Divine Personality and Personification

Abstract

The Greeks thought of their gods as personal beings in human shape. They shared their belief in anthropomorphic gods with other and older cultures, some of which had contributed to Greek religious thought. But their intense personal quality set the Greek gods apart from others and brought them close to their mortal subjects. Eastern gods were also conceived of in the image of man but far removed from his level1. The deep gulf between human and divine therefore deprived oriental gods of the most typical and endearing characteristic of the Homeric and Greek Olympians.