, resulting in a flawed human nature inclined towards sin and evil. This idea distinguishes Augustine's perspective from that of the Greeks, who did not have a similar concept.

5. Consider Augustine's view of divine providence. He believed that God, as an omnipotent and omniscient being, permits evil to exist for a greater purpose. According to his theological framework, evil acts as a means to recognize and appreciate the goodness and grace of God.

6. Examine Augustine's theodicy, which seeks to justify the existence of evil in a world created and governed by a benevolent God. His theodicy emphasizes that the problem of evil should be approached from a larger perspective, considering the grand design of God's plan for humanity's salvation.

In addressing the Greeks and their philosophy, Augustine would likely argue that while they may not have framed and confronted the problem of evil in the same way as Christianity, their ideas did not fully account for the depth and complexity of evil or its ultimate resolution through the redemptive work of Christ.