The Christian Odyssey

how to seek glory for the glory of God

By: Joaquin Rivera

This article is part of the Claritas fall 2024 issue, Margins. Read the full print release here.

“Taylor Swift!” One classmate confidently proclaimed. “Lionel Messi!” Said another. My fifth grader mind scoffed. Those picks were unworthy. We had all been assigned to make a presentation on one of the key role models of our lives. After many, many presentations on random family members, famous athletes, and Zac Effron at least twice, it was my turn. “My role model is Napoleon.” 

Ever since I was three years old, I’ve had a fascination with famous historical figures. My brother played video games featuring the Roman Empire, so I came to idealize Roman military conquests. And fine, I’ll admit, I think about the Roman Empire every day. My dad was fascinated with Napoleon, so I read his books and became enthralled too. If you asked me back then why I found all this history so interesting, I probably wouldn’t have been able to describe it. But it was simply so alluring. I would spend hours daydreaming about putting myself in the place of those figures and imagining myself leading and conquering in their stead.

In ninth grade, I united my thoughts with a single word. We were reading the Iliad, the famous Homeric story that features Greek heroes and gods who battle against the Trojans. A few days into our reading, the teacher introduced us to the Greek word kleos, which often translates as “glory,” but more literally means “what people hear”, or in other words “your song.”  I realized that this term encapsulated why I had been so interested in the Napoleons and the Caesars of the world. It was this idea of impacting human history so much that you are remembered forever. That was the kind of feeling that I felt I wanted.

In stories like Homer’s Iliad, a pursuit of kleos was the primary motivation of most of the characters. They sought to achieve this by slaying their foes in battle and then collecting their arms and armor, with the hope that these exploits would be sung about in the generations to come. Achilles notably kills over a hundred different people throughout the story in order to cement his reputation as the greatest warrior in the world. 

To be fair to the Greeks, kleos isn’t entirely concerned with bloodshed. In book 6 of the Iliad, the Greek warrior Diomedes encounters the Trojan warrior Glaucus and intends to kill him. Both men recognize, however, that their grandfathers were once friends, and they immediately cease fighting in the middle of a war and exchange gifts, illustrating that one could be remembered by deeds of hospitality as well as prowess on the battlefield. [1] Additionally, Homer’s second epic, the Odyssey focuses on Odysseus gaining kleos by returning home and caring for his family. 

Interestingly, there is a scene where Odysseus enters into the underworld on his way back home and encounters the dead Achilles. Odysseus says to him, “You Achilles, no man before or after you is more blessed. For when you were still living the Greeks honored you equally to the gods, and now you greatly rule the dead.”[2] To him, Achilles achieved more kleos than any other man. Yet Achilles responds, “Do not speak to console me about death, shining Odysseus. I wish that I were one living on the earth as a serf to another, a man without land or possessions, than to rule all the dead who have perished.”[3] Despite his glorious legacy, he seems to refute it all and view a less glamorous life as more fulfilling. 

While our society no longer engages in Homeric style warfare, our idolization of having impactful legacies hasn’t changed. Prominent athletes, singers, and politicians, for example, have a taste of a fame that lasts long after their death. At Cornell, we are often told that anyone of us can strive for that kind of life, but few ever reach those levels. And from those who do, we know that fame isn’t the solution to human problems. Celebrities suffer from lack of privacy, strained relationships, and constant public scrutiny. 

But it’s not just the extraordinarily famous who are caught up in the pursuit of reputation. Even on our campus, students seek respect by joining in the “best” clubs, doing the most impressive internships, and landing the most well paying job. It’s something that I have fallen into, too. Yes, there are sometimes small moments of recognition that feel good in the moment, but those feelings are fleeting, and I wake up the next morning with my life unimproved by yesterday’s glory. 

As I grappled with the idea of kleos, and tried to find the proper motivations for my actions, I decided to see if the word ever appeared in the New Testament. I found that kleos occurs once, in 1 Peter 2. “Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit [kleos] is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.” [4] This comes in the context of a chapter that is generally speaking about how Christians are to act around non-believers, and how we are to endure suffering. To the servant who sins and receives punishment, there is no kleos—or credit—for him. But being virtuous and suffering as a result is a praiseworthy thing.

