The Myth Made Fact: Reading Greek and Roman Mythology through Christian Eyes
by Louis A. Markos

5 out of 5 stars

C.S Lewis wrote an essay called “Myth Became Fact”, explaining that all the pagan myths hold a kernel of truth pointing to Christ. He said that “the heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact…” The story of Christ is a true history that “retains its mythic power and force.” Lewis believed that our imagination is fired up in mythical stories, and that those stories will guide our hearts to the truth. “Reason is the natural organ of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.”-C.S. Lewis

In this book, Dr. Markos expands on C.S. Lewis’ idea, and examines Greek and Roman myths, searching for the spiritual truths of general revelation and how they point to the special revelation of the Bible.
Fantasy stories and mythical narratives (even pagan ones) are powerful vehicles to capture our imagination and teach students how the truth of the Gospel is reflected in shadows in every culture and every belief system, since Christ is the “nexus point of history”.

Dr. Markos quotes Cardinal John Henry Newman who said that “all that is good, all that is true, all that is beautiful, all that is beneficent, be it great or small, be it perfect or fragmentary, natural as well as supernatural, moral as well as material, comes from Him [Jesus].”
In the Greek and Roman myths, we see those “fragmentary” truths that are realized in full within the Bible.

Since many cultures have myths about a god who dies and rises again from the dead, it makes sense that God placed a longing in every human heart for a great Hero to save them and conquer death. Greek and Roman myths are evidence that God prepared the way for Christ to come and fulfill of all humanity’s deepest needs. In Acts, Paul quotes two pagan poets, Epimenides and Aratus, using them as outside sources of truth in his sermon to the Athenians, showing that some aspects of God’s truth are known throughout the world, even without the full revelation of the Bible.

Each chapter introduces a Greek or Roman myth with a dynamic retelling that summarizes the main points of the story. Then we have a section reflecting on the main themes of the myth and how we see further revelation of truth in the Bible. We have clear analogies and symbols that are compared to the Bible where we can find true wisdom. And there is a section of questions that you could ask within a group study or classroom to apply the lessons learned and start a discussion.

Some of my favorite myths were Daedalus and Icarus, teaching us to keep to the middle road in moderation; and Demeter and Persephone, where we learn about spiritual cycles of death and rebirth; and Pandora’s Box, where we learn about human weakness and mercy.
Of the Platonic myths, my favorite and probably the most famous is the Allegory of the Cave, where we learn that the physical world is just a shadow compared to the surpassing reality of the spiritual world. Atlantis is another fun one, and we can see how the rise and fall of nations is in the hands of God.
Perseus is one of my favorite Greek heroes, and he is the perfect archetype of the Foundling who discovers that he has a royal heritage, just as Christ is a type of Foundling who grows up in a poor household, but is actually the Son of God.
The Quest for the Golden Fleece is the perfect quest adventure celebrating feats of courage, just as the Bible has many heroes known for their brave deeds like David and Gideon and Samson.
Another favorite is Hercules at the Crossroads, where he is tempted by sloth and chooses the way of virtue, and we can compare the hero to Christ who was also tempted and chose righteousness.

None of these are one-to-one comparisons, but we can see that humanity is longing for a noble hero who chooses the good, and as Christians we know that the ultimate Hero is Christ.

The story of Oedipus has so many layers, but this book focuses on Oedipus as a scapegoat for his city, just as Christ is the scapegoat for our sins.
The Golden Apple of Discord sets the Greek goddesses to fighting amongst each other and begins the massive Trojan War, just as the Bible teaches us that real spiritual warfare in heavenly places will influence real events on earth.
Daphne and Apollo is a tragic tale about the powerful forces of love, and as Christians we know that God’s love is more powerful than any earthly love.
The story of Echo and Narcissus is an examination of ourselves and how self-centered we can be, so that it takes an agape godly love to bring us out of ourselves.
Pygmalion is one of the few myths that has a happy ending, when Pygmalion falls in love and humbly begs forgiveness for scorning love before. The author urges Christians to know the true value of the people that God has placed in our lives.
The myth of Baucis and Philemon has a fun Biblical twist, because the story goes that those two characters were hosts to a disguised Zeus and Hermes, and they were rewarded by the gods. When Paul and Barnabas healed a man in Lystra, the citizens thought maybe they were Zeus and Hermes in disguise! They thought a myth was coming true before their very eyes, and Paul had to set the record straight.
Cupid and Psyche is about a soul’s journey out of paradise because she was too curious and rebellious. After a cruel and difficult journey, she finally is rescued back into the arms of her beloved and restored to fellowship, just as mankind was cast out of paradise and will be ultimately redeemed as the Bride of Christ.

This book does include all the violence and depravity of the original myths, but told in a proper way without any explicit details. Still, parents and teachers should be cautious about introducing these stories to younger readers, because of the sensitive content in the book.

I really liked that this book includes a lot of Bible verses, and quotes from famous Christian thinkers like G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis. There are also excerpts of poetry from Milton and John Donne and William Blake that illustrate spiritual concepts. There are also some pages with artwork depicting the Greek myths, and a whole appendix of literature and artwork and poetry and plays to explore.

I love that this book uses Greek and Roman myths to capture the reader’s attention, but the focus is entirely on Christ and the Bible.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.