Ancient texts are utilized as guides and references for the people of today. Some people live by their rules, laws, and stories and truly take them to heart. Many of these texts have been read and interpreted by students, historians, and professors all around the world for many generations. Three specific texts, the Tanakh, Sophocles’ Antigone, and Plato’s Apology, are all examples that have been analyzed and discussed for many years. There are key concepts in each of these works that are still relevant in society today and some that should be left in the past.
The Tanakh provides the groundwork for the Jewish/Hebrew religion from the third century BCE (Trulove, Woelfel, Aauerbach, & Buller, 2007). One centralized theme discussed in the Tanakh is going against a higher power. In Genesis, God told Adam and Eve “‘you shall not eat of [the tree of the knowledge of good and evil] or touch it, lest you die’” (Trulove et al., 2007, p. 40). Adam and Eve chose to consume a piece of fruit from the tree; as a consequence, God banished them from the Garden of Eden (Trulove et al., 2007). As a result of their sin, the world became corrupt and “filled with lawlessness” (Trulove et al., 2007, p. 43). In these instances, the higher power was the people’s God. When they disobeyed him, they suffered the consequences. These consequences were more severe since a divine power was in charge. Similarly, in Exodus, the Pharaoh “set taskmasters over [the Israelites] to oppress them into forced labor” (Trulove et al., 2007, p. 58). The Pharaoh established rules and punishments for the taskmasters to bestow on the Israelites. In this situation, the higher power was the ruler of the land. The Israelites not only had to follow the laws set forth by the Pha...
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...the sky and below the earth” instead of the god that the state permitted people to worship. People in every country, not just the United States, should be free to worship however they choose. Fortunately, in the United States, our Constitution prevents the government from controlling our religious freedoms.
In summary, even though ancient texts are looked to as reference, they should not always be taken literally. Some concepts, including gender roles, government-appointed religions, and covenants with God, need to or have already been done away with. On the other hand, the determination to do what is morally and legally proper must continue to be an integral part of modern society. People should examine these ancient works, analyze how different civilizations dealt with success as well as conflict, and try to incorporate the lessons learned in their own lives.
185-196. Dillon, Mathew, and Garland, Lynda. Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates. Routledge International Thompson Publishing Company, 1994, pp. 179-215 Lefkowitz, Mary.
Literature has always been an immensely helpful resource when discerning cultural values in societies past and present. Through the study of noteworthy historic fictional and factual, texts we are able to distinguish parallel characteristics present through many different cultures and time periods. These distinguishing characteristics are one of the main things that help us to determine when and how a society, or world culture as a whole changes as time moves forward. When similarities are identified throughout many cultures in the same time period academics are able attach general titles to that specific time expanse. The “Heroic Age” is an example of a labeled span of time that generally maintains societal sameness throughout the period. The epic texts of Beowulf and The Odyssey are examples of culture revealing novels created during the heroic age. The texts help to prove the idea that societies maintain a basic status quo for many years because there is a 1500 year separation in the creation of the books. Despite this time difference in authorship, similar cultural ideals can be recognized throughout each novel. Both Greek and Germanic cultures emphasized the power and importance of receiving and giving gifts as a means of displaying and achieving power. Beowulf and The Odyssey share the general theme of giving, and when comparing the two, it is easy to conclude that giving and receiving is an integral part of both the Germanic and Grecian cultures of that time.
With time comes change, change in the human experience. That fact applies no differently to literature, specifically reflected through reading ancient prose with a modern lens. A relevant example is the relationship between a father and son in Homer’s Odyssey. Through characterization on the surface, this significant relationship appears quite distinct in contrast to such relationships today. However, these quite humane and sentimental relationships are no different than those experienced today—those of a father and son.
When you think of ancient Greece, what do you think of? Do you think of outrageous myths and impossible art? Do you think ancient Greek culture has absolutely no effect on today? What many people don't realize is that the ancient Greeks have immensely affected the world today. The chorus in Sophocles' play, Antigone greatly relates to Daniel McGinn's article, "Guilt Free TV." Antigone is a girl who wants to obey the gods and give her deceased brother a proper burial even though her uncle, Creon, King of Thebes, forbids it by law. The article and the play may seem very different but the media today is very similar to the chorus of the ancient Greek play, Antigone in many ways by informing, interpreting and making connections to today.
There is much debate over the historical accuracy of the Hebrew Bible and The Epic of Gilgamesh. Some claim that to understand a work of literature requires extensive knowledge of the background of this work. The contrary position is that a work of literature can be interpreted solely on it’s content. The meaning of the term classical literature is that it can be applied during any period of time, it is eternal. Yet the conditions surrounding the author might still be of interest to the reader, and of importance to the work. As with many cases, the truth is somewhere in between the two extremes. Both sides have valid arguments about the importance of historicity.
