This essay cites works which are included within a book entitled Classical Mythology: Images & Insights by Stephen L. Harris and Gloria Platzner. Published by McGraw-Hill Co. New York, NY 2004. The works used are Theogony and Works and Days by Hesiod, and the stories of Dionysus paralled to Jesus Christ.
Greek Myth and Christianity
Mythology in Greek and Roman history were used to try and explain their surroundings. Because of their lack of scientific knowledge they attributed much of nature, both human and physical, to be controlled by these deities. Whether it was because of ignorance or imagination the stories tell the quasi-history of events that happened in fantastical ways. It is my belief that Greek and Roman Mythology was the catalyst for the establishment of the Christian religion.
It is said that Christianity is a historical religion. But, like myth it is not based on strict historical facts.
There is a history there, but that history has been subjected to a great deal of interpretation and embellishment. One of the first parallels that is evident is the creation as the women as "the catalyst of humanity's cataclysmic decline"(p. 110). Both Pandora and Eve have been used to illustrate how women essentially ruined the good life for all of human kind. Hesiod goes even further in his poems Theogony and Works and Days to say that Pandora, the first women, was created to spite Prometheus and bring hardship for the rest of human kind. As if men couldn't do that for themselves. However, what is often overlooked is the fact that humanity would not even exist without the opening of Pandora's jar.
Another instance of similarities can be seen in the stories of Dionysus and Jesus. Like Jesus, Dionysus is a God in human form, who dies and...
Thesis
If I understand correctly, the thesis of this paper is that Greek and Roman mythology are the basis for Christianity, or at least the inspiration.
I would encourage you to elaborate on the similarities between Pandora and Eve. Could you go further and discuss the similarities of these two stories which might not be apparent on the surface level? Also, you provide no supports for your argument that Eve is an imitation of Pandora.
Be careful not to get sidetracked. I'm not sure I understand the significance of the latter half of your second paragraph. What difference does it make to your thesis whether it was man or woman that introduced evil in each of these stories?
I'm not sure a discussion of Disney is appropriate in this context. However, if you believe it is, you need to provide evidence to support your claim. What Disney movies are you referring to?
Lastly, your thesis says that Greek AND Roman mythology paved the way for Christianity, yet both Hesiod and Homer are Greek authors. If you want to argue this point, it is essential that you include examples from Roman mythology.
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