I love to read about the ancient Greeks. But I am constantly reminded that it’s difficult to get inside the minds of people whose culture was so different from our own.
One example: Ancient people, including Greek speakers, commonly believed in apotheosis, the notion that humans can become divine. Herakles and Asklepius were the usual examples. And everyone knew that Prometheus sacrificed himself for the good of humans, a choice that made him less than he was among the gods but more than he was among humankind.
The central idea is that the border between humanity and divinity is fluid.
I suspect the idea wouldn’t be received well today by many fundamentalists among the world’s major religions.
Today, the fad is to talk of people being on “the spectrum,” referring to traits associated with autism. But in an earlier day people discussed traits associated with divinity. You could talk about where Herakles and Asklepius stood on the spectrum between the most powerful gods and an ordinary human being. The spectrum had places for heroes, demigods, titans, nymphs and other wonderful beings.
The idea of apotheosis is one example of difference in the way people think. I couldn’t tell you whether the difference is large or small, but today it seems enormous.
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