This presents us with an entirely different paradigm of what it means to pursue kleos, one that is built around a new definition of what is praiseworthy, a new level of accessibility to receiving glory, and a new audience to perform for. 

Concerning the first point, the Greeks largely emphasized deeds done in combat as things that were worthy of praise. But Peter’s ethic is that Christians should honor those around them, and not strive hatefully against those who disagree with them, and those who rule them. Rather, we are to lovingly submit ourselves to those around us. 

And it’s not just those with power and wealth who are able to be honored, since everyone, even servants, the most marginalized people in society, can live worthy lives under this framework. Kleos was likely a well-known concept in Peter’s day, as the Homeric texts were one of the most important elements of Greco-Roman culture. People would have been familiar with kleos as something associated with the heroes of old. Yet Peter is talking about servants. This is an incredible shift that emphasizes the entirely different nature of being a citizen of God’s Kingdom. We don’t have to possess certain material goods or social standings to be able to find glory; instead it is something available to all. 

Additionally, our audience isn’t fickle humans who pass away, but a God who watches everything we do; a God who wants to have a relationship with us because he loves us. And the deeds we do aren’t supposed to elevate our own stories—or song—but they should declare God’s goodness and perfect character to the world around us. People are still watching us, but the things ultimately should not be done to please them, but to point them to Christ. As Peter says later in his letter, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” [5] 

In addition to these other components, a new element of Peter’s paradigm is that Christianity is something done as a team, not alone. In the Iliad, deeds that earned kleos were almost always done as individual acts. If you fail to kill someone in battle, then that is entirely on you. But the Christian ethic is fundamentally communal. Paul famously calls the whole church one body, where every person is a member of the body and has a specific and important role to play. “But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” [6] And Paul practically lived out his life in such a way. Notably, when crowds began to praise him for his evangelizing, he was quick to tell them to praise God, rather than himself. [7]

It was striking to me to think about this image in the context of the literal definition of kleos: your song. Songs can often be individual works: I grew up as a classically trained pianist and, for the most part, only performed alone. Yet some of the most enjoyable music pieces are those that are performed as a group. I watched an amazing jazz performance as part of the Cornell Concert Series this semester, and it was so intriguing to see how all the instruments blended together, and how individual musicians would alternate between being featured in solos and playing supporting roles. 

Perhaps in the same way, the songs of our lives are the most fulfilling when we don’t try to be the sole artist but when we seek to thrive in community. And what’s more, the songs we produce actually do have eternal meaning. Yes, the name of Achilles has been remembered for millenia, but how about the billions of other people who have lived? Many probably strived to be remembered, and indeed, a few thousand people from throughout history do have a Wikipedia page. But history and human memory is fickle, and even Wikipedia will fade away. As Christians, we believe in eternal life with God our creator, and we can choose to do deeds on earth that “lay up treasures for ourselves in heaven.” 

These days, I still think it’s pretty cool to think about the Roman Empire and other ancient heroes and kingdoms. There is much to learn from Roman technological innovations, philosophy, statecraft, and military strategy. Yet Rome was full of corruption, violence, and economic injustice. As Christians, we have a far better role model in Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect human life for the sake of God’s kleos. He is the epitome of suffering on behalf of his good deeds for the sake of the Good News. In a world of rulers who gained power through military might, he showed a different kind of power, one built upon love for those around him. When people sought to kill him, he submitted to them and let himself die for the sake of humanity. And because of this, even though we can’t live perfect lives, we have the opportunity to share in this perfect glory. I still reflect on kleos, but focus on thinking about how my song is a part of the grand song of the universe written out by God, the divine composer. That is a song that will never die. 

Sources

[1] Homer “The Iliad,” Book 5. Translated by Richard Lattimore, University of Chicago Press, Illustrated Edition, 2011

[2] Homer, “The Odyssey” Book 11, Lines 484-485. My Translation

[3] Ibid, Lines 486-487

[4] 1 Peter 2:18-20 (ESV) 

[5] 1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)

[6] 1 Corinthians 12:25-26 (ESV)

[7] Acts 14