Many ancient societies commonly practiced polytheism. However, the ideals and values associated with the gods diverged intently in the ancient world. This can be demonstrated by looking at ancient literary works such as: The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad by Homer, and Laws by Plato. This controversy is significant because it demonstrates the changing nature of the deities with the ever changing human ideals.
The Epic of Gilgamesh, originating around 2000 BCE, initiated the starting ground of the relationship between the divine and man. The gods in The Epic of Gilgamesh are very involved in the lives of the humans. As a matter of fact, Gilgamesh himself is 1/3 god. The gods in The Epic of Gilgamesh were not the most virtuous of entities. For …show more content…
The gods in The Iliad are very involved, even more so than in The Epic of Gilgamesh. In fact, the debacle between Achilles and Agamemnon all began because Agamemnon rejected Apollo’s priest, leading him to take his own form of action. The god’s do whatever they please in the epic, affecting the war at hand. For instance, when Agamemnon takes Briseis away from Achilles, Athena physically rushes down from heaven to Achilles and says, “Stop this fighting, now. Don’t lay hand to sword. Lash him with threats of the price that he will face” (The Iliad 84).Demonstrating the need for the Archaeans to come together in the time of conflict. Achilles says, “If a man obeys the gods, they are quick to hear his prayers” (The Iliad 84). This proves to be true as the story treks on, Achilles is honored with the return of Briseis, and Agamemnon is humbled. However, some individuals do not have favor with the gods the way Achilles does. In fact, Ajax blames the gods for their hardships when he states “It’s just the brutal lash of Zeus that beats us down” (The Iliad 367). This also establishes the intense involvement of the gods in the common man’s everyday life. The gods often tilt the outcome of the war to benefit the side that they would like to prosper, taking the results of the war out of the hands of the individuals. For example, Helen drugs Zeus in …show more content…
The gods begin to reward those who practice virtuous behavior. This indicates that the gods are compassionate and act kindly to those who demonstrate their ideals. The gods have entirely lost the human-like bodies that are mentioned in The Iliad, so they can meddle in human affairs. The gods are now entirely made of the soul. This is why Plato deliberates the soul to be of the greatest importance. He states, “Of all the things a man can call his own, the holiest (though the gods are holier still) is his soul, his most intimate possession” (Laws 143). By saying this, Plato establishes the soul as a holy and sacred connection to the gods and the common man. The gods are not greatly involved in the lives of the people, so this gives the individual the notion that the soul should be treasured. He goes on to say, “…he sells all that gives the soul its beauty and value for a few paltry pieces of gold; but all the gold upon the earth and all the gold beneath it does not compensate for lack of virtue” (Laws 145). This demonstrates that the soul is the most valuable object for a human being, greater than riches. Plato mentions the beauty of the soul, which is virtue in this case, not the physical appearance. This clashes with the views of The Epic of Gilgamesh where beauty is strictly physical. Plato does this to express that moral behavior is what
The Epic of Gilgamesh, originating around 2000 BCE, initiated the starting ground of the relationship between the divine and man. The gods in The Epic of Gilgamesh are very involved in the lives of the humans. As a matter of fact, Gilgamesh himself is 1/3 god. The gods in The Epic of Gilgamesh were not the most virtuous of entities. For …show more content…
The gods in The Iliad are very involved, even more so than in The Epic of Gilgamesh. In fact, the debacle between Achilles and Agamemnon all began because Agamemnon rejected Apollo’s priest, leading him to take his own form of action. The god’s do whatever they please in the epic, affecting the war at hand. For instance, when Agamemnon takes Briseis away from Achilles, Athena physically rushes down from heaven to Achilles and says, “Stop this fighting, now. Don’t lay hand to sword. Lash him with threats of the price that he will face” (The Iliad 84).Demonstrating the need for the Archaeans to come together in the time of conflict. Achilles says, “If a man obeys the gods, they are quick to hear his prayers” (The Iliad 84). This proves to be true as the story treks on, Achilles is honored with the return of Briseis, and Agamemnon is humbled. However, some individuals do not have favor with the gods the way Achilles does. In fact, Ajax blames the gods for their hardships when he states “It’s just the brutal lash of Zeus that beats us down” (The Iliad 367). This also establishes the intense involvement of the gods in the common man’s everyday life. The gods often tilt the outcome of the war to benefit the side that they would like to prosper, taking the results of the war out of the hands of the individuals. For example, Helen drugs Zeus in …show more content…
The gods begin to reward those who practice virtuous behavior. This indicates that the gods are compassionate and act kindly to those who demonstrate their ideals. The gods have entirely lost the human-like bodies that are mentioned in The Iliad, so they can meddle in human affairs. The gods are now entirely made of the soul. This is why Plato deliberates the soul to be of the greatest importance. He states, “Of all the things a man can call his own, the holiest (though the gods are holier still) is his soul, his most intimate possession” (Laws 143). By saying this, Plato establishes the soul as a holy and sacred connection to the gods and the common man. The gods are not greatly involved in the lives of the people, so this gives the individual the notion that the soul should be treasured. He goes on to say, “…he sells all that gives the soul its beauty and value for a few paltry pieces of gold; but all the gold upon the earth and all the gold beneath it does not compensate for lack of virtue” (Laws 145). This demonstrates that the soul is the most valuable object for a human being, greater than riches. Plato mentions the beauty of the soul, which is virtue in this case, not the physical appearance. This clashes with the views of The Epic of Gilgamesh where beauty is strictly physical. Plato does this to express that moral behavior is what