From Achilles to Christ: Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics
by Louis A. Markos
Christians can look back on the pagan classics from Homer and Virgil and see the universal human longing for a Savior. As Achilles and Odysseus struggle through their heroic adventures, the Christian can draw parallels to Christ’s own heroic deeds, finding the completion of every myth in the person of Christ. In the Bible, God often uses pagan kings to reveal His truth and further His kingdom. The truth of Christ can be found reflected in all of creation and especially in the greatest creative literature of the ancient world.
The author says that “…the great, overarching symbols of literature can function as they do only because history and the universe are inherently meaningful and moving toward a purposeful end.”pg. 133
The pre-Christian myths of the Greeks and Romans include the same symbols and themes that are present in the Bible, and which find their final fruition in Christ.
I loved the writing style of this book! It’s scholarly, but easy to read and understand even if you know nothing about Greek tragedy or Roman poetry. We not only explore the way in which the pagan myths point to Christ, but also how the plot structure and character development has shaped literature and all of Western thought. Each chapter gives a synopsis of the basic legends of the Trojan horse and Hercules and Zeus and Athena, and then we can analyze the main themes and symbols and see how they prepared the way for Christianity.
Because people in the ancient world would have been familiar with concepts like a scapegoat like Oedipus who sacrifices themselves to save the rest of their people, then they would be prepared to believe in a God who becomes human and sacrifices Himself to save all mankind. Greek tragedy was instrumental in popularizing value systems of virtue and honor, and therefore preparing the world to receive faith in Christ.
The author says, “…though the pagan poets and philosophers of Greece and Rome did not have all the answers… they knew how to ask the right questions – questions that build within the readers of their works a desire to know the higher truths about themselves and their Creator.” pg. 14
I think it is so important for modern readers to connect with ancient history in order to understand our past and be able to get a wider perspective on our present and future. If you don’t know where you came from, you can’t possibly understand where you are or where you are going. The threads of thought that we think today go all the way back to ancient Greek civilization. The author says that “…we should be able to discern in those events patterns that mark the hinge points of that greater cosmic plan.”pg. 134 The things we value, the way we make decisions, the way our governments and cultures and education and language are organized, all go back thousands of years; and amazingly the roots of things, the core of Western culture hasn’t changed all that much. To understand who you are, you must understand the people that came before you.
The entire first section of the book is dedicated to Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. The Iliad is the story of Achilles and Agamemnon, Paris and Helen, and the Trojan War. The focus is on the wrath of Achilles in the midst of war, and the transition from barbarism to civilization in the Greek camp. We analyze what qualities Greeks defined as virtuous and how those are similar or different from Christian virtues. The Greeks thought mostly of winning glory in battle so that their legacy would be remembered, but Achilles begins to question that value system. Through the Trojan War, we explore the paradox of personal choice vs. duty and destiny. Through all the horrors of the war, Achilles suffers loss and seeks revenge and indulges his wrath, but cannot find peace or any stability until he begins to share his grief with another. It is through shared grief that he, and the reader, finally find clarity and human connection. The author likens this to how Christ is also “acquainted with grief” and shares our sorrows. While Achilles begins his story with so much promise and potential to become a great hero, he fails again and again; but Christ is the fulfillment of that promise of a great hero and He never fails.
The Odyssey is the story of Odysseus trying to find his way home to his wife Penelope after the Trojan War is over. His house has been overrun by suitors for Penelope who want to take over, and Odysseus’ son Telemachus is too young to stop them. This story focuses on the duties and responsibilities of home life, and how each person, male and female, has their own role to fill so that daily life is peaceful and orderly. The author compares this to the Mosaic Law, saying that it is not enough that the law should be followed, but it must be “written on our hearts.” It is not enough for Odysseus and his son Telemachus to understand the concepts of virtue and honor in their culture; they must live out that virtue and cleanse their house from the usurping suitors, thus restoring the proper order and their family identity. Odysseus’ triumphant return to claim his family home is paralleled in Christ’s return in judgement as Scripture describes the Day of the Lord, a time of joy for faithful servants and of justice and destruction for evil.
The second section explores the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, analyzing their different approaches to how the Greek gods interact with humans, and how humans react to their fate in life. We explore destiny vs. personal freedom, the emotional vs. the rational, the needs of the family vs. the duties we owe to the state, and the nature of faith in a higher power that is ultimately mysterious.
The one that impacted me the most was the story of Oedipus. I used to hate that story, because it’s gross, but now I think about it in a completely new light. When he is born, it is prophesied that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother, so the baby is left out in the wild to die by exposure, but he is rescued and adopted by a king in a foreign land. He grows up and travels and meets a company of people, they have a conflict and he kills them all, not realizing that he has just killed his own father. Later he visits a city and meets the widowed queen and they marry, not realizing that he has just married his own mother. When a plague hits the city years later, Oedipus is told that the only way to get the gods to relieve this plague is for him to find the man who killed his father. Oedipus is committed to finding this truth, even when it means discovering the truth about his own true identity, leading to his own destruction. He is so honorable and courageous that he will face the truth no matter what it is. He willing sacrifices himself to save the city from the plague, just as Christ sacrificed Himself to save mankind from the plague of sin. I used to always think of Oedipus as just a tragic figure who succumbs to a terrible fate, not fully realizing how heroic his actions really are and how honorable and innocent he is despite his horrific deeds. In the struggle between fate and freedom, there is a tragic triumph is Oedipus’ self-discovery even while he maintains his true integrity. The Christian also has a paradox between free-will and predestination, where we have both the reality of personal choice and divine destiny that work together.
The final section explores the works of Virgil and the bloody history of the Roman Empire, and the author scrutinizes what he calls the “ghosts in the machine, the hidden forces that propel history toward its appointed end.” Virgil brings the Greek tragedies into a full circle with the history of Rome, showing how the Greek heroes are reborn in a way and their stories are recycled over and over through history. This point is where the Greek virtues of personal honor begin to transform into the Roman virtues of duty to your city. Private desires have to be set aside to fulfill the public responsibilities.
In the Aeneid, Aeneas flees the Trojan War seeking a new place to settle, and his destiny is to establish the great city of Rome. The author likens this to Abraham seeking for a Promised Land and a great destiny for a mighty people in the far future. They both work for the hope of something that they themselves will never see, but that their children’s children will bring to pass.
Over and over in the Greek and Roman stories, we see the theme of one person sacrificing themselves, giving their life to save others. This book made me see how Christ really is the center point of all of history, and every great story ever told contains reflections of that cornerstone of Christ’s death and resurrection. It resonates, not just forward in time, but also backward through all of history. After reading this book, I will never think of the scope of history or literature in quite the same way again.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.
Luminous Libro 