The Myth Made Fact: Reading Greek and Roman Mythology through Christian Eyes

by Louis A. Markos

Discover Christ through Ancient Myths! "God is more than a god, not less; Christ is more than Balder, not less. We must not be ashamed of the mystical radiance resting on our theology. We must not be nervous about parallels and 'pagan Christs': they ought to be there it would be a stumbling block if they weren't. We must not, in false spirituality, withhold our imaginative welcome." - C. S. Lewis, Myth Became Fact Join renowned author Dr. Louis Markos on an unparalleled adventure for the modern Christian! In the spirit of C. S. Lewis, whose own acceptance of Christ hinged on his understanding that Christ is the myth become fact, The Myth Made Reading Greek and Roman Mythology through Christian Eyes mines wisdom of eternal value from the great storehouses of Greek and Roman mythology and traces the links that bind those myths to the Bible and the Christian life. The Myth Made Fact takes its readers on an exploration of Greek and Roman characters, art, and stories one that spans 50 myths and sheds new light on the legends of Hercules, Orpheus, Jason, Phaedra, Oedipus, and many more! The journey through myth unfolds through six unique parts, each pointing beyond the lustful and wrathful Olympian gods to the One Holy Creator who stands, like Aslan, at the back of all our stories. Part Journeys and Origins Part Platonic Myths Part The Four Great Heroes Part The Tragic House of Thebes Part The Tragic House of Atreus Part Love Lost and Found The Myth Made Fact offers distinct insight into how the common people of pagan Greece and Rome received their myths and used them as guides to virtuous living. By doing so, Dr. Markos helps his readers receive myth in the right not as historical tales that contradict the Bible, but as testimonies to the yearnings of people who lacked clear revelation but nevertheless hungered and thirsted for Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.

Genres: Mythology, Theology, Philosophy, Christianity, Education, Nonfiction, History

651 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 19, 2020

About the author

Dr. Markos earned his B.A. in English and History from Colgate University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Michigan. At the University of Michigan, he specialized in British Romantic Poetry, Literary Theory, and the Classics.

He has taught at Houston Baptist University since 1991, where he is Professor in English and holds the Robert H. Ray Chair in Humanities.

Reviews

[Anne White · Rating 3 out of 5]

As others have said, not what I was expecting in format or content. Designed for someone perhaps teaching middle schoolers in classroom or co-op, who needs discussion/debate material. However, I really did like the introductory part, so sticking with three stars.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so enjoyed reading this as preparation for and follow-up to a family trip to Rome this year. It hit the spot exactly.

Markos retells 50 of the most enduring myths of Greek and Roman mythology, shares a reflection on how they demonstrate general revelation or anticipate special revelation, and provides discussion questions at the end of each reflection to guide a class through the myth and its implications. This is the bulk of the book, and I enjoyed almost every one of the myths and its reflections. It provided a great review and even made sense of some of the myths that baffled me in college.

Even so, the introduction probably did me more good than the whole rest of the book. It gave me the framework for accepting the general truths about human wisdom and desires that mythology reveals while still holding the false and ugly parts of mythology in correct tension. It provided insight not only into ancient Roman stories, but also into art history, Tolkien's and Lewis' work, and even into the proliferation of the early church. Finally, the appendices were also excellent and I read every word of each one. The appendix about pedagogical approaches to myth is not to be missed; it provides a wonderful explanation of general vs. special revelation in Rom. 1 and Psalm 19.

Markos is an instructor through and through. His knowledge is expansive, and his footnotes' topics range effortlessly from biblical teaching to William Blake's poetry to history to Renaissance art. If education is truly the science of relations as Charlotte Mason would have it, then Markos is a vivid educator. Not only that, but he also always writes with an eye to how you could pass this information on to others--which I appreciate, because his book made me desire to do just that.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was a textbook when I bought it.

I wish the sections devoted to analysis were far longer, more in-depth, and drew more parallels across different stories. Much of Markos's analysis seems to be moralizing--a "How can a student read this myth and figure out how to be a better person?" sort of thing. This gets old rather fast. Sure, the myth about Hades, Persephone, and Demeter speaks to the cycle of seasons. But how can you read that myth and not also see parallels with Eve in Genesis? How can you read Plato's recounting of the Atlantis myth and not mention Noah and the pre-flood civilization, or the Tower of Babel?

