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For most Americans “the best-known story of creation is that reported in the biblical book of Genesis” (Powell). While most have heard of the Greek Gods, such as Zeus and Aphrodite, most do not know of the creation story behind them. Hesiod’s Theogony is the Greek account of the creation of the universe. When Genesis and Theogony are examined closely, there appear to be certain parallels between the two. For instance, in both, the earth is created from nothing, and is created by an immortal and powerful God or God’s. Significant differences also exist between these creation myths, which greatly outweigh their similarities. It is the role the deity or deities have in the creation of earth and their relationship with the humans they create that sets these two texts apart from each other. In order to fully understand that role however, one must first understand the culture from which each creation myth emerged.
Genesis and Theogony came from very different cultures. The book of Genesis is the Hebrew account of creation, and constitutes the first book of the Pentateuch of the Bible. This creation account is not only the most well known by Westerners, but also the most accepted, predomin
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Throughout the Hebrew account of creation, God is portrayed as “sovereign and all-powerful.
Hesiod’s Theogony is a Godly creation by very human focuses: sex, struggle, battle and revenge. If was from this “primeval stuff” that these three aspects formed that the earth emerged: Chaos – a gaping nothingness, Gaea – “Mother of all things “ and “the foundation of all that is”, and Eros-“the principle of sexual attraction” who ensured “future generation and change” (Powell). There are succeeding generations of Gods in Theogony, who continually replace each other as they overpower or outsmart one another.
Hesiod, Theogony (116-125)
According to Hesiod, Gaea and Eros did not come from Chaos but were instead separate entities created neither from Chaos nor from each other. ” There is no creation struggle in Genesis; God does not overcome any opposing forces during the earth’s creation. Like the creation story in Theogony, in Genesis the earth is also formed from nothing. Hesiod does not define what Chaos is exactly, but it is believed to be “ a being of some kind that was not always there,” or “an opening from which other primordial beings arose.
While the book of Genesis has been accepted by many religions, its authenticity and historical value is still hotly debated among biblical and historical scholars.
The God Prometheus, Maker and Protector of Mortals who is said to have “fashioned human beings from mud and water or from mud combined with wind” created the mortals in Theogony. From the moment of their creation, the Gods and mortals had a turbulent relationship. Others will argue that it is a piece of divine revelation.
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