Homer's Iliad, Genesis and the Old Testament: World Order Exacting Justice Upon Violators

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The question of the existence of a world order or an all-powerful force in the universe exacting justice upon violators of the world’s order is a common theme among the works of classical literature we have studied in class. This essay will explore the answer to this question from within the context of three works of classical literature. In the Old Testament the order that is imposed upon the world is scripted, regulated and enforced by the one true God, the God of Israel. According to Homer in The Iliad, the world’s order is defined by men, and retributions for violations are meted out by the gods acting directly and through the manipulation of men. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King the order of the world is ambiguously defined and justice is returned to those guilty of transgressing these rules by the gods.
The story of Joseph in Genesis 37-46 we learn of Joseph’s rise from a position with little promise of his ever gaining prominence to the pinnacle of power in ancient Egypt. This ascension as a whole gives us a glimpse of God’s order in the world, but the details of the story each provide evidence that God is the sole proprietor of order and justice. Joseph, the youngest of twelve sons, is provided with a prophecy of his future greatness which he tells his brothers: “behold we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose...your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf...and behold the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.'; This is the first indication that God is at work defining and orchestrating events in the world. When Joseph’s brothers later decide to sell him into slavery, they are attempting to circumvent God’s will to prevent Joseph from ruling over them. They are not able to understand that Joseph is the only one of them who is capable of saving them from a future drought. God continues to work to carry out His will when Joseph goes to Egypt by providing Joseph with the means to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. Even then, Joseph realizes that this is God’s work, telling Pharaoh “It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace'; and “God hath shewed Pharaoh what He is about to do.'; In the end, Joseph and God forgive his brothers and God’s people live in Egypt in peace.

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