Chapters
Hortatory Address to the Greeks
Chapters
More
Chapter 17: Homer's Testimony
AND THE POET HOMER: using poetic license and competing with the original views of Orpheus about the many gods, mentions several gods in a mythical style. He did this so he would not appear to sing in a different way from Orpheus, whose work he clearly sought to rival, even suggesting this connection in the first line of his poem. As Orpheus began his poem with, “O goddess, sing the wrath of Demeter, who brings the goodly fruit,” Homer started with, “O goddess, sing the wrath of Achilles, son of Peleus.” He preferred, it seems to me, to disrupt the poetic meter in his first line rather than forget the names of the gods. But shortly after, he clearly and explicitly expresses his opinion about only one God when he makes Phœnix say to Achilles, “Not though God Himself were to promise that He would peel off my old age and give me the vigor of my youth,” where he refers to the real and true God. Elsewhere, he has Ulysses speak to the Greek host, saying, “The rule of many is not a good thing; let there be one ruler.” He argued that the rule of many is not good, but actually evil, by telling of the wars caused by having many rulers, along with the fights, factions, and mutual plots. For monarchy is free from contention. Thus is the poet Homer.