2. Learning Targets
• I will be able to:
• Give 2 Examples of Gods in ancient myths
and outline the myths
3. The God of Ancients
• The concept of God is common to all religions.
• From the very beginning people had an idea of
God/gods who created the world and were
worshipped because of this. The concept of God
developed and progressed as human beings
developed and learned more about the world in
which they lived. The idea of God moved from a
mythical understanding to a more rational
understanding.
4. Rational Understanding of God
• In agricultural societies the images and
understanding of God are linked to the
land and the cycle of the seasons. Each
generation in every culture faced the big
questions of life: what is the meaning and
purpose of life, why do people suffer,
where have we come from, what is the
ultimate destiny of humanity? Their
experience of life and their knowledge
shaped their understanding of God.
5. Theistic myths
• myths about God.
• The God’s of Northern and Western
Europe were God’s of Thunder rain and
wind. Perhaps this reflects the darker
atmosphere of this part of the world. This
shows how the culture effected their
understanding of God.
6. “Pantheon”
• refers to a particular recognised gods of a
particular culture. The Greek Pantheon
gives us insight into the values of that
culture. While there are many gods and
goddesses in the Greek pantheon, twelve
principal gods emerge as the most
important.
7. The Gods of Greek Pantheon
• The Twelve Olympians, in Greek
mythology, were the principal gods of the
Greek pantheon, residing atop Mount
Olympus. The Twelve Olympians gained
their supremacy in the world of gods after
Zeus led his siblings to victory in war with
the Titans.
