Old Testament Vs. Hellenic Divine Intervention
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Old Testament vs. Hellenic Divine Intervention
The Old Testament and Hellenic texts we have studied have numerous examples of divine intervention. The range and complexity in human affairs that these interventions occur have similar, yet different attributes. Both texts describe divine intervention as a way of explaining "why things happen(ed) and being "chosen" by God or gods to fulfill a destiny. Both also see divine intervention as something that can not be understood by humans; God or the gods have their reasons why people are "chosen" and why certain gifts, events, and catastrophes happen and we will never understand the reasoning. Differences in the texts stem from the reasons they are the same; why certain people are chosen, why events happen, etc.
The range and complexity in human affairs of divine intervention as described in the Hellenic texts and the Old Testament are similar because of the interference in human affairs, yet they are different because of why certain people are chosen to fulfill a destiny. For instance, in the Old Testament, God chooses Noah and his family to be the only survivors after the flood that wipes out the earth. His destiny was to build the ark and take a pair of every living creature to help repopulate the earth after everything is wiped out. This is similar to Oedipus at Colonus, in the Hellenic texts, because the gods choose
Oedipus to save the city of Colonus from his own sons. They differ because God, in the Old Testament, chooses rather blindly. He does not choose people for any reason except that is who He wanted. If He does choose, it is based on goodness or loyalty to Him. The gods of Hellenic texts, like in Oedipus at Colonus, the gods choose Oedipus because of his wisdom and his family line. The Hellenic texts choose based on prestige, family, and honor. Another example of this is the story "Joseph" in the Old Testament. Joseph was chosen to be a powerful ruler in Egypt for no reason whatsoever, just because God wanted him to be. In
The Illiad, this would never happen, Achilles is chosen to defeat Hector because of his prestige, honor, and family line. Achilles is not chosen because Zeus just wanted him to. Not just anybody could have killed Hector, it had to be someone famous.
In the Old Testament, divine intervention, especially in "Genesis," plays a very important part. For example, in "The Creation of the Universe,"
God wills everything into being. "God said, ‘Let there be light,'" (Genesis
1:5) "Then God said, ‘Let the earth produce growing things,'" (Genesis 1:11)
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the texts stem from the reasons they are the same; why certain people are chosen.
- Explains that oedipus saved colonus from his own sons. they differ because god.
- Explains that god wanted him to be a ruler in egypt for no reason.
- Opines that nobody could have killed hector, it had to be someone who wanted him to.
- Opines that they will get their food from it only by labor all the days of their life.
- Opines that gods' fondness or dislike for mortals may only happen because of a god's affection for them.
- Analyzes how hellenic gods choose to play a 'game' to him.
- Explains that god chooses based on nothing, and if he does, it is on loyalty.
- Analyzes how noah and his family were chosen to be the only survivors after the flood that wipes out the earth. his destiny was to build the ark and take a pair of every living
- Explains that the gods of hellenic texts, like in oedipus at colonus, are based on goodness or loyalty to him.
- Opines that oedipus the king was about to raise you to your feet- till now they were bent.
Related
- comparative
- explanatory
- analytical
- Flood in Epic of Gilgamish and Book of Genesis of the Holy Biblecomparative essayThe story of the great flood is probably the most popular story that has survived for thousands of years and is still being retold today. It is most commonly related within the context of Judeo-Christian tradition. In the Holy Bible, the book of Genesis uses the flood as a symbol of God's wrath as well as His hope that the human race can maintain peace and achieve everlasting salvation. The tale of Noah's Ark begins with God's expression of dismay as to the degenerate state of the human race at the time. People were behaving wickedly and sinfully and God decided that a genetic cleansing was necessary. He spared only Noah and his family, along with two of every type of animal; one male and one female. The other most popular flood story is found in the Epic of Gilgamish. In this text, the gods have decided to destroy everything on earth by creating a great flood. The only survivor is a man named Utnapishtim, spared because he is the god Ea's favorite human.
In this essay, the author
- Compares the story of noah's ark and the epic of gilgamish, where the gods destroy everything on earth by creating a great flood.
