Theology of Suffering

This paper presents the issue of suffering as a universal problem that humanity has been iwrestling with in the antiquity as well as the now. Man in trying to respond to the difficulties posed by suffering has led to the development of various theologies of suffering.The paper examines different schools of thought that relates to suffering, this includes: Greek and Hellenistic view, the medieval views, the African Traditional views, Islamic views, the secularist views and the Biblical Christianity. The study observes that some of the schools of thought do exclude God in regard to the issue of suffering. In particular, we see the Greek and Hellenistic theology on suffering and the secular approaches to suffering tend not to involve God in issues that relate to suffering. The African traditional views places suffering wholly on human agents and spirits and less of God, while Islamic worldview takes an extreme position in treating the issue of suffering squarely to Allah and to a lesser extent ,man. In Biblical Christianity we encounter of a God suffering in the person of Christ as Jesus Christ grieved over the misery of others. We see God getting involved in the affliction of man.