Athena and Eve: The Real Meaning of Greek Myth (Where does Greek myth come from?)

Solving Light ^ | 02-02-2911 | Robert Bowie Johnson

[bronxville]

Ancient Greek religion, what we call mythology, tells the same story as the Book of Genesis, except that the serpent is the enlightener of mankind rather than our deceiver. Athena represents Eve—the reborn serpent’s Eve in the new Greek age. She and the Parthenon and the entire ancient Greek religious system celebrate the rejuvenation and re-establishment of the way of Kain (Cain) after the Flood. Though on one hand Greek idolatry violates the teaching of the Word of God, on the other, if properly understood, it reinforces the truth of the Scriptures.

The First Couple

There is no Creator-God in the Greek religious system. The ancient Greek religious system is about getting away from the God of Genesis, and exalting man as the measure of all things. You may think to yourself that the Greeks are exalting gods, not man; but haven’t you ever wondered why the Greek gods looked exactly like humans? The answer is the obvious one: for the most part, the gods represented the Greeks’ (and our) human ancestors. Greek religion was thus a sophisticated form of ancestor worship. You have no doubt heard of the supposedly great philosopher, Socrates. In Plato’s Euthydemus, he referred to Zeus, Athena, and Apollo as his ‘gods’ and his ‘lords and ancestors’.1 Greek stories about their origins are varied and sometimes contradictory until their poets and artists settle upon Zeus and Hera as the couple from whom the other Olympian gods and mortal men are descended. This brother/sister and husband/wife pair, the king and queen of the gods, are a match for the Adam and Eve of Genesis. Figure 2 is Hans Holbein’s Adam and Eve. This couple is the beginning of the family of man, and the origin of the family of the Greek gods, Zeus and Hera. Figure 3 shows us Zeus and his wife Hera, sculpted on the east frieze of the Parthenon, c. 438 BC. With no Creator-God in the Greek religious system, the first couple advances to the forefront.

Hera, The Queen of the gods, is the Primal Eve

According to the Book of Genesis, Eve is the mother of all living humans, and the wife of Adam. Since God is the Father of both Adam and Eve, some consider them to be brother and sister as well. After they had both eaten the fruit, Adam named his wife Eve ("living" in Hebrew) and Genesis 3:20 explains why: "… for she becomes mother of all the living."† In a hymn of invocation, the 6th-century BC lyric poet, Alcaeus, refers to Hera as panton genethla, or "mother of all."2 As the first mother, the Greeks worshipped Hera as goddess of childbirth; as the first wife, the Greeks worshipped her as the goddess of marriage.

We are told in Chapter 2 of Genesis that Eve was created full-grown out of Adam. Before she was known as Hera, the wife of Zeus had the name Dione. The name relates to the creation of Eve out of Adam, for Dione is the feminine form of Dios or Zeus. This suggests that the two, like Adam and Eve, were once a single entity.

The attribute most often associated with Hera in ancient art was the sceptre. She is often depicted as enthroned and holding it in her right hand. She is, and always will be, the queen of Olympus. As the sister/wife of Zeus, Hera is a deification of Eve, the motherless mother of all humanity. She holds the sceptre of rule by birth.

Read more... http://www.solvinglight.com/features/athenaandeve01.htm

[bronxville]

- Athena’s magnificent temple, the Parthenon, is the national monument of Greece (Figure 1). From 447 to 432 BC, during the Classical Age, the ancient Athenians built for Athena one of the most superb architectural works of antiquity. Featuring more sculpture than any other Greek temple, the Parthenon dominated their Akropolis—the high place of the city. Inside stood her forty-foot-tall gold and ivory idol-image. Later in this article, we are going to take a close look at Athena’s famous Parthenon statue as it has been reconstructed in the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee, from ancient replicas and descriptions of it. We are not going to be able to understand very much about Athena’s idol-image, however, unless we see where she fits into the history of humanity as the Greeks saw it. We need some background. Fortunately, the Greeks provided it in their myths and art.

[GeronL]

Why are Greek Gods so incestuous?

We should ask Antigone about it. lol.

[Celtic Cross]

Bump for later.

[count-your-change]

That's kind of a nice looking building but the yard could use a little clean up and the building sure does need some maintenance, you know,........ some caulking and a good coat of paint.

[Artemis Webb]

Published in the year 2911 huh? (just poking fun)

Really though I’m sure this is all very interesting to somebody somewhere. All I know though is that my first reading “obsession” was in elementary school and was Greek Mythology. I consider it to be my first delvings into epic fantasy, which I still love today. Never in my life did I consider it from a theological perspective. I don’t see anything wrong with doing that mind you if it’s your cup of tea but for me it’s just a lot of terrific stories that still hold up thousands of years later.

