A Free Man in Search of the Truth about Himself. An Attempt at a Moral-Theological Rein-terpretation of Sophocles’ “Oedipus The King”

Abstract

Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King” is one of the oldest and most famous tragedies that belong to the common patrimony of humanity. It raises issues to which each generation must find its own answer. Some of these issues become particularly relevant at moments when the foundations of common anthropological concepts are shaken, as they are at the present time. The reference to pre-Christian literary works can be a starting point for a dialogue with those who do not share the Christian worldview but are open to an exchange of reflections about man. In this article the author, starting from the specifics of the adaptation of the myth in the Sophocles’ edition, through an outline of the wealth of interpretations of his tragedy through the centuries, arrives at a proposal for the moral-theological reinterpretation of this work in today’s world with the help of two examples: the question of the origin of the person in the context of parenthood and moral responsibility in a world dominated by individualism and a weakened belief in actual human freedom.