Comparison of the Greek Religion in the Iliad to Christianity
Throughout the Iliad of Homer there can be seen many features of the Greek religion. The
features of religion that appear throughout this epic poem are those that existed during the time of
Homer. By taking a better look at theses main features it can be seen that they are similar to those
of Christianity today. Some of the existing main features of both are the following: the belief in
gods or God, prayer, sacrifice, and funeral rites. However, despite these similarities, each feature
is observed differently by the two religions.
The Greeks in the Iliad believe in many gods. Each god has a specific “power” or “gift” that is
known by people. Zeus is the supreme god in their religion and is also the King of Olympus (16.
233). He is known as the god of clouds and the sky. Other gods include Aphrodite the goddess of
love, Athena the goddess of wisdom, and Apollo the god of prophecy, light, poetry and music.
However, these are just a few of the gods seen in the Iliad. These gods are seen as
anthropomorphic, taking on human characteristics and behavior. This can be seen when Zeus
weeps tears of blood for his own son Sarpedon (16.459-61). He weeps because he wishes to save
his son from his destiny of death. Hera, sister and wife of Zeus, makes it clear that if he toys with
fate this will cause much disturbance among the gods. Also like humans, gods play favorites and
get involved with human events (23. 773-74). The Greek gods in the Iliad are also the parents to
mortals. As was just shown Zeus’ son Sparpedon is in fact a mortal who is destine to die. Other
examples of this are Thetis, mother to Achilles (18. 94-5) and Aphrodite, mother to Aene...
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...or the dead and those
left behind. The dead are then usually buried, but sometimes cremated (burned) as shown in the
Greek religion. Although Christians do not hold funeral games in honor of the dead, services are
usually later held in honor and memory of the dead. They are usually held forty days after dead,
when Christian believe the dead have risen to heaven.
By looking at the gods and God, prayer, sacrifice, and funeral rites in both the Greek religion
of the Iliad and of Christianity there can be seen the comparison of these features. Both religions,
in some way share the four features described above. However, both religion practices each
feature in somewhat different ways. By comparing the two, the unique way each religion practices
each feature are seen above. Though it is seen how different they really are, they are in some
ways the same.
In ancient times, the Greeks had absolute and undeniable respect for their gods. They demonstrated their admiration by putting in place many rituals and celebrations to reverence the gods that they loved and feared in order to ensure harmony with them. In particular, the focus will be on the religious beliefs of the Greeks, including prayer and sacrifice, as well as on festivals and the arts, such as the ancient Olympic games and theatre. These aspects of their culture made a significant contribution to their quality of life. Moreover, these topics will be examined in relation to the twelve Olympian gods and their associates.
Thus muses Achilles, one of epic poetry's greatest heroes. Epic poetry, one of the earliest forms of literature, began as an oral narration describing a series of mythical or historic events. Eventually, these stories were written down and read aloud to an audience. Although the Epic of Gilgamesh was composed approximately fifteen hundred years prior to the Iliad, the heroes of both epics possess strikingly similar characteristics. Indeed, Gilgamesh and Achilles, as epic heroes, exemplify godlike qualities, great personal power, and fierce pride and loyalty.
The relationship between gods and mortals in mythology has long been a complicated topic. The gods can be generous and supportive, and also devastating and destructive to any group of humans. Mortals must respect the powers above them that cannot be controlled. The gods rule over destiny, nature, and justice, and need to be recognized and worshipped for the powerful beings as they are. Regardless of one's actions, intentions, and thoughts, the gods in Greek myth have ultimate power and the final decision of justice over nature, mortals, and even each other.
When most people consider the Iliad and Odyssey, religion does not come to mind but; In fact, without bronze age religion these stories would not exist as we know them. The validity of homers exists as a person, group of people or fictional character. Would these stories carry the same positive morals as they would without a religious influence. If not would they be as important to Greek culture as today.
Homer clearly and precisely depicts the religion and the ethics of the Achian and Trojan societies in The Iliad. During the time of the Trojan war, religion played an important role in the societies. Sacrifice, prayer, and rituals were all equally significant, and the superiority of the gods and the fates above humans was a standard of society. The gods were sacred deities to whom one had to bestow honor and respect. Within the society, honor, glory, and fame were desperately sought by warriors striving to achieve enduring notoriety. One's word represented a considerable commitment to be acted upon. Religion and ethics are prominently displayed in the characters throughout The Iliad due to their importance in Greek and Trojan society.
