1a. The history of the Mediterranean world is tied to many kings claiming divine status. Often times kingship, creation and nationalism were tied together into an identity celebrated through ceremonies, festivals and anointing that tied the nation to God. (71). White claims that the tradition of divine kingship started after Alexander the Great went to Egypt after conquering Persia. There he was crowned as king and a god. After his death the tradition spread along with tales of his divine birth and death. Julius Caesar was also an early prototype for deification. The story goes that after his death his heir held a ceremony in honor of his apotheosis. During that ceremony a comet shone for seven days and was believed to be the soul of Caesar. Many deification ceremonies followed including Augustus, Hadrian (117-38 CE), Pius (138-60 CE). The gospels speak about Augustus. Peter says the people should honor him while John calls him a satanic beast. According to White this gives us insight into current events as the gospels of Luke and John are being written.
1b. After Demetrius conquered Athens the Athenians honored him by naming him king and giving him the title of Savior-God. They added his portrait to the sacred robe of Athena along with the other gods and savior-gods. At the spot where Demetrius left his chariot and took his first steps in Athens they built an altar called Descending Demetrius. This altar was honored almost as if Demetrius was descending to the Greece from heaven.
1c. According to the excerpt from Athenians Demetrius didn’t really agree with all the pandemonium that surrounded him. He thought that the title of king was reserved for Alexander’s bloodline. He reluctantly took the title. This says a lot about the way people of the time viewed their savior-kings. In this particular example we find evidence showing one of these individuals annoyed by his notoriety, denying his godliness despite popular opinion, and claiming that he is just a man.