Genesis vs. Hesiod's Theogony.?

Question

Im doing my summer assignment. we have to compare the roles of human beings in genesis and hesiod's theogony. but there are no humans in hesiod's theogony. can someone compare these for me, im completely lost. :( thanks.

Answer 1

Another two humans, Prometheus and Pandora are in it, too.

(Third generation, toward end of this article.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theogony

Answer 2

OK.  I won't do the actual comparisons for you because that would be cheating; but I will help by giving your some hints.

Read Theogony again, more carefully this time.  Yes, most of it is about the gods, but there were humans in it.  For example, Alkmene and Semele bore some of Zeus' children.  That type of thing never happened in Genesis. Hesiod was a misogynist who said women were parasites that were only good for bearing sons.  That would explain why women were only casually mentioned in Theogony.  Women in Genesis had more complex roles and were portrayed as both good and bad.

Most of the humans appear near the end of Theogony.  Remember the heroes?  Heracles?  I suggest you concentrate on them.

Lastly, don't forget Hesiod. =)  He called attention to himself in his work, while the "author" of Genesis was never identified in the work itself.  Your teacher was probably not thinking about this when drafting the assignment, but this may get you some extra credit.

Good luck. =D