Saturday, September 27, 2008

Hospitality in the Iliad

Previously, I noted the importance of hospitality in early pastoral civilizations and how the theme of hospitality to strangers is important in the epic poem The Odyssey. It is also a major theme in The Iliad. In particular, the downfall of Troy is occasioned by the Trojan prince, Paris, being a lousy guest in the home of Menelaus, the King of Sparta. In one sense, Paris having stolen away Helen, the wife of Menelaus, is an understandable slight from a romantic perspective: who wouldn’t be hurt and offended in this situation?

But it’s also understandable as a violation of the laws of hospitality. In fact, Menelaus describes it this way on the battlefield, after having killed the Trojan soldier Peisander:
“That’s how you’ll be retreating from the Greek ships, you insolent Trojans, always spoiling for a fight! Not that you are amateurs in other forms of abusive and shameful behavior. Look at how you abused me, you dirty dogs, when you broke the laws of hospitality and defied the wrath of loud-thundering Zeus, protector of guests, who is going to bring Ilium tumbling down before long.” (translation: E.V.Rieu)

So violating the laws of hospitality is a transgression of the order of things and provokes the wrath of the gods. I think a similar thing takes place in the book of Genesis when Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed after the guests in the town are abused by the townsfolk without the permission of their host Lot, who is saved. In other words, I think the issue here is not homosexuality as much as hospitality.

6 comments:

Brian Dunbar said...

I think a similar thing takes place in the book of Genesis when Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed after the guests in the town are abused by the townsfolk without the permission of their host Lot, who is saved.

In the version I learned in Sunday school the visitors were scouting for ten righteous people; if they found that number, the city would be spared. If not, doom.

I think the doom must have been in the cards: God knows all so He must have known that Lot was the only righteous man in the town.

Brian Dunbar said...

Hey, I just learned something courtesy of Wikipedia; about strangers and ill treatment.

That (per wiki) comes from rabinic tradition - no wonder I never heard about that in Sunday school.

Sounds like a place a fellow would want to shy away from.

Rufus said...

I guess where the story reminds me of other stories about hospitality is in the idea that you never know who your guests might be so you'd better be on your best behavior. In the Odyssey people keep having gods and great warriors show up as strangers in disguise. Here it's angels, if I remember right. But the idea seems to be that you never know, so don't take any chances.

As for God, I see what you're saying about Him probably knowing what the outcome would be, but I always got the idea that there was at least a decent chance that ten good people would turn up. I think He still doesn't know exactly what we're going to do- otherwise, there wouldn't be much point to having moral choices, since our actions would be predetermined.

However, this is one of the oldest and most difficult debates in ethics- the question of free will in a world in which God knows everything that will happen- so I'm definitely not able to solve it!

Holly said...

What's interesting to me is the idea of strangers showing up at my home/place of business and becoming guests. That is pretty rare in this day and age, but I think all the major world religions have references to this idea of how to handle wandering mysterious guests, who may or may not be divine.

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