Can Athene Help You Find Wisdom? Part 1

In this first article on the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, we explore how wisdom is intrinsically linked to spirituality.
Can Athene Help You Find Wisdom? Part 1
The ancient Greeks pursued wisdom through worship and reverence for the divine. "Adoration of the Goddess Pallas Athena," 1878, by Hector Leroux. Oil on canvas. Public Domain
James Sale
Updated:
0:00

Religion and salvation no longer preoccupy the modern Western world. Now, we focus on personal development and “self-actualization.” We see this idea played out in a thousand ways. But what does it mean?

One thing that the neglect of religion and salvation means is connected to the oft-repeated mantra “You only live once.” It implies that we need to enjoy or fulfill ourselves now. The clear implication is that we must ensure we drain every last drop of juice out of life and not miss out on anything that life has to offer before we go. This is why we hear more and more about bucket lists. It’s become a moral lapse—if not an actual crime—not to have ticked off everything on our “bucket list.” So get busy!

Religion and salvation no longer preoccupy the modern Western world. "The Acropolis of Athens," between 1832 and 1835, by Johann Jakob Wolfensberger. Watercolor. Zürich Central Library. (Public Domain)
Religion and salvation no longer preoccupy the modern Western world. "The Acropolis of Athens," between 1832 and 1835, by Johann Jakob Wolfensberger. Watercolor. Zürich Central Library. Public Domain

Further, self-actualization is all about perfecting the “self,” which is a word that has replaced “soul.” These words are synonymous in certain contexts, but increasingly they diverge in meaning. The old-fashioned word “soul” refers to the immaterial, immortal side of a human being that is infinitely precious but flawed and needs saving—whether that be through God or via, say, Buddhism’s Eightfold Path.

In fact, all religions, when you think about them, exist only because human beings are imperfect and feel, intuitively perhaps, that they need some mechanism bigger than themselves to provide delivery from the world. Thus, religions provide the steps needed to take us out of the cycle of sin or the cycle of desire.

Replacing the Soul With the Self

"A Gathering of Holy Men of Different Faiths," circa 1770–1775, by Mir Kalan Khan. Watercolor and gold on paper. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. (Public Domain)
"A Gathering of Holy Men of Different Faiths," circa 1770–1775, by Mir Kalan Khan. Watercolor and gold on paper. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Public Domain

Self, on the other hand, is about “me”: a good person who needs to do more yoga, become a vegan, “be kind,” and so on, in order to realize the perfection that is already there, already in me. Hence, we see online lessons showing us how to defeat “imposter syndrome.” The key mantra here is that we need to tell ourselves, “I am good enough.”

In a weird way, then, we don’t need to do anything at all. (So forget the yoga, veganism, and kindness.) We just have to believe in ourselves and our true amazing perfection will shine forth, and we’ll never be imposters again!

Of course, the idea that you “only live once” is not a literal fact but a dangerous assumption. As author and broadcaster Peter Stanford observed: “We imagine that we are so much cleverer than past ages, that their wisdom can be surpassed by our own, passed through the filter of science and logic and reason. The results are misleading and dispiriting.”

Perhaps, the fact is that we live twice. Virtually all cultures of the past thought so, and most people in the world today think so. It’s estimated that some 84 percent of the world’s population has a religious belief that includes an afterlife.

Pascal’s Wager

The personification of wisdom and truth shines light into the shadows of man in the painting "Allegory of Wisdom and Truth," circa 1750, from the workshop of Francesco de Mura. Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (Public Domain)
The personification of wisdom and truth shines light into the shadows of man in the painting "Allegory of Wisdom and Truth," circa 1750, from the workshop of Francesco de Mura. Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Public Domain

That’s why Pascal’s Wager is a percipient argument to consider. Simplified, the argument is that it’s rational to believe in God, because if you’re right, and God exists, there’s a big reward; but if you’re wrong, and God does exist, there’s potentially a massive downside! Again, if God doesn’t exist, whether you do or don’t believe in God, you share the same fate: oblivion. Thus, the rewards are weighted toward believing in God—which means, of course, believing in not living just once, but beyond death (which counts as twice).

Pascal also made the point that it was not only a question of whether God did or did not exist in terms of heaven and hell. He argued that believing in God grants moral benefits. Buddhism’s Eightfold Path has a moral dimension, for to accept Buddhism is to accept the validity of the Eightfold Path, and this path, like the Ten Commandments, enjoins one to act morally.

Interestingly enough, it is the moral question that dominates the ancient world and its view of the afterlife. By moral, I mean what is right and what is wrong. It means asking: Have we lived in accordance with the deepest precepts of our shared ideals as well as our own consciences? As the great Roman writer Cicero put it: “Away, then, with sharp practice and trickery, which desires, of course, to pass for wisdom, but is far from it and totally unlike it. For the function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil; whereas, inasmuch as all things morally wrong are evil, trickery prefers the evil to the good.”

So, we come to the key word: “wisdom.” When we can distinguish between good and evil, we have wisdom, and this constitutes the basis for a true morality. When we think carefully about it, it’s the moral question—What is right and what is wrong?—that dominates every aspect of our society today, not just in the past.

Minerva (the Roman equivalent of Athena) flanked by Peace and Justice, 17th century, by Claude Mellan. Engraving. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. (Public Domain)
Minerva (the Roman equivalent of Athena) flanked by Peace and Justice, 17th century, by Claude Mellan. Engraving. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Public Domain
Professor Mark William Roche put it this way: “Morality is not one sub-system among others, such as that there is art, science, religion, business, politics, and so forth, alongside morality. Instead, morality is the guiding principle for all human endeavors.” It follows that if morality is the key issue for us all, then acquiring wisdom must be the natural consequence of seeking to distinguish between good and evil. In biblical terms, this is expressed in Proverbs 9:10 as, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

The Ancient Greek Perspective

"Adoration of the Goddess Pallas Athena," 1878, by Hector Leroux. Oil on canvas. (Public Domain)
"Adoration of the Goddess Pallas Athena," 1878, by Hector Leroux. Oil on canvas. Public Domain

To pursue wisdom, then, is a spiritual undertaking rather than a secular one. The Greeks knew this very well, which is why they had a god of wisdom, or more accurately, a goddess: Pallas Athena.

Athena, interestingly, was the favorite offspring of her father, the supreme god, Zeus. Similarly, in the Book of Proverbs we find that Wisdom is the favorite of God, “rejoicing always before Him.” Wisdom and the supreme Power (God) are locked in some intimate, unbreakable, and inconceivable relationship that we can only approach figuratively. But what can we learn from Greek mythology about wisdom and its goddess? Are there aspects of her being that are relevant and insightful for our lives today?

I believe there are. In Part 2 of this series, I shall look into the origins and activities of the goddess of wisdom and show how her symbolic being makes profound sense in many ways.

The Scripture quotes come from the New King James Version.
Would you like to see other kinds of arts and culture articles? Please email us your story ideas or feedback at [email protected]
James Sale
James Sale
Author
James Sale has had over 50 books published, most recently, “Mapping Motivation for Top Performing Teams” (Routledge, 2021). He has been nominated for the 2022 poetry Pushcart Prize, and won first prize in The Society of Classical Poets 2017 annual competition, performing in New York in 2019. His most recent poetry collection is “StairWell.” For more information about the author, and about his Dante project, visit EnglishCantos.home.blog
Related Topics