Summarize Xenophanes Rejection Of Greek Myth And Images Of Gods

Philosophy as a whole is a revolutionary study. Instead of theology, which is the use of gods for reason, philosophy uses cosmogony, which makes use of rational reason based on observations. One famous philosopher, Xenophanes, addressed some of these theological and philosophical questions and denied traditional views about Olympian gods. His theory repudiated the existence of many gods, dismissed any conjured images of gods, and proposed the presence of only “One god” that was all-powerful. In this paper we will discuss and summarize Xenophanes’ rejection of Greek myth and images of gods, in favor of his more philosophical and rational “god.” Homer and Hesiod were among two of the most influential philosophers of the sixth and seventh centuries.
“If horses had hands, or oxen or lions, or if they could draw with their hands and produce works as men do, then horses would draw figures of gods like horses, and oxen like oxen, and each would render the bodies to be of the same frame that each of them have” (Curd 34). Every type of person will have a different image of god in their head, depending on our background, culture, and demographic. For example, in modern time if one is African American, we might think of our god as black, if one is white, god is most likely white to them, and to some, god might even take the form of a female. It is interesting to think that everyone who believes in god thinks of him or her as a different being and probably has a different image in their head. Xenophanes thinks that there is no possible way to know the actual image of god, so it is impractical to think up an illusory image since there is no evidence to create an absolute true
His Archē was one eternal god who was omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. This all present, all-powerful and all knowing god was not physically connected to the universe but still knew everything happening in it and could control it with his force. Unlike the Greek gods and goddesses, Xenophanes’ god had the dominance and control to, “without toil agitate all things by the will of his mind” (Curd 35). He does not get involved in society and human relationships and is rather a non-interventionist, eternal and wholesome presence: “Whole he sees, whole he thinks, and whole he hears”(Curd 35). This One god is forever powerful, and his existence is universal and unwavering, “always he remains in the same state, changing not at all, nor is it fitting that he come and go to different places at different times” (Curd 35). This is the opposite of the traditional Olympian gods who were very human-like and were varying and unpredictable in their actions and behaviors. This god was not a god of Moses or Jesus, but rather a god of philosophy and rational thought. He is intelligent and comprehends all things within himself, and then controls the universe through his will. This is an thought-provoking concept because it is difficult to put faith into someone or something that doesn’t even take the form of a human. It is so difficult to picture and acknowledge that this abstract being is