One reason for the difference between the Christian view on piracy and that of the Greeks lies with the way deities interact in with humans in both religions and the doctrine that both religions enforce. In Christianity, God does not interact with humans directly like the Gods in Greek mythology do, therefore the outlook on piracy changes. Also, the way God treats his believers in the Christian tradition is much different than the way the Greek Gods treated humans. Lastly, the final pursuit of the believers of these religions are very different, therefore leading to different views on piracy. In the Christian tradition, God does not typically interact with regular humans. The prophets and greatly religious people may have some communication
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In Ancient Greece, there was no afterlife one strove for. There was merely life and death, therefore it was what one did in the present that was important. The reverence paid to the gods were not for an entrance into a divine paradise, but for help in the present or to avoid retribution from the gods. For example, in the Odyssey, Ulysses and his crew are punished by the gods for their excessive greed, not their piracy. Ulysses ' crew steals from the god Sol, invoking the wrath of the gods. It is not the act of stealing itself that is sinful, it is the excessive stealing from the gods. On the other hand, Dante 's Christian view of Ulysses has him forever burning in hell. Unlike the Greeks ', Christians ' daily life revolves around the pursuit of divine paradise. In Dante 's Inferno, it is shown what happens to those who are not virtuous like the hero of the Odyssey, Ulysses. In the hell, Ulysses burns as a representation for the fire that burned within him in life, a fire for knowledge and, to some extent, for violence. Although in Greek mythology Ulysses was seen as virtuous and was looked upon in favour by the gods, the Christian worldview sees him as selfish. These two depictions of Ulysses demonstrate how different religious views can affect how one views piracy or piratical
In Ancient Greece, there was no afterlife one strove for. There was merely life and death, therefore it was what one did in the present that was important. The reverence paid to the gods were not for an entrance into a divine paradise, but for help in the present or to avoid retribution from the gods. For example, in the Odyssey, Ulysses and his crew are punished by the gods for their excessive greed, not their piracy. Ulysses ' crew steals from the god Sol, invoking the wrath of the gods. It is not the act of stealing itself that is sinful, it is the excessive stealing from the gods. On the other hand, Dante 's Christian view of Ulysses has him forever burning in hell. Unlike the Greeks ', Christians ' daily life revolves around the pursuit of divine paradise. In Dante 's Inferno, it is shown what happens to those who are not virtuous like the hero of the Odyssey, Ulysses. In the hell, Ulysses burns as a representation for the fire that burned within him in life, a fire for knowledge and, to some extent, for violence. Although in Greek mythology Ulysses was seen as virtuous and was looked upon in favour by the gods, the Christian worldview sees him as selfish. These two depictions of Ulysses demonstrate how different religious views can affect how one views piracy or piratical