The discussion questions at the end of each chapter were annoying to me. (I never like it when a book does the thinking and discussion for me. But I'm not the right audience for those questions.) Many of the questions seem to have nothing to do with the myth that was just explained, or are only vaguely connected. Many of the myths seem to be in service of the questions, not the other way around. In other words, the myths are used as jumping off points to help teach the students ethics. Teaching ethics is good, but I wanted something deeper than that.

The book is a good point of reference if you want a catalogue of various Greek and Roman myths. It's good for exposing junior high and high school kids to Greek myths in general, or for teaching ethics and character formation. But it's not the book I was hoping for.

See Lewis's "Myth Became Fact" essay here: https://judithwolfe.wp.st-andrews.ac....

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, and a book that I will “chew on” for awhile. I am not sure I fully agree with the author’s thesis, and certainly don’t agree with all of his theology, however he provides much to think about and wrestle with. The retelling of the myths are “family friendly” without being sanitized, and the discussion questions are thought provoking and helpful.

[Jaclyn]

I enjoyed the book; however, I didn’t realize it would have questions at the end of each myth. I skipped those. There also was some moralizing at times. I was more interested in this book to discover the parallels between the Greek myths and Christianity and the Bible. There obviously was some of that but I would have preferred more of the parallels and less of the moral lessons.

[Marcas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a magnificent and most encouraging work. Dr Lou Markos, of Greek stock himself, shares the good fruits of his lifelong devotion to the myths of ancient Greece and Rome.

Lou distils the great tales with careful and well considered precision, opening up the major themes and showing how each maps onto the Biblical story of reality. Like Lewis, he argues that the best of these great pagan myths are fulfilled in Yeshua of Israel - uniting Athens and Jerusalem in ultimate harmony.

In order to justify this, and amongst other things, he refers back to Genesis and the importance of understanding non-Christians as endowed with the Imago Dei, or image of God. This is a beautiful open message that Christians would do well to remember. It allows Lou to empathise with these high pagans. A layered reading of the Scriptures, congruent with the church through the ages and free from crude fundamentalism, enables Dr Markos to discern types of Christ in the fifty myths that demand his attention in this book.

He also reveals the big picture of the Bible, from that first book to the book of Revelation and shows just how good, the good news really is for ancient peoples, their myths, and even many non-Christians today.

In Christ's transfigured light, we can still appreciate and learn from these great stories in our day, as they orient us towards the good, the true, and the beautiful. Pointing to their ultimate source. He also offers an extensive appendix, showing how these myths have been reworked in different media, recommending various versions, to take the reader further up and further in.

Moreover, Lou has added excellent study questions to each chapter and some helpful pedagogical tips at the end of the book. This was a real breath of fresh air and Lou is a great reader, for anyone listening on Audible.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Kyle Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fascinating book, mostly awesome. 50 myths with 3 sections apiece-- a (very well done) retelling of the myth, analysis, and application. All of this is done with an eye toward how these myths connect to or foreshadow "the myth became fact", Jesus Christ. The author borrows that idea and his title from this quote from C.S. Lewis:

"We must not be ashamed of the mythical radiance resting on our theology. We just not be nervous about 'parallels' and 'pagan Christs': they bought to be there--it would be a stumbling block if they weren't...If God chooses to be mythopoeic--and is not sky itself a myth--shall we refuse to be mythopathic? For this is the marriage of heaven and earth: Perfect Myth and Perfect Fact."

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. It’s not clear in the description that this book is meant for teaching mythology from a Christian perspective specifically in a Christian school setting, so it wasn’t completely what I was expecting. It is easy enough to skip over the application portions which provide discussion points for a classroom setting. I didn’t agree with all of his conclusions or applications, and some connections were a stretch. However, there were plenty of helpful nuggets to make it a worthwhile read.

[Maggie Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed the myth retellings, especially the narrations on Audible. Markos brings the stories to life and is an excellent storyteller. There were a few commentary sections that were quite helpful to my understanding of the myth from a Christian perspective, but others that I felt like were a stretch or were too simplified. The audience of the book is for Christian high school teachers, and the purpose is to serve as a discussion guide for talking about the myths. Thinking back to myself as a high school student though, I would not have been satisfied with some of the applications, especially those concerning gender and the ideas of biblical womanhood and manhood. While these applications might can be drawn from Greek myth, there’s definitely complexity there that should be acknowledged and discussed in the classroom.

[Douglas Gates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened on Audible. Really good.

[Jeremy]

I haven't read this book, but from glancing at it, I think it might be like a modern day Ovide Moralisé.