- Compares and contrasts the babylonian text and the biblical story of noah's ark. the genesis story describes how mankind had become corrupt and how the earth was filled with violence.
- Explains that the gods knew of one righteous man, utnapishtim or noah, and ordered the hero's to build a multi-story wooden ark.
- Explains that noah received his instructions directly from god, whereas utnapishtim received them indirectly through a dream.
- Explains that the floods in the babylonian epic of gilgamish and noah's ark are extremely similar, but the majority of the facts appear almost indistinguishable.
- Explains the babylonian story of the deluge and the epic of gilgamesh.
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In this essay, the author
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- Explains that the greek religion was comprised of many gods and goddesses noticeable in various cultures and civilizations.
- Explains that the olympics were influenced by a greek myth that zeus fought against his titan father and chronus in the battle for the throne of the gods.
- Explains how the ancient greek minoan civilixation affected a culture. the greek religion of the minoans on the island of crete led them to have strange practices, such as worshipping the fertility goddess and the minotaur.
- Explains the impact of the ancient greek religion on the architecture of athens and the parthenon.
- Explains that athens was home to some of the greatest religiously architectural feats, but also contained many ancient scholars and philosophers that impacted greece in extraordianry ways.
- Explains that aristotle said that a politician's most important job is to write the constitution or system of rules for the society. the three great philiosophers influenced greek views on politcal authority and government.
- Analyzes how the greek religion was a mix match of religious beliefs from each and every city state, making there not be an actual set of beliefs as described by many writers and poets.
- Explains how the greek gods and goddesses shaped culture, tradition, lifestyles, behavior, and decisions that people made in their daily lives.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that to be a good parent, punishment is something that must be done.
- Explains that in genesis, the first book of the bible, god is given human motivation, characteristics, and behaviors of a father.
- Analyzes how god creates the world in the garden of eden, where adam and eve disobey god's rule of not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. cain murders his brother abel and god marks him as a murderer.
- Explains how god protects and provides for everyone and everything that he has created. god provides adam and eve with everything they need while they are in the garden of eden.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how early literature deals with the struggle of being merely human in the face of the gods. the stories of odysseus and oedipus both contain explorations of this though in different ways.
- Analyzes how the story of oedipus, written by sophocles, varies from the literature written before it by having very little dependence or interaction with the gods.
- Analyzes how odysseus' story is different from oedipus. the gods are ever-present and interact directly with humans, though usually disguised as a human themselves.
- Analyzes how humans suffer from the politics and disagreements of the gods in the story of odysseus.
- Explains that fear of the gods has enforced moral rules of society, reinforcing the belief that human responsibility contributes to a fate chosen by god.
- Opines that the gods ultimately have the final decision on the destinies of man. oedipus and odysseus both suffer despite their attempts to live honorably.
967 wordsRead More - Fate And Fate In Oedipus The King By Sophoclesanalytical essayThis research essay will be about the myth Oedipus the King. Even Oedipus can possibly change his fate, but he still leads himself to the destruction due to his arrogant and stubbornness. There are so many things Oedipus can possibly do differently to avoid fulfilling the prophecy of the oracle. The story of Oedipus can apply to our everyday lives in many ways. Life is a long chess game and our opponent is the ruthless fate. Some of us think twice, maybe even three times more before we make our moves. Some of us make the moves without taking a look.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that oedipus can change his fate, but he still leads himself to the destruction due to his arrogance and stubbornness. the story can apply to our lives in many ways.
- Analyzes how oedipus undertakes the consultation in secret, a detail that suggests that he is less sure that the outcome will be favorable, even as the audience knows that his legitimacy is certain.
- Analyzes how laius tries to escape the fate of being killed by oedipus, so he plans on having him killed.
- Opines that ethics is a matter of knowing how to bear oneself in the face of something one can do nothing about. if laius and jocasta decided to conduct themselves as good parents rather than committing violence, then they can avoid the tragedy that brings upon them and their son, oedipus.
- Opines that oedipus is to blame because he should have conducted a thorough investigation after receiving the prophecy.
