Classics And the Bible - 9780715634813

The themes of hospitality and recognition run through both the Greek classics and the Bible, however they are rarely compared, either as literary topoi or as a reflection of a shared set of societal standards. Taylor (classics, Tonbridge school) examines the most enduring of the Greek and Roman classical stories, the Iliad, the Odyssey and theAeneid focusing on scenes in which the rules of hospitality are invoked. This is often coupled with a moment of revelation, either of a long lost traveler returning home or a god in disguise. The Greek-speaking writers of the New Testament may well have drawn on these stories or have operated from the same tradition. In either case, Taylor believes that more comparative studies would be worthwhile. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)