Does Zeus Exist An Analysis According to the Theogony by Hesiod
Hesiod was one of the oldest known Greek poets, and perhaps theoldest. He lived at Ascra in Boeotia (situated in central Greece) in thelate 8th century BC (West 1999). The earlier of his two surviving poems,the Theogony, provides a systematic genealogy of the gods from thebeginning of the world together with an account of their violent strugglesbefore the present order was established. Even from a contemporaryperspective, the Theogony provides compelling evidence that Zeus, in fact,existed during this ancient period in human history, and continues to existto this day. This paper will provide an analysis of Hesiod's the Theogonyto demonstrate these points, followed by a summary of the research in the Religious views are a highly subjective and personal affair, and theycan manifest themselves in a wide variety of ways and intensities. In thisregard, the Olympian gods were perhaps as just as "real" and "alive" to theancient Greeks as the God of Abraham is to billions of Christians,
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light" Hesiodwrites, "Out of the Chasm came Erebos and dark Night, and from Night inturn came Bright Air and Day, whom she bore in shared intimacy withErebos. Forinstance, just as followers today believe that the God of Abraham has been,and always will be, Hesiod writes, "Celebrate the holy family of immortalswho are for ever, those who were born of Earth and Heaven and of blackNight . In fact, these types of referencesabound in Hesiod's Theogony: "Zeus the father in Olympus," "Zeus theresourceful," and "He is king in heaven: his is the thunder and the smokingbolt, since he defeated his father Kronos by strength. Therefore, theancient Greeks may well have been describing one and the same type ofreligious beliefs or shared consciousness about a past event or events thatassumed the form of the Olympian pantheon. Conclusion Today, people all over the world worship different deities accordingto their personal views of the Almighty. " These similarities are, perhaps, no mere coincidence but are howthe ancient Greeks viewed the same types of spiritual responses from adivine source that is identical to the Universal Spirit worshiped bydifferent religions all over the world. For instance, there are anumber of striking similarities between how the gods are viewed by theancient Greeks and contemporary Westerners that support this view. Andthe earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. " Similarly, in Genesis 1:1-3, the origins of the Universe aredescribed as, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. While most people today wouldlikely scoff at any realistic assertion that the Olympian gods, even Zeus,in fact exists, in Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare observed "What's in aname' That which we call a rose, By any other name would smell as sweet"(Hirsch, Kett & Trefil 2002:126). Clearly, Zeus is in possession of thepower that is required to delegate authority, just as the God of Abrahamhas delegated specific roles, responsibilities and perquisites to hischoirs of angels.
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