- Analyzes how oedipus' response to the confusion makes conspicuous both his autonomy and the boldness of his approach—in interpretive and physical terms. sphinx is in charge of the riddles.
- Analyzes how oedipus' defeat of the sphinx symbolizes the triumph of west over east embodying the rise of civilization.
- Analyzes how oedipus bears the punishment that an inscrutable but necessary fate has decreed for him, constitutes him as the archetypal tragic hero.
- Opines that teiresias, the unfailingly true prophet, has foretold oedipus’ exile on cithaeron, where he will bewail his fate.
- Analyzes how oedipus begs his uncle/brother in law to cast him out of the city as soon as possible. he thinks he is the one brining all the unfortunates into his city.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how oedipus' fate is the perfect example of a tragic hero as he searches for the truth behind the murder of king laius.
- Analyzes how oedipus' determination to catch king laius’ murderer led to his demise. he became arrogant after deciphering the sphinx's riddle.
- Analyzes how the catharsis in the play was when oedipus finally had proof that he was king laius' murderer.
- Analyzes how oedipus' hubris after deciphering the sphinx's riddle started in the play and didn't disappear until after he gouged out his own eyes.
- Analyzes how oedipus ran into trouble when he told jocasta to seek the sheppard that had survived the attack on laius in order to extract information from him.
- Analyzes how oedipus was a puppet. everything he did after speaking to tiresias was not under his control.
- Analyzes how oedipus displayed all the characteristics of a tragic hero while starring in the classic tragedy. all of his actions were done with the intentions to help his city get rid of the plague.
- Analyzes how oedipus, the tragic hero, did all he could to save his city and in the end was exiled in a world where religion trumps all.
896 wordsRead More - The Afterlife has Fascinated Religion Since the Down of Timeanalytical essayand have a God dedicated to this very belief. Despite the Greeks having many powerful Gods,
In this essay, the author
- Explains evans, cheryl, anne millard, and rodney matthews, greek myths and legends. tulsa, ok: edc pub., 1985.
- Analyzes how wikianswers. answers persuaded hades to let his lover go.
- Explains that the greeks have a strong belief in the afterlife, and the god of the underworld is the most feared. hades repels others with his dark features before they understand his story.
- Explains that hades has many distinct features that tend to scare or threaten anyone who may look at him, but he is misunderstood.
- Analyzes how hades is depicted with dark beard and hair, sad, gloomy features, dark eyes, pale skin, with a scepter in hand and throne of ebony.
- Explains that hades is a kind of devil or demon due to humans eventual fear of dying and the dark emotions they feel when death affects their lives.
- Explains that hades isn't the one to fear, but people are afraid of the concept of death, and his power to control your pain after death is intimidating.
- Explains that although hades normally carries the mean tough guy nature, he did not choose to be sent to the underworld. his brothers got the better lot, so they chose the oceans and the skies.
- Analyzes how the greeks explained the seasons of hades, and how he was the villain. they did not take into account how lonely hades was.
- Explains that most people who worship hades do it out of fear, or to prevent themselves or a loved ones death.
- Opines that hades has struggles inside of his domain. many people sneak into the underworld to try and bring loved ones back from the dead.
- Analyzes how hercules beat charon to get across, then fights hades to take his prized three-headed dog to the overworld. many people have snuck into the realm to escape or get a loved one out.
- Opines that being an immortal god of the underworld isn't exactly what one might think it is. hades is left with many responsibilities and hatred for no reason.
- Opines that hades, the god of the underworld, is misunderstood by humans and gods. he is a god with luck against him and judges his subjects fairly.
1230 wordsRead More - Sacrifice In Oedipus The Kinganalytical essayHaving favor from the gods plays an important role in the lives of the heroes. In Oedipus the King, King Phoebus, also known as the God Apollo, has cursed Cadmus for killing his snake. The prophecy cast upon Cadmus’ descendants state that “The descendants of Cadmus lived under a curse prophesied to each generation… If Laius, the king of Thebes, had a son by Jocasta, his queen, that son would kill his father and marry his mother” (“Background: Oedipus the King” 430). The background itself foreshadows a tragic ending for Oedipus. King Laius and Queen Jocasta are horrified and try to alter their fate by ridding their cursed son. Unbeknownst to them, this sets the prophecy in motion. Oedipus’ generational curse plays a major role in his downfall because he is detested by Apollo.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how oedipus' generational curse plays a major role in his downfall because he is detested by apollo.
