Hebrew vs Greek Religion Essay

Greek Mythology and Christianity are two completely different beliefs, especially when we compare the characteristics of Zeus and the attributes of God in the Bible. Greek Mythology is defined as: a body of myths and teachings that belonged to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. The Greeks had multiple gods and goddesses, each with a specific purpose. Zeus is the head of all gods. Christianity has one God who rules over all His creation. That is probably the only similar characteristic between these two; they are both referred to as god and worshipped by people. However there are many more differences between them such as, sovereignty,

When discussing the Ancient Greeks, it is essential to review beliefs in the major gods who have inspired these religious practices. Gods such as Poseidon, Zeus and Apollo, who each lived on Mount Olympus, were omnipotent beings. Since gods had the authority over the Greeks, it was necessary to

  Along with different languages, customs and traditions, ancient Hebrews, Middle-easterners and Romans had very different beliefs about the divine. For example, Hebrews are monotheistic, while Middle-easterners and Greco-Romans of early time periods believe in many gods. Writings from the ancient time period sketch these differences, as well as the many similarities between religious beliefs. The Old Testament is an excellent reference depicting Hebrew beliefs, while Gilgamesh outlines many Middle-eastern beliefs, and The Metamorphoses shows readers many ancient Greco-Roman beliefs about the divine.

Just as each culture built unique places of worship as was their style of worship unique. In the Mesopotamian religion there were well over 3000 gods and goddesses. Each city had its own patron god who was in charge of that city. It was also believed that each person had his own lesser god who would appeal with the greater gods on his own account. At the upper part of the Mesopotamian pantheon sits An, the Lord of heaven and Enlil, Lord of the earth. These two gods had a sour attitude towards the human beings. It was Enki, god of sweet waters, magic and wisdom, that was humanity's friend. The Mesopotamians also had an interesting view on doing evil and evil acts. They never blamed themselves; instead it was all put on a demon taking over the person's body. So instead of punishing the individuals for their crimes, the Mesopotamians would try to exorcise them. People wore amulets or charms to try to keep the evil demons away. If they performed a ritual fault or accident, such as touching a cursed person, it could invoke the wrath of the gods and that was when a person's personal god would have to defend you before the greater gods (Garber, 204).

The Works and Days is a Greek myth containing an appropriated version of the Israelites Ten Commandments from The Bible. Throughout Works and Days, the myth constructs a virtually identical set of rules pertaining to moral conduct; all which, if disobey, are punishable by Zeus. Both the Israelites and the Greeks believe that their Lord (for the Greeks, specifically all powerful Zeus) distributes retribution to those who disobey these moral rules of conduct. In both texts, these guidelines for judgment are crucial because they give formal validity to the punishments that each god distributes. The similarities found are as a result of the Greek appropriation of the Israelites mythology, however, the differences and variations within the

Ancient Greek Gods were worshipped in the Greeks lives. The people worshipped certain gods when they needed strength in that part of their life. The Greek people were constantly seeking blessings and or protection from the god. (Goddess symbols: Athena. 2) Athena and Ares were counterparts but worshipped differently by the people of Greece.

The Sumerian, Egyptian, Hebrew, and Hellenistic religions all have one concept in common. Religion is central to their lives. In Sumerian religion, it was believed humans were created to serve and provide for the gods. The Sumerian people spent their days accommodating the gods because of this belief. . The Jews lived by their God’s commandments in their day-to-day life. The Greek polis was notably tied to their religion. The people’s daily lives depended greatly on following their gods.

During the Archaic Age, Greeks explored the natural world. In the Near Eastern countries, religious beliefs grew and played a huge role in history. In the Olympian religion, it was believed that their gods were very human like and shared human-like qualities. They worshiped several gods and goddesses that had their own personalities and responsibilities. Towns were allegedly built and created by the gods. Monuments and temple were built for them in cities and towns. The people of Ancient Greece glorified these supernatural beings. Religion became more of a life style rather than religion, shaping the everyday lives of Greeks as well as their history.

Christianity and Greek mythology show both remarkable similarities and differences. Consequently, much of what we know about both religions is through the gods’ use of prophets. Amos is a prophet of the Christian god, Yahweh. Likewise, Anchises is a Greek prophet of the multiple gods of Greek mythology. Amos tells about consequences of sin, justice, God’s all-powerfulness and The Day of the Lord.