Judaism and Christianity are two of the most commonly known religions in the world. The latter is practiced by more than 2.2 billion people—by far the largest practiced faith. The former is practiced by a far smaller population—about 14 million. Despite the significant difference in the amount of people belonging to either religion, they share a history, and compare in far more ways than people realize. However, Judaism and Christianity are also far more different than people realize, as well.
Greek mythology deals significantly with culture and its factors, as they describe the societies and the people inhabiting it by depicting their everyday life and the state of their land. Both Hephaestus, in Homer’s Iliad, and Odysseus, in Homer’s The Odyssey, set out to portray the cultures that they saw, yet the cultures and societies varied greatly, from Hephaestus illustrating the highly developed societies of the Greek and their culture; while on the other hand, Odysseus seems baffled by how underdeveloped the Cyclopes land and culture is. Hephaestus and Odysseus seem to have the same understanding what is normal of a culture, society, and their factors; however, there are noteworthy variations between their accounts.
There are many gods that play a role in the Aeneid. The main ones are Jupiter, king of all deities, Juno the divine antagonist of Aeneas’ destiny and Venus, his mother and his main protector. There are also the lesser gods such as Neptune, Aeolus, and Mercury, who serve as instruments for the main gods to meddle in the events of the story.
Throughout Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, gods are presented as remarkably human in almost every way. While it is assumed that gods are divine entities incapable of human transgression, they are portrayed with all the flaws of mortals in The Iliad. The gods are a manifestation of human emotions consequently helping to explain the behavior of the humans in The Iliad. The actions of the heroes are what determine their fate, not divine intervention. Ultimately, the humans in The Iliad have inherent characteristics that provide the driving force behind their actions: the gods simply act in concert with them, allowing the human beings to exercise free will of
The Iliad is a classic epic poem written by Homer about the Trojan War and the rage of an Achaean warrior, Achilles. The book introduces the reader to the war and the personal battle between Achilles and King Agamemnon; because of this argument between these two major characters, Homer introduces the role of the gods when Achilles asks his mother, Thetis, to go to Zeus and beg for his interference on Achilles’ behalf. The major role the gods play in the Iliad is their interference in the Trojan War as immortal versus immortal and mortal versus immortal.
with rage and a lust for blood. He was known to switch sides during war, just so he could shed
To begin with, the ancient Greeks explained the creation of the universe, in particular the Earth and its elements, by a system of anthropomorphism in which their gods are human-like and are representatives of these elements. For example, Zeus is the god of heaven while Hades is the underworld lord (Hesiod, p.145). Unlike the Christians’ god who is “flawless”, the ancient Greeks’ divinities are portrayed as humans and are far from perfect. Their gods behave like ordinary people except they are immortal and have supernatural powers. Like any human being, the Greeks’ gods have love, jealousy, sadness, etc. For instance, in Euripides’ Bacchae, Zeus falls in love with Semele, which makes Hera becomes jealous and tries to kill Semele and Dionysus (Euripides, p.209). The Greeks even have a physically imperfect god, Hephaestus. This is to say that the gods’ attitude toward mortals is affected by how people treat them as the Greeks’ gods have emotions like humans.
One of the most compelling topics The Iliad raises is that of the intricate affiliations between fate, man and the gods. Many events related by Homer in his epic poem exhibit how these three connections interweave and eventually determine the very lives of the men and women involved in the war. Homer leaves these complex relationships slightly unclear throughout the epic, never spelling out the exact bonds connecting men's fate to the gods and what can be considered the power of fate. The motivation for the ambiguousness present in The Iliad is not easily understood, but it is a question that enriches and helps weave an even greater significance of the results into Homer's masterpiece. I feel that the interaction between man, god, and fate can be shown to be one great fluidity that ultimately leaves life mysterious, giving much more depth and complexity to the bonds between the three.
Zeus is the god of law, justice, morals, thunder, lightning, and rain. It was his job to oversee and make sure laws were being kept. He was worshipped originally as a weather god. He was depicted as a middle-aged man with a youthful appearance; he was regale and was almost always shown ready to throw a lightning bolt (pantheon/zeus).