Just as Moses was commissioned by the Lord to write down the oral traditions of Israel to Jewish families about to enter God’s promised land, Greek Mythology started during the Bronze Age. The poet Hesoid, 700 years before the birth of Christ, penned the first written documentation of Greek Mythology. While Zeus is believed to have had over 100 children with 7 different women, the three main offspring mentioned in Greek Mythology are Ares, Heba, and Hephaestus.
When men began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair, and they took wives of all they desired and chose, Genesis 6:1-2.
According to ancient traditions, Zeus was the ruler of all gods, serving as the god of the sky, thunder and lightning. Zeus ruled from Mount Olympus, the home of the Greek gods. When I read today’s passage last week, one of the interpretations Bible scholars put forth is that angels described as sons of God were able to have children with the daughters of earth. Although it’s unclear if these male angels were able to come down to earth in human flesh, this portion of the Bible provides a plausible origin for Greek Mythology.
Then the Lord said, My Spirit shall not forever dwell and strive with man, for he also is flesh; but his days shall yet be 120 years. 4 There were giants on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown, Genesis 6:3-4.
When you consider the fact that archeologists have unearthed skeletons of giants, it’s not so farfetched to conclude that one or more of these bones are from a race known as the Nephilim. Meanwhile, these giants were also incredible athletes who went on to become renown warriors. Is Moses describing the origin of Greek Mythology or were some of these historical events mixed with other fables, passed down through oral traditions? Whatever the original source is, today’s passage provides a plausible explanation for what is now known as Greek Mythology.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 