The Greek religion really had no word for itself. Although the earliest we have connections to where the Greeks religion set back is before homer. After they created their own language, it added on knowledge to other Areas (Bowra). The Greeks believed in the same gods the Romans did but they gave them different names. The Greeks believed in these gods because they thought that everything good that happened was a blessing from the gods, but everything bad that would happen was the gods striking down on them because they did something wrong. In the Greek imagination, the gods were given human bodies and characters, good and bad, just as regular people they married and their children had fought. The ancient Greeks worshipped many gods. Each god had a different personality, domain, and name. Greek myths explained the origins of the gods and their relations with mankind. “Ancient Greek religious practice, essentially conservative in nature, was based on time-honored observances, many rooted in the Bronze Age (3000–1050 B.C.), or even earlier” (Greek Gods). The relationships between the gods and the human were based on the basic concept of enchanting gifts. The central ritual act in ancient Greece was animal sacrifice of many animals, mainly oxen and sheep. Sacrifices took place within the sanctuary, usually at an altar in front of the temple. Liquid offerings, were also commonly made. Overall the Greek religion was mainly based upon like twenty gods, they were both good and evil. The Greek religion has been lost for a long time, but there are still some festivals that celebrate it. There is only one thing that is still tradition from the religions and it is the

During their 4000-year history, the Hebrew people have experienced the likes of slavery, conquest, occupation, and exile; they have been in contact with, and influenced by ancient cultures like the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Persians. One of the main ideas that set Hebrews apart at the time was Monotheism. “Their early contribution to humankind was not wealthy empires or groundbreaking technology. Rather, it was the revolutionary idea that there was only one god. This one Hebrew god was called Yahweh. “

In ancient times, people had a different relationship with their God(s) than people do now. Nowadays, people don’t rely on God as much as they used to. The Greeks had absolute and beyond doubt respect for their gods. They showed their admiration by putting in place many ceremonies and rituals to admire the gods that they cherished and were afraid of in order to establish peace with them. If we look at the ancient near east they believed that their role in the universe was to serve the gods. To this end the ancient near east devoted much of their time to ensuring their favor with the gods with worship, prayer, and sacrifice. Even though the ancient near east and the Greeks had some differences in their relation to their gods they also had

The ancient Greeks believed in hundreds of gods and goddess. There were many different types of gods which included; the Olympian gods, Titan gods, the sky gods, the sea gods, the underworld gods, primordial gods, the rustic gods, Agrarian Gods, and the Phrygian and Thracian Gods. Some of the main gods were the Olympian gods which included Athena, Apollo, Poseidon, Hermes, Hera, Aphrodite, Demeter, Ares, Artemis, Hades, Hephaistos, and Dionysus, led by Zeus. These gods lived at the top of Mount Olympus. Each god was associated with a specific part of the Ancient Greek’s lives. For example, Aphrodite was the goddess of lust and love and Ares was the god of war. These were some of the gods that ancient Greeks would interact with the most. The gods’ presence was “both vital and fearful; problematic if encountered unprepared, it needed to be controlled.” The ancient Greeks worshipped these gods not because they loved them, but because they feared them. Many sacrifices were made in fear and to keep the gods happy. An angry god would cause a lot of problems for the Greeks. These gods were not perfect like the God in the Catholic and Jewish religions, who is basically perfect in the eyes of His followers. The gods were a lot like humans, they fought amongst each other, became jealous, fell in love, and felt things like joy, anger, pain, and sadness. Unlike other

Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt were both extremely prevalent societies between the times of 750 BCE and 450 BCE. For Greece, this includes a majority of what was considered the Archaic Age. During this time Greece was divided into many separate cities that each had their own distinct personality. For example, Spartans believed “it was deeds, not words, that counted” and “they organized their whole style of life around the demands of battle-readiness.” On the other hand, you have a city like Athens that was considered the mother of democracy and consisted of a culture focused on wisdom, freedom, and equality. During the start of this time period in Egypt, the area falls under Kushite rule. Regardless of being under new rule, the ancient Egyptian culture and religion persisted because the people of Kush incorporated the two cultures to strengthen the society. In fact, rulers and elites wore Egyptian clothing, followed Egyptian burial practices, and, most importantly, professed devotion to Egyptian gods. Both Greece and Egypt were very impacted by their religions and are still studied to this day as mythology. Both of their religions were based around the idea of polytheism and often their many gods would serve as an explanation to the unknown of the world. They would often embody forces of nature and explain things like the seasons, the rising and setting of the sun, and even naturally occurring disasters. As a result of trying to explain so many things, there are

The study of ancient Greek religion covers the collection of religious rituals, beliefs, and mythology that originated in Greece. The ancient Greek religion took the form of cult practices and popular public religions. The most popular beliefs related to the existence of gods and goddesses who had control over the various aspects of life on earth and after death. The treatment of death in ancient Greece was deeply rooted in the belief of the afterlife. The afterlife was concerned with the final destination of souls after the end of life on earth, referred to as the underworld (Westmoreland 630). Hades was the god of the underworld. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Greek beliefs about the