The Greenleaf Guide to Ancient Literature

An inductive approach to representative ancient texts from Israel, Babylon, & Greece. Text is divided in six units and 24 lessons. UNIT ONE is based on a study of Daniel 1-4 and focuses on the question, Why should a Christian study pagan literature? The question is answered using the biblical examples of Daniel in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar and Paul on Mars Hill in Athens. UNIT TWO is a review of Genesis 1-11. UNIT THREE focuses on The Epic of Gilgamesh, and analyzes what Babylonian religion taught about creation and the nature of God. UNIT FOUR is a 6-week, in-depth study of Homer’s Odyssey, with an emphasis on the Greek notions of virtue, excellence, and the hero. UNIT FIVE is a six-week study of Sophocles’ great tragic trilogy, Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonnus, and Antigone. UNIT SIX is a four-week study of the modern French playwright Anouilh’s retelling of Antigone, with a focus on how one’s worldview affects one’s notions of the heroic and the tragic.