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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Re-Appropriating 'Marvellous Fables': Justin Martyr's Strategic Retrieval of Myth in '1 Apology'

Re-Appropriating 'Marvellous Fables': Justin Martyr's Strategic Retrieval of Myth in '1 Apology'

Pretila, Noël Wayne

Paperback

Religion General General Christianity

ISBN10: 0227174585
ISBN13: 9780227174586
Publisher: James Clarke Company
Published: Sep 25 2014
Pages: 180
Weight: 0.55
Height: 0.39 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
An appraisal of Justin Martyr's approach to Classical mythology, showing his skill in co-opting pagan literature for Christian apologetics.

Edwin Hatch provided a colourful portrait of the religious world to which Justin Martyr belonged: The main subject-matter of ... literary education [amongst the pagans] was the poets. ... They were read as we read the Bible. They were committed to memory. The minds of men were saturated with them. A quotation from Homer or from a tragic poet was apposite on all occasions and in every kind of society (The Influence of Greek Ideas on Christianity, 1957). So when some of these pagans converted to Christianity in Justin's day, is it reasonable to assume that they simply forgot these mythical narratives in which they had been reared from childhood?

'Re-Appropriating Marvellous Fables' sets out to argue that this was hardly the case. Rather, Justin in 1 Apology can be seen taking full advantage of the mythical framework that still loomed large in the minds of fledgling Christian believers and students in his care - masterfully re-appropriating this popular form of religious discourse for the purpose of solidifying their newfound faith.

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