“What is Called Evil in the Universe is but the Absence of Good”
The Enchiridion — St. Augustine
And in the universe, even that which is called evil, when it is regulated and put in its own place, only enhances our admiration of the good; for we enjoy and value the good more when we compare it with the evil. For the Almighty God, who, as even the heathen acknowledge, has supreme power over all things, being Himself supremely good, would never permit the existence of anything evil among His works, if He were not so omnipotent and good that He can bring good even out of evil. For what is that which we call evil but the absence of good? In the bodies of animals, disease and wounds mean nothing but the absence of health; for when a cure is effected, that does not mean that the evils which were present -- namely, the diseases and wounds -- go away from the body and dwell elsewhere: they altogether cease to exist; for the wound or disease is not a substance, but a defect in the fleshly substance, -- the flesh itself being a substance, and therefore something good, of which those evils -- that is, privations of the good which we call health -- are accidents. Just in the same way, what are called vices in the soul are nothing but privations of natural good. And when they are cured, they are not transferred elsewhere: when they cease to exist in the healthy soul, they cannot exist anywhere else.
Augustine “The Origin of Evil”
http://www.sophia-project.org/uploads/1/3/9/5/13955288/augustine_evil.pdf
De Civitate Dei (The City of God) Book XIV, xiii
https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/120114.htm
Our first parents fell into open disobedience because already they were secretly corrupted; for the evil act had never been done had not an evil will preceded it. And what is the origin of our evil will but pride? For pride is the beginning of sin. Sirach 10:13
HOLY BIBLE: Sirach 10 (newadvent.org)
Pride’s beginning is man’s revolt from God, when the heart forgets its Maker; and of all sin pride is the root.
The problem with the Augustinian position that evil is the absence of good, is that sorrow are not the absence of joy, and hate is not the absence of love (that is indifference);
vindictive revenge is not the absence of forgiveness, sadistic cruelty is not the absence of kindness, and lying is not the absence of truth;
and (especially) suffering and pain are not the absence of pleasure.
Both Augustine and Aquinas defined evil as an action, not a ‘thing’, that fails to meet God’s standard of goodness. Hate is not an action; but does have great power to motivate/inspire evil actions.
There is a created being who hates us and chose sin and evil before Adam and Eve. Satan and the angels were created with free will, and the “capacity” to choose evil. And God “allowed” that choice. (Where else did that capacity to choose evil come from?)
We can’t understand evil apart from the spiritual reality of Satan, and the war in the heavenlies, on earth, and within each of us.
Ezekiel 28:12-15 (NLT)
(Addressed to the King of Tyre but believed to be a reference to Satan)
You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God.
Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone - all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold.
They were given to you on the day you were created.
I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian.
You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire.
You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you.
https://www.gotquestions.org/King-of-Tyre.html
Before his fall, Satan was indeed a beautiful creature. He was perhaps the most beautiful and powerful of all the angels. The phrase “guardian cherub” possibly indicates that Satan was the angel who “guarded” God’s presence. Pride led to Satan’s fall. Rather than give God the glory for creating him so beautifully, Satan took pride in himself, thinking that he himself was responsible for his exalted status. Satan’s rebellion resulted in God casting Satan from His presence and will, eventually, result in God condemning Satan to the lake of fire for all eternity.
Which comes to the problem of evil in me
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Great Doctrines of the Bible
(Total Depravity) does not mean the absence of something in the soul. No, it is something which is positive, a positive inherent disposition towards sin. This pollution is something active. The Bible says that sin is positive. It is not the absence of goodness; it is the positive presence of evil and of badness.