[tumblindice]

Definite curb appeal but a fixer-upper. At one time everything not brightly painted was wrapped in rich Corinthian leather.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASdYVEIDXnM&feature=related

[HungarianGypsy]

Two subjects I like to study are religion and mythology. I have noticed nearly every culture has mythology that has some relation to the Creation story in Genesis.

[sasportas]

It sounds like the ancient Greek Mystic system was derived from Gnostic ideas. Or was it the other way around? Lots of similarities. Satan being the enlightener and not the redeemer, for instance.

By the way, from what perspective is this article written? What faith are you?

[TruthConquers]

The story of Pandora has reminded me of the Genesis story of Eve and the apple. I don’t know how this fits with this Athena.

Pandora was told she would become like the God, just like the serpent told Eve the same. And when she opened the box, the ills of the world were loosed, just like Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Life to toil the rest of their days, with suffering and death. And the hope at the end, that was the promise of Messiah.

It has been awhile, but when I was homeschooling my young daughter and we read these stories, I was amazed at how they did echo the Bible. Distorted, but with clear echoes.
It had left me with the impression that man after the flood did know the truth, and there were stories to remember it by, in many cultures, with many distortions.

[Oztrich Boy]

Where does Greek myth come from?)

[cradle of freedom]

Very fascinating look at Greek mythology. Have you ever heard of the book “The Gospel in the Stars” written by Joseph A. Seiss? Gospel in the Stars states that the constellations in astrology were originally given by God as a guide explaning the story of mankind and salvation. The astrological signs were later paganized but originally they had a Judeo-Christian meaning.

[Del Rapier]

Athena,Alpha and Allah.

Different names,same........

I make my own conclusions.

[Future Snake Eater]

Where does Greek myth come from?

From these folks:

BTW, where's the Greek temple for this guy?

[bronxville]

- Figure 8. Athena Parthenos, full-size reproduction in the Nashville Parthenon by Alan LeQuire - "There is even a more obvious demonstration of Athena’s identity as the reborn serpent’s Eve. Meeting the ancient Greeks at eye level as they entered the Parthenon was the statue base of the great idol-image of Athena. In the centre of it, surrounded by the gods giving her gifts, stood a sculpted Pandora—the woman who, according to Greek myth, was responsible for letting evil out into the world. Could not a schoolchild grasp that Athena’s gold and ivory grandeur above Pandora was literally based on this obvious picture of Eve?" - Read more - http://www.solvinglight.com/features/athenaandeve06.htm

[bronxville]

“Very fascinating look at Greek mythology. Have you ever heard of the book “The Gospel in the Stars” written by Joseph A. Seiss? Gospel in the Stars states that the constellations in astrology were originally given by God as a guide explaning the story of mankind and salvation. “The astrological signs were later paganized but originally they had a Judeo-Christian meaning.”

No, I hadn’t heard of it but will check it out - thanks.

Today there’s an explosion of misinformation on the net, tv, movies, comic books, hollywood etc., where kids are taught to believe that Judeo-Christianity is also a myth.

[bronxville]

“Two subjects I like to study are religion and mythology. I have noticed nearly every culture has mythology that has some relation to the Creation story in Genesis.”

I didn’t major in either myself probably just as well otherwise I’d think I knew exactly how everything happened from a leftist professor and his very expensive text book.

“Modern scholarship has yet to learn the simple lesson that, without reference to the early events described in the Book of Genesis, it is not possible to make any real sense of Greek mythology. In fact, the entire formidable religious framework of ancient Greek society means virtually nothing without reference to those events. The next time you’re in a bookstore or a library, go to the mythology section. Look at all the books on the subject and ponder all the fruitless theorizing and all the wasted paper that have resulted from writers leaving the Creator of Heaven and Earth out of what they imagine is their deep and reasonable thinking.”
http://www.solvinglight.com/features/athenaandeve07.htm

PS: The author wrote this article for American Thinker - he went to Westpoint and was an officer in Vietnam - there’s a mini-bio at the end...
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/09/obama_oprah_and_the_guru_malig_1.html

[TruthConquers]

I believe that book is online.

The Witness of the Stars 1893
http://philologos.org/__eb-tws/default.htm

[TruthConquers]

Wow!!!

Thanks for that, I didn’t know.

[dangus]

I’ve typically found that people trying to relate ancient mythologies usually grossly exaggerate the similarities, and ignore the obvious irreconcilable differences. But it’s worth noting that a LOT of Greek and Roman mythology came about long after the Jewish faith. Often, such similarities are presented as supposedly pagan origins of Christianity and Judaism*; I’m glad this article doesn’t do that. Frequently, Romans would find certain aspects of Christianity appealing, and attach such elements to older mythologies, making them appear to have older Roman origins.

(*for instance, Christmas predates the move of Saturnalia to the December equinox; Easter even predates In Sol Invictus by centuries; Isaiah predates Scorates.)

[Cheburashka]

Already done. She cleaned up right good.

Actually the second picture is a reproduction done in Nashville, TN.