Might there be important value for Christians to read deeply of classical mythology, to engage the ancient stories of Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles and Virgil? How well do we know them? More importantly, to what extent have we as believers considered their importance in understanding the Mediterranean culture in which the gospel originally took root and their relevance for Christians today?
Last month I posted a provocative article by Louis A. Markos, Ph.D. and Professsor of English at Houston Baptist University. Here I attach a link to an excellent talk Markos delivered last year bearing the title of his earlier book, From Achilles to Christ: Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics. I have enjoyed familiarizing myself with Markos’s work, and this talk is an extremely well-informed and balanced presentation of the question. Of particular interest for this website is the consideration given here for the ways in which the truths embedded in the pagan classics might assist us to think more Christianly about our cultural engagement today.