[Jeremy Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book through the audio version and while the author has an engaging style to listen to the book is meant to be used in a classroom setting or a resource book to develop a class. The heart of the book is built off the experience CS Lewis had that led him from theism to the embrace of Christian faith. That experience coming out of the realization through his friend JRr Tolkien stating that “ Christianity is the myth that became fact.” Through that statement Lewis came to see that God put into the hearts of people even outside of Israel the desire for the Good, the beautiful, and the true. Something Lewis came to belief was fulfilled in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Markos is clear to make known that these stories gives glimpses of the desires for moral striving for virtue and divine deliverance and only such common elements can be found because God put them into the human race. Markos would say these stories are only a candle of truth whereas the scriptural stories are the sun of truth. Though he often makes connections between the two. He also makes the point that this thesis should lead others to explore the connection in cultures beyond the Greek and Roman culture. Markos can claim such a statement because he believes all truth is God’s truth.

[Saphraneet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I realize that this may not be everyone's type of book, but it was perfect for me. I loved it. The full title explains what the book is about. The author does a wonderful job helping the reader to understand that many of the Greco-Roman myths reveal how these ancient people had yearnings for Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, but no direct revelation that all these and more are found in the One True God and His Son.
This book can certainly be read for one's own study, but also can be used in a classroom. There are many explanatory notes throughout and lots and lots of helpful stuff in the back.

[Annie Bruza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent resource if you're looking to teach (or just explore yourself) Greek and Roman myths. This is not simply the myths taught from a "Christian perspective." Louis Markos argues that God paved the way for Christianity using these stories to tell us true things about ourselves and about the coming Christ. He talks about them literarily, using concepts like allegory instead of cheap moralizations. I felt occasionally that his discussion questions bordered on leading, but not to the extent that it had an overall negative impact on the book. I'm already planning on how to incorporate what I've learned from this book into my children's home education.

[Scott Goodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it.
Each mythic tale is told via summary/paraphrase, followed by a commentary and interpretation from a Christian perspective. The Christian engagement with old pagan mythos was enjoyable, and often enlightening.
I was not a fan of some of the author's (fortunately rare) soapboxing for conservative political points and the "dangers" of public education as compared to homeschooling.
This book was clearly written with a homeschool/Christian school audience in mind. If you can ignore the partisanship, it's a good read.

[Peggy Haslar · Rating 4 out of 5]

While offering a lively retelling of 50 classic myths that helped shaped the Western imagination, Louis Markos provides parents, teachers and lifelong learners a rich compendium of comparison/contrast references from Scripture, literature, music, art and film to aid in the understanding of these myths and their application for "the examined life." Markos adds a call for experts in other cultures such as African, Egyptian, Chinese, Japanese and Indian mythology to do the same. Appendix A, "Greek and Roman Mythology in Literature, Art and Film" is a keeper worth the price of the book!

[Kyndra Lemke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book to read since we were studying some of these myths in our homeschool. It gave Christian parallels and applications that really made us think through the morals and implications in these myths. Very good teaching points, and plenty of notes for extra tidbits and references for further readings.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. While I do think that at times he stretches to breaking point the echoes of Christian theology in some of the myths recounted, overall the work is just so magnificent that I can overlook some small quibbles. I doubt that any book exists that is at all like this one. It is also beautifully produced - a joy to hold in the hand and turn the pages.

[Becky Filipek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll go ahead and rate this, since we haven't picked it up in about 18 months. We read it alongside our ancient history study, but then stopped at the end of that school year. It's a good collection, and it provides helpful discussion guiding questions. I hope we will finish it next time we go through ancient history.

[Keshia Swaim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I somehow missed that this was a school textbook, so not quite as deep as I'd hoped. I do love Markos' assertion that God was preparing all cultures, revealing truths as the people were ready to hear them.

[Lisa Brantly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good - but not what I was expecting (this was curriculum for teaching children). I would like to read these ideas in a book written for adults. I will pass along to teacher friends.

[Michael Kenan Baldwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s alright

[Laraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixture of Greek and Roman Myths that can be translated into a Christian perspective.

[Becky Carlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classical reading group, used for family devotional

[Romulus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be great for teaching people of all ages mora lessons from greek mythology. I especially love the into that points out that tolerance is a false virtue.

[Doctor Doom · Rating 2 out of 5]

didnt realize this was a study book for school kids

[Kelsey Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for any Christian studying Greek and Roman mythology. I can’t imagine a better book on the subject of how Christians should view and can learn from these myths.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Increases my desire to read and know the Greek myths.

[Rob Lowery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book, perhaps the author goes too far in some places but gives a lot to think about