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The notion of salvation and the concept of theodicy may not seem to be closely related. The former is predicated on the belief that while human beings are fundamentally flawed, there is hope for redemption. The latter is based upon the same belief that humans are flawed, but that there is little or no hope for salvation. That is because the believers of this doctrine hold that misfortunes and suffering come as the result of flaws inherent in human beings and, consequently, are not caused by a powerful and good God. Yet Weber seems to have believed that the notions of salvation and theodicy are closely connected, and it is likely that he adopted this belief from Ernst Troeltsch. Troeltsch wrote some of the entries on salvation ("Erlösung") and theodicy ("Theodizee") for the first edition of Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, and he linked them together.¹ These are not the only concepts that Weber likely borrowed from Troeltsch and then adapted; scholars have often noted Troeltsch's overall importance for Weber.² Partially, as a result, they are two of the most important concepts in Weber's sociology of religion. While a fair amount has been written about his conception of salvation, his notion of theodicy has been mostly neglected.

DOI: 10.1057/9781137454799_6

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