dying with a lack of graceö (Grene 1960, 184). This also shows the striving among Greeks to aspire to behavior and virtues characteristic of the gods.
SophoclesÆ drama, Oedipus the King, demonstrates another aspect of Greek religion and the relationship of the Greeks to the gods. Sophocles viewed the world as a place in which great good exists, but he also recognized that he lived in troubled times and that men faced enormous challenges in meeting the demands of those times. Oedipus is a character who exists to illustrate to human beings that they are helpless in the face of a personal fate that has been ordained by the gods. However, it also shows that human beings can accept that fate with dignity and honor to be at their most ôreligious.ö Oedipus will destroy himself in accepting his fate but the gods clearly play a role in his downfall.
In sum, the Greek religion revolved around aspiring to behavior that was characteristics of the gods while attempting to accept oneÆs fate (predetermined by the gods) with honor and dignity. While the supreme will and power of the gods in relation to human beings was not disputed, in living their fates the Greeks had to accept or fight the will of the gods. This demonstrates a preordained fate but free will, both characteristic of many contemporary religions.
Black, S. (Editor.). Homer: The Iliad. New York, NY: Walter J. Black. 1952.
Gene, D. (Editor). Greek Tragedies. Chicago, IL: Univ. of Chicago Press. 1960. QUESTION TWO
One pattern that is observed in a study of history is that when a significant modification in manÆs economic or productive system
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