From Achilles to Christ: Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 264 pages
• Published by: IVP Academic August 30, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0830825932
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0830825936
• Book Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Weighs: 8.8 ounces

Product Description


"The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact." C. S. LEWIS

In From Achilles to Christ, Louis Markos introduces readers to the great narratives of classical mythology from a Christian perspective. From the battles of Achilles and the adventures of Odysseus to the feats of Hercules and the trials of Aeneas, Markos shows how the characters, themes and symbols within these myths both foreshadow and find their fulfillment in the story of Jesus Christ the "myth made fact." Along the way, he dispels misplaced fears about the dangers of reading classical literature, and offers a Christian approach to the interpretation and appropriation of these great literary works.

This engaging and eminently readable book is an great resource for Christian students, teachers and readers of classical literature.
Market/Audience

• Readers of stories and essays
• Christian secondary school teachers
• Students
• Home-school networks
• C. S. Lewis readers

Endorsements


"Through cogent readings of Homer, Sophocles, Virgil and others, Louis Markos searches the classics of antiquity for 'traces, remnants and intimations of that wisdom which made us.' Written in a clear and compelling manner, this timely study deserves a wide audience." ROGER LUNDIN, Blanchard Professor of English, Wheaton College

"Louis Markos is one of the most exciting writers around today and there are few more able to lead us on a tour through God's gallery of myth than he is." JOSEPH PEARCE, Writer-in-Residence and Associate Professor of Literature, Ave Maria University
Features and benefits

• Offers a Christian defense, interpretation and appropriation of classical literature
• Dispels misplaced fears about the dangers of reading classical literature
• Provides an great resource for Christian students and teachers of classical literature

Reader Reviews
An outstanding introduction to ancient Greek/Roman literary classics from a Christian perspective, Markos leads the reader through some prominent ancient Greek/Roman literary works, explaining the highlights of the "stories" and then digging deeper into their meanings and how they sort of "jive", in a faintly anticipatory way with some of the biblical themes of God, humanity, and redemption. Just as the gospel was set forth in shadowy, veiled form in the "old testament", there were glimmers of the gospel to be found in non-hebraic thought of antiquity as well. From Homer's Illiad and Odyssey, to Hesiod's Theogony, to Virgil's Aeneid, as well as the plays of Sophocles, Euripedes and Aeschylus, the author "demonstrates how the characters, themes and symbols within these myths both foreshadow and find their fulfillment in the story of Jesus Christ- the myth made fact. Along the way, he dispels misplaced fears about the dangers of reading classical literature and offers a Christian approach to the appropriation and interpretation of these great literary works." (from the book's back cover) Must, must reading for thoughful christians wanting to understand something of the popular stories and literature of the wider Greco-Roman World of which the new testament was a part.