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Karl Cassel
ENG 141B Calloway
February 4, 2013
Word Count: 1,065

Judgment and/or Redemption?

What is ones conscience? That whispering voice of regret or imminent truth that seems

to loom in the back of your head after every wrongdoing or decision is, indeed, a powerful voice.

Is this voice a friend or a foe? There is always a preceding action or choice made in order to

trigger this conscience and more often than not it is the sin inside us, fallen humans, that

constricts our daily thoughts. The motives and judgment from the higher powers in Genesis and

Hesiod demonstrate justice; exposing the peoples brokenness and constant need of redemption,

yet conflicting on the idea of redemption. It is not uncommon to find examples of humans

disregarding the higher powers and in return facing the consequences. The main question is what

is the temperament and nature of these higher powers that dictate the peoples consequences.

The beginning of human life, in perfect harmony and peace, could not be a more ironic

place to uncover this concept of sin that would rule mankind for the rest of earthly time. As

Adam and Eve very well knew of their boundaries in the Garden of Eden, the conscience-like

serpent found its way in to their lives to impose an alternative life to be like God, full of

knowledge and prosperity (Genesis 3:5). This temptation was too much to resist and leads to the

breaking of the only law established which in return welcomes sin to the perfect world. From this

point, we see the helplessness and need of saving humans possess as they daily wrestle with their

conscience and better judgment to navigate their life between what they want and what God

wants.

In the case of Genesis, Adam and Eve sinned against a higher power, God, who cursed

them saying, for you are dust, and to dust you shall return along with various other
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punishments (Genesis 3:19). The weight of sin is present and they feel ashamed and naked. Next

there is Cain who murders his brother Able out of anger and then lies to God as to the

whereabouts of his brother saying, I do not know; am I my brothers keeper? (Genesis 4:9).

God punished Cain for his actions by making him a fugitive and wanderer of the earth where

he would find little peace or comfort. The great flood is, perhaps, the culmination of Gods

punishment on his creation at this time. God determined to make an end of all flesh, for the

earth [was] filled with violence and practiced this judgment by flooding the earth (Genesis

6:13). The wickedness of the human race displeased the higher power, God in the case of

Genesis, who then has to separate Himself from his unholy creation and punish them for their

sin.

This brokenness of human nature is also seen in Hesiods, Works and Days, where

Prometheus stole [fire] again for men from Zeus and paid the price for it (Hesiod ll. 42-53). In

his case, Zeus sends Pandora to Epimetheus who accepts her and then when the evil thing was

already his, he understood, but it was too late and evil was scattered to the world (Hesiod ll. 90-

105). Zeus portrays a much different character than God in Genesis in that he hides fire from

humans in the first place else [they] would easily do work and then deceives them into

receiving their punishment for stealing it. There is great human affliction and suffering in this

story as well as Genesis, begging the question of whether there is any redemption for mankind.

Taking a look at Genesis and Hesiod together, there is no question of the sinful nature of

humans, the mistakes and downfalls made, and the imminent punishment to come, however it is

extremely interesting to note the area of redemption in both stories. Audiences of all natures

thrive on the idea of redemption, giving immense possibilities to endings of stories. Looking at

Hesiods Works and Days, the intention of Zeuss punishment was that only Hope remained
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there in an unbreakable homefor ere that, the lid of the jar stopped her, by the will of Aegis-

holding Zeus and had no traces of grace in the least (Hesiod ll. 0-105). It was even part of

Zeuss will that the peoples redemption, Hope, be kept away in Pandoras jar. This sense of

hopelessness can also be found in Genesis in the story of the Tower of Babel. Confusion and

chaos separate the sinful people to all areas of the earth, however, God uses this panicked

separation to spread the people across the world and inhabit all parts of it. Perhaps the greatest

story of redemption is the death of Gods son Jesus who bore our sins in his body on the cross,

so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." (1

Peter 2:24). The punishment Zeus gave to the people is more logical because of the fact that they

stole from him and deserved judgment. For this reason, the grace bestowed on Gods people

through the sacrifice of his son is that much more miraculous and genuine. This connection of

God to His people is nowhere seen in Hesiod. Though justice is essential to life, the beauty of

grace covers over and brings redemption to those that are in such great need.

To conclude, Genesis and Hesiod portray similar stories of higher powers in relation with

mankind and their interactions. It is inevitable that sinful humans will go against and disobey

what has been set before them, making punishment and justice a necessity. It is how the higher

powers in these stories go about bringing justice and then dictating redemption that is so

interesting. This world is a dark place for those that are crushed by judgment, punishment, and

are without a hope for a better tomorrow. Ancient Greek literature can often produce this dark

hopeless feel which is also found in Genesis, however, lacks the idea of forgiveness and

redemption that humans hold on to so dearly. The similar ideas of justice and punishment held in

Genesis and Hesiod are so quickly given different meanings when challenged by the idea of

redemption and grace for the sinners of these stories. It is only a matter of time before we, as
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Christians, will face the final judgment and take full advantage of the grace our God graciously

lavishes on us.