- Compares odysseus' relationships with the gods and athena, his guardian-goddess, throughout the epic.
460 wordsRead More - Oedipus Rex and Gilgameshanalytical essay'No two men are alike in the way they act, the way they think, or the way they look. However, every man has a little something from the other. Although Oedipus and Gilgamesh are entirely different people, they are still very similar. Each one, in their own way, is exceptionally brave, heroically tragic, and both encompass diverse strengths and weaknesses. One is strictly a victim of fate and the other is entirely responsible for his own plight.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that oedipus and gilgamesh are different people, but they are very similar. both are brave, heroically tragic, and both encompass diverse strengths and weaknesses.
- Opines that gilgamesh was braver than oedipus. he risked his life a number of times when he was in the company of his friend enkidu.
- Compares oedipus' tragic ending to gilgamesh's loss of a friend to the afterlife. he chose to remove his eyesight because he felt undeserving of death.
- Explains that oedipus demonstrated great strengths while he lived in thebes. he was a caring man who helped his people find out who was polluting the earth.
- Analyzes how king oedipus had his weaknesses when teiresias came to thebes to save him from the agony of what he was asked to tell him.
- Analyzes how gilgamesh, like oedipus, had many strong points amid his lifetime of heroic battles and dangerous journeys. he loved his friend enkidu and would go to the underworld for him.
- Explains that gilgamesh's main weakness was that he did not heed the gods warnings to him. he was told to discard his clean garments and sandals before going to the underworld.
- Narrates how gilgamesh left for the underworld dressed in his royal tunic and golden sandals, with his spear on his back and his staff in hand. he was completely responsible for his plight, and joined enkidu.
- Explains that each man, gilgamesh and oedipus, had their own attributes and weaknesses that brought about their downfall.
1027 wordsRead More - Oedipus The King: Role Of Godsanalytical essay“Gods can be evil sometimes.” In the play “Oedipus the King”, Sophocles defamed the gods’ reputation, and lowered their status by making them look harmful and evil. It is known that all gods should be perfect and infallible, and should represent justice and equity, but with Oedipus, the gods decided to destroy him and his family for no reason. It might be hard to believe that gods can have humanistic traits, but in fact they do. The gods, especially Apollo, are considered evil by the reader because they destroyed an innocent man’s life and his family. They destroyed Oedipus by controlling his fate, granting people the power of prophecy, telling Oedipus about his fate through the oracle of Apollo, and finally afflicting the people of Thebes with a dreadful plague. Fundamentally, by utilizing fate, prophecies, the oracle of Apollo, and the plague, the gods played a significant role in the destruction of Oedipus and his family.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how sophocles defamed the gods' reputation, and lowered their status by making them look harmful and evil. they destroyed oedipus by utilizing fate, prophecies, the oracle of apollo,
- Analyzes how oedipus blames apollo for his two shameful crimes that caused his sufferings, while he admits that the gods had nothing to do with his blindness.
- Explains that the gods granted prophecy to oracles to destroy oedipus, who killed laius and jocasta because he didn't know his real parents.
- Opines that oedipus has drawn the evil worse than the worst that a man can suffer—he's drawn it for his lot.
- Explains that the gods wouldn't have made the prophecies come true without the help of the oracle.
- Analyzes how apollo's oracle told oedipus about the two prophecies, and he walked to meet his fate in thebes.
- Analyzes how the gods continued destroying oedipus by sending a dangerous plague that ruined the city. they afflicted thebes with this plague to destroy him and punish him for murdering laius.
- Concludes that the gods, apollo in particular, played a major role in the overall circumstances of oedipus.
1054 wordsRead More