Quote:
|
we cannot hold him responsible for it,
|
Well, not for the existence of the moral category of evil, I believe that predated his creation; good and evil existed prior to him - he just made increasingly evil choices and dedicated his immense power (he _was_ second to Eru only) to the perpetuation of evil. He had free will, he exercised it, just like the other ainur; you can't have free will, morally speaking, without being able to chose between good and bad - therefore these must exist prior to the choice itself.
Quote:
|
Some<img class="inlineimg" title="roll eyes (sarcastic)" alt="" style="display: none;" border="0">where (there you have it ), I think, is written, that evil in Eä is defined as a revolt against the will of Eru.
|
Melkor is called several times the rebel, as equivalent, or near the term, diabolus. Even if I can't pinpoint a specific quote, I think it is common sense that those who obey divine laws are good and those that don't are evil. In letter #183, Tolkien states that "a judge must assign right and wrong according to principles which he holds valid in all cases", in refference to Eru; furthermore, in Myths Transformed, it is said that "every finite creature must have some weakness: that is some inadequacy to deal with some situations.
It is not sinful when not willed, and when the creature does his best (even if it is not what should be done) as he sees it - with the conscious intent of serving Eru." So I agree with your point.
Quote:
|
How can this work if evil was in the will of Eru?
|
Well, the most often reply is that you can't have good without evil; again, in Myths Transformed it is said that the gift of the imperishable flame to Varda from Eru is not without peril:
Quote:
|
Nonetheless this gift of Iluvatar to the Valar has its own peril, as have all his free gifts: which is in the end no more than to say that they play a part in the Great Tale so that it may be complete; for without peril they would be without power, and the giving would be void.
|
Catholic Christianity also has an interesting concept: felix culpa, the happy sin, the fortunate fall - the happy sin that has gained humankind a wonderful saviour: "O felix culpa quae talem et tantum meruit habere redemptorem / O blessed sin which which received as its reward so great and so good a redeemer". According to the Atrabeth, Eru himself will enter creation and heal it.