A Comparison Of Divinities In Homer's Odyssey

The Use and Abuse of the Chosen: A Comparison of Divinities in the Torah and the Odyssey The Torah and Homer’s Odyssey offer two different lenses through which to understand the varying connotations of the word “use.” For different reasons, the Torah’s God and the Greek gods use and test their chosen people. In the Torah, God’s people are chosen to serve Him; in service to Him, they better their lives. God’s people are His focus. He acts more out of love and care for them than out of personal gain. Contrastingly, in the Odyssey, the gods use, and in fact abuse, their chosen people for their own purposes. They only express interest in the people when it suits their enjoyment. When disinterested, the gods act dismissively, uncaring for the welfare of the people. Whereas the Torah and the Odyssey identify the divinities’ chosen people and their roles, the texts differ in how they portray why and how God and the gods use their chosen people. In the Torah, God’s chosen people, the Israelites, were insignificant and powerless, as compared to peoples such as the Babylonians and the Egyptians, who ruled with strength and power. As stated in the Book of Psalms, “But the poor will inherit the earth, will delight in great …show more content…
Although both are favored by their respective deities, being favored in the eyes of God is more desirable because of His love and commitment to His people, as proven by the existence of the Covenant. If His people stray from the Covenant, the forgiving God will stand by them once they realize they have done wrong and will bring them back because he truly cares. As seen throughout Homer’s text, though, the gods do not sincerely care for their people, but rather sit back and watch them suffer for their personal entertainment. Being loved by the Torah’s God is preferable to being a pawn in the Greek gods’