A KEY TO UNDERSTANDING ZEUS IS THAT HE IS AT ONCE A WEATHER GOD, THAT IS A GOD WHO LOOKS AFTER A PARTICULAR FUNCTION IN NATURE, AND ULTIMATE GOD, WHO IS CAUSE OF EVERYTHING. THIS IS ENTIRELY INTELLIGIBLE AND WIDELY PARALLELED, BECAUSE THE SKY FROM WHICH WEATHER COMES IS, QUITE SIMPLY, ABOVE US AND EVERYWHERE. THERE IS NO NEED TO TRACE AN EVOLUTION FROM A WEATHER GOD TO A SUPREME GOD - ALL THAT DOES IS TO WORK OUT THE LOGICAL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE TWO (WHICH WE DO BELOW IN ZEUS FROM WEATHER TO FATE) OR WORSE SEPARATE OUT THE CONSTITUENT ELEMENTS OF HIS SUPREMACY. THE IMAGES OF THE THUNDERBOLT AND SCEPTRE DO ALL THE WORK THAT IS NECESSARY TO HOLD THESE TWO ASPECTS TOGETHER. THIRD, ZEUS IS ALSO PART OF A SYSTEM4 AT ANY ONE TIME: HE RELATES TO ALL OTHER IDEAS AND PICTURES THAT PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT THEIR LIVES AND TO ALL THE OTHER GODS. IT IS FROM THE TOTALITY OF GODS, NOT JUST FROM ONE OF THEM, THAT WE DEVELOP A SCIENCE OR THEOLOGY OF THE UNIVERSE. ZEUS, HOWEVER, UNDERPINS THAT SYSTEM AND IN A SENSE IS THE ONLY GOD THAT IS TOTALLY INDISPENSABLE!!!* HIS CHARACTER IS THEREFORE SPECIAL: HE IS REMOTE, INVISIBLE AND INSCRUTABLE!!!*
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