A God is most likely benevolent as they are the most graceful beings but was Zeus considered a good God? Benevolence is known to be a common trait among Gods but that word may have a different meaning depending on the culture. Was Zeus considered a good God or was he malicious?
Zeus was considered to be a “good” God but he would be chastised in this day and age. He didn’t do anything that wasn’t expected of a Greek man of that era and provided men with the justice they deserve. In today’s standards, he was a cruel and vile man though.
Zeus may have been considered to be a “good” God during his time because he adhered to what normal Greeks would usually do. In reality, was Zeus a good God? Or was he someone sinister?
Was Zeus A Good God?
Whether or not Zeus was a good God will depend on your definition of good. During the time where Zeus was worshipped by the Greeks, he was considered to be a good, fair, and just God despite his behavior.
In today’s standards, Zeus would be considered as a very appalling God with his behavior. He was a serial rapist and frequent adulterer, both of which are shunned in modern society as they are both considered vile.
Not to mention the fact that Zeus was a very proud God as well as a very vicious God when it came down to it. He would show no mercy to those that cross his path the wrong way and would enact unjustified justice upon them.
There was once a time when Greece was peaceful and the Gods weren’t as needed as before. It was said that Zeus saw this as an insult to his might and punished the people with his wrath as a way to show his might.
He purposely caused havoc among the people by sending natural disasters such as drought, or hurricanes just to punish the mortals that thought they no longer needed to worship the Gods. His wrath was feared among mortals and immortals alike due to his unmatched power.
There was also the problem with his own fears. A good father would never even think about hurting their children under any circumstance.
Zeus, on the other hand, didn’t even hesitate when he was foretold of his impending dethronement. He immediately turned on his then-wife, Metis, and turned her into a fly.
Immediately after, he swallowed her though he would fail to prevent the first child to be born. Athena, the child, would then become one of the strongest Gods of the Greek Pantheon although she never overthrew Zeus. Now, ask yourself if a good God would do any of those things?
Why Did The People Of Greece Thought Zeus Was Good?
In those days, Zeus was thought to be a “good” God because he never did anything out of the ordinary. It was simply because of the culture that Zeus was thought to be a “good” God despite his unbelievable behavior.
Greek men back in the day would commit adultery and sexual pleasures all the time with other women. This wasn’t just seen as normal behavior, but it was also expected that a woman would please a man no matter who it was.
Rape was also seen as a lesser crime back then. It’s hard to believe now that something so vile would be considered lesser but it’s true. It was also believed that rape wasn’t an act of betrayal either regardless of whether the rapist was married.
Lastly, Zeus was a God and therefore was thought to have a divine morality when compared to mortals. No one would dare question what a God did because they were thought to be way above a human’s morality.
Zeus was allowed to do anything without question simply because he was a God. He was allowed to do whatever he wanted with a human as a human would do to an animal, who was thought to be lesser.
Though Zeus was considered to be “the perfect man” back in the day, he would never be accepted in modern society. His acts were cruel and vile, and no one would ever consider worshipping him as a result. This is why Zeus wasn’t really a “good” God at all.
Was Zeus An Evil God?
Though the things Zeus did were questionable and immortal most of the time, he is far from being an evil God. Zeus was known to enact justice among mortals, he rewards the good and punishes evil.
He is also very closely connected to his daughter, Dike, who was the representation of justice in the Greek Pantheon. For that, Zeus was known as the protector of cities, property, strangers, guests, and supplicants.
To the Greeks, a good God didn’t necessarily need to be benevolent. Instead, they were worshipped because of their power, and Zeus was on top of all of them.
The Greeks had a strong belief that a just God is a good chief god as long as he punished the wicked. This is why the Greeks never saw Zeus as an evil God at all despite his heinous deeds.
Conclusion
Zeus is not a good God. He committed adultery and rape without hesitation which is shunned by many. Not to mention his superiority towards humans which make him cruel against them if they ever decide to ignore him.
There is also the problem with his own fears which controls his actions to the point where he would try to kill his own spouse and offspring without hesitation. The only reason why Zeus wasn’t considered to be a bad God is because of social norms at the time.
He was believed that Zeus wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary and that the common man would have done the same. By modern standards, Zeus would have never been considered a good God at all but this doesn’t mean that he was an evil God either.
Zeus was known to be fair and just despite his questionable behaviors and that was all the Greeks cared about. To them, might was everything and without it, nothing can be done.