The Epic of Gilgamesh, although written in the area between the West and East, is a more Western text rather than an Eastern text. Gilgamesh, in its ancientness can be seen as the catalyst for the majority of Western ideologies and texts. The text in its approach to aging, finding the truth and the pursuit of immortalizing oneself are in parallel with how Western beliefs conduct themselves and by extension show how Western motivation for their text could be constructed. In this manner, Gilgamesh is the oldest surviving Western text to pave the paradigm of Western texts rather than Eastern texts.
Modern culture relates much of its development to the ancient Greek societies; still, the two eras do differ individually. Throughout the text, the idea of honor reigns as the
Many students all across America stand and salute to the flag every morning and repeat these words, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, To the republic for which it stands, one nation, Under God, Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” There are controversy behind these words of historical allegiance, and that is why many people are refusing to stand for the pledge. This nation was founded upon freedom and liberties, and with those liberties comes with the freedom to choose your religion. The words “Under God”
Brooke Allen laments that the most important document in the American history does not mention a deity, which is quite appalling. According to Brooke, if God is considered the foundation of the American nation, then you would not know this fact by reading the U.S. constitution. According to the author, God only gets two brief mentions in the constitution. In the first instance, he gets a brief nod in the reference to the “Laws of Nature and Nature’s God” in the declaration of independence. The other mention of his name is in the famous line that says that men are “endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.”
Around the time where Greece was known to be the greatest civilization on earth, many people used myths and stories as an extension of their belief because they were culturally significant and important. Ancient Greece was a male-dominated civilization that created laws which would benefit only those with power, which let to the suffering of those without power. The relationship of the sexes was very important, because it showed how men were more superior and woman were frowned upon because they were treated more like minorities. Aeschylus’ “Agamemnon” is about a Greek king who would do anything, including sacrificing his daughter, because he feels as a man and a king whatever decisions he makes are always just. Sophocles’ “Antigone” is about a girl who goes against the religious values of the society, and get persecuted because state laws restrict her
However, this does make a solid perception that God has chosen Moses as his divine leader and to follow him. The ten commandments were also guidelines in the religious system to create a fair and moral society and gave people structure. Some consequences were similar like the eye for an eye
Scholars have shifted from the notion that the Bible differs from other ancient Near Eastern literature, cultures, and religions. If this were so, the Bible would be considered a myth. In this chapter Oswalt gives descriptions to what a myth is and gives insight into whether it is acceptable to label the Bible as a myth. Since the 1960s, scholars have been stating that the attributes of the Bible and its contemporary belief system have more in common to a myth even though the data used to make these claims have remained the same.
Ancient world literature and early civilization stories are mostly centered on human’s relationship with higher beings. Ancient civilizations were extremely religious, holding the belief that their very lives were in the hands of their almighty god or goddess. This holds true for both the people of biblical times as well as those of the epic era. However, their stories have some differences according to cultural variation but the main structure, ideas, and themes are generally found correlative. It is hard to believe that one work did not affect the others. The first great heroic epic poem of Gilgamesh and the Old Testament are parts of two cultures that are hundreds of years apart. Whereas Gilgamesh is a myth and the book of Genesis is the basis of many religions, they both have notably similar accounts of symbols, motifs, meaningful events according to the relationship between the divine and humans in literature.
Through examining these texts, it is evident that the advantages historians have when drawing on evidence such as this is that they can easily reveal certain social and cultural values of the society from which the authors came from, just as easily as it shows social and cultural values of the society of which it was written about. The limitations for historians when collecting written evidence is that some key features of the complex civilizations written about were often left out or could be easily misinterpreted or
...f the divine world but the kings were in charge of vocalizing god’s wishes on earth. The most famous of these law codes was Hammurabi’s law code. The Hebrews tried to establish order by using Yahweh’s Ten Commandments and the Torah. Mesopotamian deities were hard to please and easily angered. The Mesopotamians constantly felt they were letting their gods down and usually didn’t even know the reason behind it. Hebrews had a much more forgiving god. Through texts like “The Book of Job”, it is apparent that Yahweh was a tough god but always forgiving and fair in the end. He had few demands of his people and all of them were ethical and easy to adhere to. As long as his devotees followed Yahweh’s laws, they were all capable of receiving his blessings. Through it all, it seemed that God and religion was at the center of every aspect of life in the ancient civilization.