Coping with the Gods: Wayward Readings in Greek Theology

Inspired by a critical reconsideration of current monolithic approaches to the study of Greek religion, this book argues that ancient Greeks displayed a disquieting capacity to validate two (or more) dissonant, if not contradictory, representations of the divine world in a complementary rather than mutually exclusive manner. From this perspective the six chapters explore problems inherent in: order vs. variety/chaos in polytheism, arbitrariness vs. justice in theodicy, the peaceful co-existence of mono- and polytheistic theologies, human traits in divine imagery, divine omnipotence vs. limitation of power, and ruler cult. Based on an intimate knowledge of ancient realia and literary testimonia the book stands out for its extensive application of relevant perceptions drawn from cultural anthropology, theology, cognitive science, psychology, and linguistics.

Review:

The aim of Greek rituals - sacrifices, prayers, hymns, processions - was to bring the gods from heaven to earth. This is exactly what H.S. Versnel achieves: his Sather lectures bring the Olympians from the heaven of philosophers and theologians to the real world of the mortal Greeks. Versnel places belief in the gods in the socio-cultural context of the Greek polis, with all its complexities, contradictions, and dynamics. Until a time-machine will allow us to ask the Greeks what they thought of their gods, we will have to do with Versnel's penetrating, imaginative, and stimulating reconstruction. - Angelos Chaniotis The high scholarly stature of this book and the author's formidable familiarity with a huge swathe of evidence and bibliography will be recognized by any reader - Donald Mastronarde C'est une veritable Summa theologica que nous offre Henk S. Versnel, un livre dense, fruit non seulement des Sather Lectures donnees a Berkeley en 1999, mais surtout d'une longue et feconde frequentation des dieux antiques, d'une vie d'enquetes et de questionnements sur les pantheons grecs et romains. ... l'ambitieux programme de complexification et de clarification conjointes [...] a produit un livre atypique, titanesque (comme le suggere le marbre moderne de la couverture, intitule Titan ), d'une richesse rare, voire unique, exigeant et stimulant. Un long periple, une surprenante odyssee , une necessaire exploration de la Divina Commedia, dont nous devons etre profondement reconnaissants a son Auteur. - Corinne Bonnet, in: Bryn Mawr Classical Review, August 2012. <'i>In this weighty and magisterial volume that grew out of his Sather lectures and that may rightly be viewed as the culmination of his career, Versnel both revisits and deepens his engagement with critical problems of what he calls Greek theology; his goal, as he puts it is to produce a more or less comprehensive introduction into some of the most seminal issues of ancient Greek religion. [...] Versnel combines deep erudition and engagement with both ancient material and modern scholarship [...] with impish wit. No student of Greek religion can afford-despite the price-not to read this volume. - Jenny Strauss Clay, University of Virginia, in: Religious Studies Review * Vol 38, Number 4 (2012) In dit magnum opus presenteert Henk Versnel een synthese van een deel van zijn nieuwe inzichten. Het is ronduit een schitterend werk geworden...Ik heb zelden zo'n goed beargumenteerd en schitterend geschreven boek over de Griekse godsdienst gelezen als dit meesterwerk. - Pieter W. van der Horst, Prof em. University of Utrecht, in: Nederlands Theologisch Tijdschrift (2012). Un monument d'erudition, impossible a assimiler d'un coup., - Pierre Bonnechere, in: Kernos 2012, 304-317 Densely textured though it is the volume is never dry. In addition to the fascinating material its style is unfailingly lively and frequently amusing. (...) Most important, however, this is the work of an author who loves his subject, so much so that he sees himself as in some ways its rescuer from the clutches of those who seek to confine the Greeks within 'late modern monolithical and mono-paradigmatic dogmas'. An important aim, and one amply fulfilled. - Emma Aston, In: CR 63 (2013). Il s'agit d'un travail gigantesque, important, truffe de reflexions passionantes, d'invitations au debat et d'interrogations qui viendront encore longtemps nourrir les lecteurs qui veulent comprendre comment les Grecs se debrouillaient avec leurs dieux... - Viviane Pirenne-Delforge, in: Mnemosyne 66 (2013), 348-352.