Heroism and the Christian Life: Reclaiming Excellence - Softcover

Hook, Brian S.; Reno, R. R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0664258123 ISBN 13: 9780664258122

Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000

Synopsis

This volume is a literary and cultural investigation of the discord and resonance between classical ideals of heroic action and the imperatives of the Christian life, from the Homeric epic to the present day. Its central theme is the difficulty of recognizing, imitating, and participating in heroic excellence--a difficulty that has been a concern for classical, Renaissance, and modern writers alike.

About this title

About the Author:

Brian S. Hook is Associate Professor of the Department of Classics at the University of North Carolina in Asheville, North Carolina.

R. R. Reno is Professor of Theological Ethics at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

From Booklist:

Anger, not excellence, is Homer's first word in The Iliad; and the complex interplay of virtue and violence in the classical tradition is one reason twentieth-century thinkers, such as Bonhoeffer and Camus, held epic heroes at arm's length. Nevertheless, Hook and Reno's reclamation project will appeal to readers who hunger for heroes or see a discrepancy between their understanding of excellence and the heroes of commercial culture. The close readings of classical texts with which the book begins are demanding, but they serve its purpose and will reward those who stick with them. Classical literature, Hook and Reno say, "tunes our ear" and helps us read the New Testament well. Whether reading the New Testament with a classically tuned ear is reading it well is disputable, yet such reading can be productive of insight. Readers who share the book's concern with excellence may appreciate it the most, regardless whether they think excellence needs reclaiming; and having carefully read Homer, Plato, Virgil, Spenser, Milton, Camus, and Bonhoeffer will deepen public discussion of excellence, whether Christian or not. Steven Schroeder
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About this edition

• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0664258123
• ISBN 13: 9780664258122
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 253