The Greek god of thunder and sky, and ruler of Mount Olympus, Zeus is notorious for disguising himself in order to seduces objects of his lust (including his sister and wife, Hera). Not surprsingly he became the father to a long list of other gods and heroes, including Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Perseus and Heracles. Hermes, also one of his offspring, served as Zeus's messenger, and gave his name to hermeneutics, the study of interpretation.
When Paul and Barnabas were in Lystra, the people were so astounded by Paul's healing of a crippled man and by his preaching,
"they shouted in the Lycaonian language, 'The gods have come down to us in human form!' Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. (Acts 14:8-13, NIV)
Despite Paul's explanation of the true God, they "had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them" (v18).
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