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

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 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. This engaging and eminently readable book is an excellent resource for Christian students, teachers and readers of classical literature.

About the Author:
Louis Markos (Ph.D.) is professor of English at Houston Baptist University

Introduction: The Only Complete Truth     9
Homer
Hesiod's Theogony: In the Beginning     27
Homer's Iliad I: A History of Conflict     36
Homer's Iliad II: Civilization versus Barbarism     49
Homer's Iliad III: A New Ethic     60
Homer's Iliad IV: From Wrath to Reconciliation     69
Homer's Odyssey I: Coming of Age     79
Homer's Odyssey II: Coming Home     89
Homer's Odyssey III: The Journeys of Odysseus     100
The Greek Tragedians
Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound: The Birth of Tragedy     115
Aeschylus's Oresteia: Pagan Poets and Hebrew Prophets     124
Sophocles' Oedipus: The Human Scapegoat     135
Sophocles' Antigone and Electra: Questions of Duty     146
Sophocles' Women of Trachis and Philoctetes: The Tragedy of Character     157
Euripides' Electra and Medea: The Naive and the Sentimental     167
Euripides' Bacchae and Hippolytus: Apollonian versus Dionysiac     179
Virgil
The Sacred History of Rome     193
The Making of a Roman Epic     202
Virgil's Aeneid I: The Fall of Troy     210
Virgil's Aeneid II: Aeneas and Dido     219
Virgil's Aeneid III: To Hell and Back     229
Virgil's Aeneid IV:Just War?     237
Conclusion: The Myth Made Fact     247
Bibliographical Essay     251
Index     258