The Role of Tragedy in Ancient Greek Myths and the Bible: Toward a SpiritHermeneutics-Inspired Pathways for Ecological and Spiritual Renewal

Abstract

The present non-exhaustive review article investigates the structural,
philosophical, and theological dimensions of tragedy within Ancient Greek
mythology and the Biblical canon, extending its analysis through Spirit
hermeneutics to evaluate their pedagogical utility for contemporary socioecological,

political, and economic challenges. Moving beyond surfacelevel literary readings,

this paper articulates how ancient myths operated in Archaic and Classical

Mediterranean societies as living cosmological frameworks designed to preserve

civic harmony and spiritual vigilance.
We explore the historical and mythological continuum preceding classical
Athens, including traditions that trace Greek philosophical wisdom back to
the Seven Sages (Hepta Sophoi) and primordial elders. Central to this
investigation is the identification of pre-Socratic monotheistic intuitions in
thinkers such as Epimenides of Crete—cited by the Apostle Paul—who
posited an eternal, transcendent Divine Reality. Utilizing a structured
methodology of comparative literary survey, the article analyses the
mechanics of tragedy as an essential alarm system (prowarning) for
political authority. Through a comparative examination of Attic dramatic
masterpieces and Old Testament narrative art (including the tragic sagas of
King Saul, Nebuchadnezzar, and Belshazzar), we show how ancient
literature diagnosed the catastrophic madness that inevitably attends power
alienated from covenantal ethics. We analyse the allegory of the Cretan
Minotaur, extending its symbolism to modern hyper-capitalism, artificial
intelligence domination, and ecological destruction as evidenced by
Indonesian forest wildfires.