1.2-Divine Anthropomorphism and the scope of divine power Flashcards
Divine Anthropomorphism
Gods are like human beings
Physical, psychological, behavioural, limited
Differ: power, beauty immortality
Evidence of Physical Anthropomorphism
Panathenaic Amphora
Parthenon Sculptures
Homer and Hesiod
Evidence of Psychological Anthropomorphism
Homeric and Hesiodic:
Hera’s anger
Zeus’ pity or anger
Thetis’ sympathy
etc.
Evidence of Behavioural Anthropomorphism
Panathenaic Amphora (Athena striding)
Homeric and Hesiodic: divine parentage (human means of reproduction)
Evidence of Divine Limitations
Hera tricks Zeus in Iliad 14, putting him to sleep while the pro-Greek gods dight for their favourites
Evidence of the God’s Power
Homeric and Hesiodic:
Zeus and Hera casually decide ro destroy Troy in Iliad 4
Evidence of the God’s Beauty
Homer, Iliad 18:
Ares and Athene ‘ tall and beautiful in their golden clothes and armour, as gods should look’ ‘rose above smaller warriors at their feet’.
Evidence of the God’s Happiness and Immortality
Homer, Iliad 18:
Achilles: ‘We men are wretched creatures and the gods have woven grief into our lives: but they themselves are dree from care.”
Is the anthropomorphism of the gods metaphor or reality?
Traditional View
(implicitly) Garland 1994
The gods are literally human in form, even if more powerful amd more perfect
Is the anthropomorphism of the gods metaphor or reality?
Zaidman and Pantel 1989
Depicting gods with idealised human bodies just a symbolic expression of their divine perfection
The gods are not literally like us in body, but are shown like us to help us understand them
Evidence for Traditional View
Xenophanes (6th c. BC)
Rejects idea of human-like gods - implies people believed gods were like us
Physicality of Homer and Hesiod’s gods - Thetis Achilles’ mother
Evidence for Zaidman and Pantel’s View
Oltos Cup (c.510 BC): gods unrealistically holding/wearing objects identifying them. Indicates their depictions are symbolic rather than literal
