The Role Of Creation In Hesiod's Theogony

Hesiod’s account of creation, as outlined in the Theogony offers one of the most detailed and accepted theories of creation in the Greek culture. On the other hand, the Biblical account of creation, regarded as a Hebrew culture creation account, is to date one of the most widely acknowledged and accepted versions across various cultures seeking explanations for the origin of life and the earth. However, even though these creation accounts originate from two different cultures, they share some thought-provoking parallels in terms of their content and intentions, as well as some contrasts that make each of the creation accounts unique.
Both Hesiod’s and the biblical creation accounts are similar in that they argue that prior to the beginning of creation events, the earth was merely a void that had no shape or form and this void was filled with darkness. The Bible describes it; ‘….the earth was without form and void… and darkness was upon the face of the deep’ (NKJVGenesis 1:2) and a similar claim is made in Hesiod’s Theogony which alleges that in the beginning there was only confusion of Chaos and unbroken darkness.

There is a similarity in how the first humans in both accounts fall out of favor with their creators since they succumb to temptation and deceit. In Genesis 3:1-5 man disobeys God after being deceived by a serpent and the same happens in Hesiod’s account when man deceives Zeus by presenting an unacceptable sacrifice. Interestingly, in both accounts food is the major cause of temptation .This implies that both versions share a parallel intention which is to condemn greed for food and power. By explaining why man fell out of favor with his creator, these two creation accounts intend to clarify why man is alienated from his supposed creator in spite of being the most important and superior