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Reflections on the characters of Dr Rieux and Fr Paneloux in Camus’ The Plague in a consideration of human suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic

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dc.contributor.author Bentley, Wessel
dc.date.accessioned 2020-11-06T16:10:24Z
dc.date.available 2020-11-06T16:10:24Z
dc.date.issued 2020
dc.identifier.citation Bentley, W., 2020, ‘Reflections on the characters of Dr Rieux and Fr Paneloux in Camus’ The Plague in a consideration of human suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic’, HTS Teologiese Studies/ Theological Studies 76(4), a6087. https://doi. org/10.4102/hts.v76i4.6087 en
dc.identifier.issn 2072-8050
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10500/26813
dc.description.abstract During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, one is drawn to engage with texts that deal with the topic of human suffering. Two texts will be considered in this article. The first is the novel The Plague by Albert Camus, and the second is the Bible. Two characters in Camus’ work will be discussed as representatives of different theological and scriptural responses to the issue of widespread human suffering. Following a literary analysis research methodology, this article argues that Christian responses to the COVID-19 pandemic are not dissimilar to the perspectives held by Dr Rieux and Fr Paneloux. Theodicy is engaged with either a perspective that questions the Divine in the light of the suffering of the innocent or a perspective that subjects itself to a state of surrender to ‘the God who knows best’. The article then offers a third perspective, one held by Camus himself, suggesting that the question of theodicy could be reimagined from the notion of the absurdity of life. en
dc.format.extent 1 online resource (7 pages)
dc.language.iso en en
dc.subject Theodicy en
dc.subject COVID-19 en
dc.subject Camus en
dc.subject Peste fr
dc.subject Plague en
dc.subject.ddc 231.8
dc.subject.lcsh Camus, Albert, 1913-1960. Peste en
dc.subject.lcsh COVID-19 (Disease) -- South Africa -- Religious aspects -- Christianity en
dc.subject.lcsh Suffering -- Religious aspects -- Christianity en
dc.title Reflections on the characters of Dr Rieux and Fr Paneloux in Camus’ The Plague in a consideration of human suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic en
dc.type Article en
dc.description.department Research Institute for Theology and Religion en


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