No, because the reprobate creature damns himself while still mysteriously serving God's purpose of promoting the good of all of Creation. Additionally, the reprobate creature always remains good in his essence. Even the devil's essence, i.e., what he is, is good, as is his existence considered in and of itself. So it seems just that God would not annihilate the devil (destroying His own good creation), but rather allow him to exist for eternity apart from God, which was the devil's choice. This solution upholds the goodness of God's creative act and also God's justice.
Theosis, after all, is our created purpose, is it not? If we fail to attain theosis, does this say anything about God? Of course not. And if we are condemned, is it God who condemns us,
We condemn ourselves. I agree.
whether that condemnation is an eternity of death or torment in hell or simply spiritual annihilation? Of course not.
I think that there is a great and important distinction between eternal torment in hell and annihilation, for the reasons mentioned above.
You say that everything created by God is good. Clearly. But God is not the author of sin nor of the consequences of sin; we are. As +John Chrysostoms teaches, "God created without matter.", ex nihilo. So it is of course beyond argument that all "Life" is from God. +John Damascene teaches in Book 1 Chap VIII of the Exact Exposition:
Thereafter at Book 1, Chap XIV, he writes:
"...For it could destroy the universe but it does not will so to do."
This is the relevant point. God does not owe us existence. God is sufficient unto Himself and did not need to create anything. But Good is diffusive, and God freely chose to create the universe.
So it seems to me that annihilation of creatures who God created in the image of God would represent a reversal, or contradiction, of His will, which is impossible.
I couldn't find anything in the Summa regarding the impossibility of the annihilation of the damned, but the idea seems to be reinforced by Scripture.
"Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!"I think the situation is analogous to merit. We don't merit our heavenly reward per se. God honors His own promise to us to reward our good works in Heaven. But our good works are nothing more than God working through us. While the just can be sure of a heavenly reward, it is not because of some claim of justice over and against God. So it is with the notion of the annihilation of the damned. God honors His own will.
So, AF, if we cut ourselves off from the source of being, what happens to our being?
We do not possess being or existence by nature. Our existence is a participation in God's existence or being. Nevertheless, by the fact that the damned exist and retain their human nature, they must participate in God's being in some very attenuated way (in the sense of a First Cause).
" I couldn't find anything in the Summa regarding the impossibility of the annihilation of the damned, but the idea seems to be reinforced by Scripture.
"Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!" "
Maybe annihilation is the wrong word. It implies an outside action or actor. Perhaps it is better to say that the soul simply ceases to exist at the end of time when everything else created passes away. Suppose for a moment that the soul is not, by nature, immortal and that its only chance for immortality is to be united with the only "naturally immortal" One, God. If we in the exercise of free will determine to reject God's grace (I previously used the words "cut off")then we will not become like God. Without theosis, we cannot be "with" God after physical death. Wouldn't this mean the death of the soul also? +Athanasius the Great taught that without the soul, the body is nothing and without the body, the soul can do nothing. It would follow that theosis must be obtained in some fashion and at least to some extent while here in this life since there is nothing the soul itself can do after the body dies to repent or advance in theosis.