While remembering their history, they replaced knowledge of God with gods of their own making. Eventually God forced them to disperse by confusing their languages, and the people who settled in the region we know as Greece would have brought with them knowledge of the Creator God and of important historical events like the global Flood. Following the global Flood of Noah’s day, Noah’s descendants congregated at the Tower of Babel, rebelling against God’s command to spread over the earth. The Greek pantheon was a polytheistic substitute for the worship of the one true God. The Parthenon now serves as an art museum and venue for theatrical performances of classical Greek plays. A statue of Athena, goddess of war and wisdom, was added in 1990. This full-scale replica of the Athenian Parthenon, located in Nashville’s Centennial Park, was built for the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Image by LeQuireGallery, via Wikimedia Commons. Patron gods and goddesses were the special objects of worship among those who coveted blessings and protection from disasters. They were explanations for how the world came to be, why we have storms and other disasters, why mankind suffers, and what awaits us after death. The Greeks myths were not fictional to these people. These deities were objects of fear and veneration not just among the Greeks, but among people throughout the large region over which Greek influence spread, and among the Romans who adopted the Greek pantheon with Romanized names. Yet despite all the colorful stories, morality tales, and interesting figures on which to blame the perils of humankind, we must remember that many people in the ancient world worshipped these false gods and goddesses. Scripture warns, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12) and, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).
And the cautionary tale of Icarus flying too close to the sun provides a very visual warning against pride, a principle expressed throughout the Bible. As the Bible puts it, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12).
Caring physicians know the importance of offering whatever hope they can when presenting bad news to their patients. At the bottom of Pandora’s box, for instance, we find “hope” preserved, hope that helps mankind stave off terminal despair in the face of the suffering. And we find in some of the myths useful life lessons. With the help of modern authors, we share highly sanitized versions of Greek myths with our children. In this statue, Themis, also known by her Romanized name Lady Justice, is held in the figure’s right hand. Pandora’s box, the Golden Fleece, Achilles’ heel, Zeus’s lightning bolts, Hermes the winged messenger, Prometheus with his gift of fire to man, Titans battling the Olympian gods, the heroic adventures of Heracles (Hercules), the Trojan horse, and Homer’s feuding gods and goddesses-these are just a few images, phrases, and well-known tales drawn from Greek myths and related stories.Ĭontemplation of Justice contains one of three sculptural representations of Themis, the goddess of law and justice, found at the US Supreme Court Building. The original Parthenon, the primary temple of Athena, is in the ancient Greek city Athens, which was named for its patron goddess. Nashville, Tennessee, the Athens of the South, boasts a full-scale replica of the Parthenon. The entrance to the US Supreme Court building is adorned with Themis the Greek goddess of law and justice, often called by her Roman name Justicia (or Lady Justice). The Apollo space program was named for the Greek god of archery, light, poetry, and music. The names and antics of its gods, demigods, heroes, and assorted mortals enrich our language, art, and culture. Greek mythology-the story-rich religion of the ancient Greek people-is familiar to most of us today.
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