The Omnipotence of Zeus
Van Liefferinge, Carine
The Omnipotence of Zeus - 2003.
12
While having been integrated into the framework of theology and philosophy, has Zeus always kept the supreme rank conferred upon him by the mythological tradition? Such is the question posed in this article, which, concerning itself mainly with Proclus, extends it to other representatives of the Platonic tradition. With Proclus the identification of Zeus with the demiurge leads to the question of the place of the latter in the philosopher’s hierarchical system. Proclus clearly situates him among the intellective gods. The figure of Zeus is, moreover, multiple and is found at various levels of the divine hierarchy. So it is clear that Proclus assigns Zeus an inferior rank. This new status illustrates a larger intention of the philosopher, who in casting out mythology’s traditional gods, advances a conception of the divine that permits him to harmonize the ancient theologies speaking of the gods of mythology and the Platonic philosophers who make the One the foremost god. This process, which appears to have been essentially the work of Neo-Platonic philosophers, was not that of George Gémiste Pléthon, who for reasons probably political, bestows upon Zeus his sovereignty.
The Omnipotence of Zeus - 2003.
12
While having been integrated into the framework of theology and philosophy, has Zeus always kept the supreme rank conferred upon him by the mythological tradition? Such is the question posed in this article, which, concerning itself mainly with Proclus, extends it to other representatives of the Platonic tradition. With Proclus the identification of Zeus with the demiurge leads to the question of the place of the latter in the philosopher’s hierarchical system. Proclus clearly situates him among the intellective gods. The figure of Zeus is, moreover, multiple and is found at various levels of the divine hierarchy. So it is clear that Proclus assigns Zeus an inferior rank. This new status illustrates a larger intention of the philosopher, who in casting out mythology’s traditional gods, advances a conception of the divine that permits him to harmonize the ancient theologies speaking of the gods of mythology and the Platonic philosophers who make the One the foremost god. This process, which appears to have been essentially the work of Neo-Platonic philosophers, was not that of George Gémiste Pléthon, who for reasons probably political, bestows upon Zeus his sovereignty.
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