I have heard many Greek myths as bedtime stories and in my elementary school classes, but they were just always fun little stories to me until I took a world history class in seventh grade. After hearing these stories in more depth and learning about the cultures that started them, I wondered what significance they had on my life and religion. I found that many characters in Greek literature are often paralleled in Christianity. One of the most noticeable, yet under-acknowledged characters is Prometheus, the Titan who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to man and who also gave man hope. Prometheus has many similarities to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is my belief that Prometheus, like many of the other gods, has characteristics which were used in the origination of God and Christ. .
In order to relate Prometheus to Christ, one must first understand the relationship between Christ and God. Christians believe in the Holy Trinity, which is one God divided into three equal parts: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This was first stated as a truth in the Nicene Creed which declares the fact that Christians believe in (1-6, 18-19):.
one God, the Father almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth, of all that is seen .
and unseen. in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten .
of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, .
begotten, not made of one being with the Father [and] in the Holy Spirit, the .
Lord, the giver of Life, who proceeds from the father and the son. .
Thus, Christ also took part in God's creation of man out of the earth (Genesis 2.7). This creates the first parallel to Prometheus, for ancient accounts state that Prometheus made the human race out of clay. .
Prometheus and Christ are both hailed in different cultures as the savior of mankind. Prometheus tricked Zeus and stole fire from him which he gave to the humans.
