Compare the ethical behavior of Zeus with the ethical teaching of Jesus.
In ancient Greece (and for a time, Rome), the most widely held religion was Greek mythology. The belief in Greek gods appeared in both fictional writing and historical documents, and some tales from that time even attributed the founding of Rome to a god named Romulus. In Greek mythology, there are hundreds of gods which rule different emotions and objects. The most powerful god in all of Greek mythology is Zeus, the god of the sky and thunder. Although Zeus was considered the most powerful god, he was by no means omnipotent. As well as being limited in power, Zeus also did not exemplify a good or holy lifestyle. Zeus was often swayed by bribery and driven by malicious intentions. Although a god, Zeus had many evil human characteristics.
Contrarily to the Greeks, first century Christians believed that there was one, good, loving, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God. Zeus could not claim even one of those traits. Although monotheists, Christians believe in the Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity was the belief that there is one God in three Divine Persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The early Christian churches based their ministry on the teachings of Jesus Christ, who they believed was God’s Son. They believed that Jesus was both entirely God (John 10:30, Isaiah 9:6) and entirely human (John 1:14). Since he was human, Jesus battled temptations as everyone does (Matthew 4:1-11), but He did not succumb to them as Zeus did repeatedly. Instead, Jesus lived with great virtue.
In comparing Jesus with Zeus, Zeus’ behavior greatly contrasted with the ethical teachings of Jesus. For example, Jesus warned against adultery and sexual immorality (Matthew 5:27-28 and Matthew 15:19), but Zeus himself cheated on his wife, Hera, repeatedly. Jesus also commanded against murder (Matthew 19:18), but Zeus actually killed a man with a thunderbolt. Not only did Zeus commit some horrible acts himself, but he had no mercy for people who did the same, making Zeus a hypocrite. Jesus warned against hypocrisy many times (Matthew 23:23-31). Finally, instead of practicing forgiveness and repentance as Jesus did ( Matthew 9:36; Luke 3:3), Zeus punished those who wronged him violently and severely. In one instance, Zeus tied a man to a spinning wheel of fire for all eternity.
Reading about the actions of Zeus in Greek mythology in comparison to the teachings of Jesus in the gospels, it is easy to notice the difference in ethics. Jesus’ actions are recorded as being centered around love (John 15:9-17, John 13:34) but the same cannot be said for Zeus. The stark contrast of ethics had a great effect on those who practiced the two religions. Greece was constantly at war, whereas Christians practiced peace and even submission to authority (Mark 12:13-17). This comparison of Jesus and Zeus yet again serves as an example that religion has a huge impact on society.
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