One of the most important resources for the teacher or the student that wants a deeper understanding of the biblical conflicts presented in Ancient literature. Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature by Peter J. Leithart Leithart analyzes the grand classics of ancient literature, including The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid, commenting on each, section-by-section, and comparing their pagan worldview to the biblical worldview. Chapters contain questions to spark further interest and study, making this text perfect for high school students, as well as adults. Right now I am using this book as a teacher resource. It provides a wealth of background material and wonderful discussion question to focus on world view issues that spring from this literature. However I am working on making this a required part of the curriculum.

Week 3

The Syllabus is very detailed. Follow the instructions and answer the questions in your syllabus. Many times there are no questions just outlines. In those situations take notes under each section of the outline from your reading. Your teacher may give addtional or alternative assignments.

Biblical World View

The first page of Week three is a brief overview of the basic principals of Bible Study. There are a number of good books dedicated to the topic of How to Study the Bible. At a minimum, read the page on how to study the bible. It is much more desirable to do some Bible studies in conjunction with a book on how to study the Bible. A search on Google using the phrase “How to Study the Bible” will result in a large selection of Bible Study helps Such as the following Link:

http://www.bible.org/docs/splife/study/toc.htm

Work through the Pages in the Syllabus. Take good notes and discuss your work.

Use the Adventures in Art to review the modern art by Picasso, Kandinsky, and Pollock. You may also see more of these artists works at the ARTCHIVE.com. Look up the artist name on the left of the page and it will link you large selection of the artist work on the internet.

To listen to the music you will need to have the Norton Anthology of Western Music. Or you can see the Contents page of the Norton Anthology and Source your own music. Check your public library. They often have good selections of this music.

Greco-Roman World View

A number of people have asked dif there is a synopsis of the literature for the parent that is teaching a number of other children and does not have the time to read all of the literature that their students are reading. The best recomendation is to read the section on the Iliad from Heros of the City of Man mentioned above.

A Synopsis of all the literature is readily available in the Cliff or Monarch notes. These “notes“ do not really help the students because they do not give any help as to the World View elements that we ask the students to look for. They do however provide a quick overview and understanding of the work for the parent who does not have time to read all the works that their children are reading.

There are some additional helps along this line on the internet. This outline of the Iliad may be down loaded and printed. It provides a very concise overview of the book. Also The Virtual Iliad provides an in depth summary.

Here is a copy of the Iliad on line. You can download a text copy or use it online.

http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/iliad.html

Here is a good Geographical map of the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Use the questions in the syllabus as the basis for your discussions. The material in Heros of the City of Man is also helpful for discussion material. Depending on the reading skills of your students you may adjust the rate as to how long you take to read the Iliad.