Comparison and Contrast of the gods in Homer's epics with the God of the Hebrews

There are many similarities and differences between the Greek gods and the Hebrew God. These similarities and differences are revealed in the character and functionality of the gods. The revelation of similarities and differences can also be seen in man's relationship to his god or gods. Homer was instrumental in documenting the oral traditions of the Greek gods in his poetry. Moses, the Hebrew leader, is attributed with documenting what he witnessed from God in the Torah. The Greek and Hebrew belief systems were established for the purposes of explaining the world we live in, the phenomenon in nature, and the existence and purpose of man. The Greeks were polytheistic and had more gods than they could probably keep up with. In contrast the Hebrews had only one God. Regardless, the Greeks and Hebrews shared the same desire and that was to find answers to questions about existence and the purpose of life.

The character and functionality of the Greek gods vary from god to god. Zeus was the chief of the Greek

The Hebrew God is a spirit and could not be seen by man lest he die. The Hebrews were forbidden to craft statues of God." Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." (Ex 20:4). Based on this it is hard to say how they envisioned the appearance of God. Interestingly God states that he created man in his image in Genesis 1:26. It is obvious that the Greeks never actually saw their gods but they did create them in works of art and as a result adopted in their minds the created image as being an actual likeness. The Hebrews had no frame of reference to consider nor were they allowed to consider such. The Hebrew God had no other gods to contend with. It is documented in the bible that there are angels, but angels are not on the same level as God. Angels are the servants to God and man and do not have any power equivalent to God's power. Satan, who was a fallen angel represents evil and is anti-God. Some of the Greek gods may have acted evil on occasion but there were none that purposed evil continually against Zeus. God and the Greek gods were considered omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. Only a god could possess these characteristics. The greatest contrast between The Greek gods and the Hebrew God is the relationship between god and man.

Homer, The Iliad. The Norton Anthology World Masterpieces. New York:

atone for the sins committed by man. The Greeks did not have such a belief and they did not envision an eternal place called hell.

of Leviticus the process of making sacrifices. His instructions were very clear and concise. The Greek and Hebrew cultures maintained priesthoods. In the Greek culture, the priesthood was to

There appears to be some differences between the Greeks and Hebrews concerning thoughts of life after death. The Greeks were more concerned about the physical life rather than the life after death. There are some indications that they believed in a life in the realm of the gods but it is not clear that they really prepared for such an event. The Hebrews on the other hand were taught that they must live a pure life in order to go to heaven. Heaven is the abode of God. Faithful servants would be entitled to enter heaven after death. The unfaithful or disobedient were directed to a much less desirable place. This destination called Hades or Hell was a place of eternal torment. It can be clearly understood that such a thought would cause fear in a person. Therefore, the Hebrews saw a mortal life of devotion to God as just a stepping-stone into an eternal afterlife. Sin was enmity against God and since man was not perfect he was apt to sin. God made a provision for sin and that was animal sacrifice. The blood of the slain animal would

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