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Difference Between The Gods In The Iliad

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In reading the Iliad, there is a confusion about the gods and if they are omnipotent or not. The evidence in the text of the poem itself points in the direction that the gods are limited in more than one aspect. At the end of this chapter a question is posited about why Zeus did not uninvite Eris from the wedding of Peleus and Thetis (Harris and Platzner 321). The answer to this question is related directly to whether the gods are all-powerful or not. This confusion needs to be unpacked and a question needs to be answered, so that we can envision a clear picture of the limitations of the gods. Therefore, we must ask if the gods are really all-powerful? There is also a confusion with the word omnipotent, it looks as if a hierarchy is placed on the term omnipotent, but there is a problem with attributing a hierarchical structure to the omnipotent because either you are all-powerful or you are not, there is no degree of all-powerful. We will see that the gods are not omnipotent, but through physical strength along with the manipulation of nature, people, and the gods; destiny is therefore directed according to fate and assisted by the gods. The first thing to be investigated is the limitation of the metaphysical powers that the gods really have. Regardless of all these powers, there are some things that are beyond the control of the gods. The text gives an example of this by pointing out the fact that “Zeus…is unable to force the Olympians to comply with his wishes”

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