Deification in Classical Greek Philosophy and the Bible
Deification in Classical Greek Philosophy and the Bible
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To be human is to strive to be better, and we cannot be better without knowing what is best. In ancient Greek philosophy and the Bible, what is best is god. Plato and Aristotle argue that the goal of human life is to become as much like god as is humanly possible. Despite its obvious importance, this theme of assimilation to god has been neglected in Anglo-American scholarship. Classical Greek philosophy is best understood as a religious quest for divinity by means of rational discipline. By showing how Greek philosophy grows out of ancient Greek religion and how the philosophical quest for god compares to the biblical quest, we see Plato and Aristotle properly as major religious thinkers. In their shared quest for divine perfection, Greek philosophy and the Bible have enough in common to make their differences deeply illuminating.
- The first book-length treatment of the quest to become like god in classical Greek philosophy
- Explores the quest for perfection in human life
- Written in vivid, lucid, and jargon-free English
Product details
September 2025Paperback
9781009392969
376 pages
229 × 152 mm
Not yet published - available from August 2025
Table of Contents
- Introduction: Why better implies best
- 1. Theology as anthropology, anthropology as theology
- 2. Heroic deification in Ancient Greek religion
- 3. Ironic deification in Socrates
- 4. Civic deification in Plato
- 5. Developmental deification in Aristotle
- 6. Deification as loving union with God in the Bible
- Conclusion: Athens and Jerusalem.
