Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature

by Peter J. Leithart, Joffre Swait (Narrator)

To be fully educated, it is necessary to listen to the great pagan classics of Homer and Virgil and the ancient Greek playwrights. However, many Christians are often disgusted by the barbarity and violence, put off by the emphasis on honor and man-centered glory, and simply baffled by the long and tedious descriptions of battle scenes and elaborate ceremonies.

In this book written for high school students, Leithart gives a patient, yet critical examination of some of the greatest classics of ancient literature, including Hesiod's Theogony, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Aechylus' Eumenides, Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus, Euripdes' The Bacchae, Aristophanes' The Birds, and Virgil's Aeneid.

While Leithart expounds the deep and interesting symbolism, tropes, and deeper meanings of these classics, he never forgets the theological themes. The pagans were very concerned with salvation, but it was a salvation that depended above all on man, and thus there was a gaping hole that only the gospel could really fill. This book is perfect for high school students and includes numerous review and discussion questions for curricular use.

Audible Audio

Published March 25, 2024

About the author

Peter Leithart received an A.B. in English and History from Hillsdale College in 1981, and a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master of Theology from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia in 1986 and 1987. In 1998 he received his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge in England. He has served in two pastorates: He was pastor of Reformed Heritage Presbyterian Church (now Trinity Presbyterian Church), Birmingham, Alabama from 1989 to 1995, and was founding pastor of Trinity Reformed Church, Moscow, Idaho, and served on the pastoral staff at Trinity from 2003-2013. From 1998 to 2013 he taught theology and literature at New St. Andrews College, Moscow, Idaho, where he continues to teach as an adjunct Senior Fellow. He now serves as President of Trinity House in Alabama, where is also resident Church Teacher at the local CREC church. He and his wife, Noel, have ten children and five grandchildren.

Reviews

[Rob Lowery]

excellent defense of the study of classical mythology and analysis of some of the most important