Problems in Greek Literature: Divinity in Classical Greek Thought

The course discusses classical Greek perspectives on the gods and theology, drawing from both "philosophy" and "literature" and exploring their intersections and divergences. Topics include myth and myth-criticism, cosmology and cosmogony, allegoresis and hermeneutics, ritual and divination, and agnosticism and atheism. Major authors include Heraclitus, Aeschylus, Empedocles, Aristophanes, Euripides, the sophists, the Hippocratic authors, Xenophon, and Plato. The course works closely with texts in the original, but is open to students who wish to engage intensively through translation.