Browse our books below. You can also search for books.
HERREN, M., The Anatomy of Myth. The Art of Interpretation from the Presocratics to the Church Fathers. Oxford University Press, New York, 2017. XIII,231p. Hard bound with dust wrps. '[Herren] claims to have intended his book for students, including those who have no classical knowledge, and it is indeed blissfully free from academic grandstanding or scholarly jargon. The sweep of the story is wide, and within the summary above there are many enjoyable digressions, such as a chapter on ancient historians discussing such things as the historicity of the Trojan War. A dense subject is made an easy read. But Herren has also a serious purpose. He is concerned about the dangers of religious fundamentalism arising from the literalist interpretation of sacred books. His thesis is that the adoption by the Fathers of Greek methods on interpretation, including allegory, enabled the Church to avoid the fundamentalist trap as far as the Renaissance, and that the activity of interpreting authoritative texts, and the freedom to do so, has helped to create 'the society that we currently enjoy'.' (COLIN McDONALD Classics For All). € 65.00 (Antiquarian) ISBN: 9780190606695