KellyP
Member
Me again - sorry
This may get cleared up as I find out if I even have the right book, but many of the stories in "Famous Men" include a lot of material regarding the greek gods and goddesses. Hercules, Agamemnnon, Thesus, Ulysses and so on. I'm afraid my 2nd grader, while a sharp cookie, will have difficulty extracting fact from fiction. I admit I'm paging through, but this caught my eye - can anyone help clarify? Thanks!!
thepinkballerina
Member
I've just noticed this also and am concerned with reading this book! I don't want to read myths about gods and godesses at all and just want pure fact to read--which chapters DON'T have myth contained within the story??
I may read the The Trojan Horse book since it is geared toward younger children and will tell the girls historians argue if this is a war that truly happened or not--since there are gods/godesses in the story, it seems more obvious that is is mostly fiction/myth. But this is what the Greeks *say* happened. Pointing back to how the bible is ALL TRUTH since it is God inspired.
Tara
The handbook spends the first lesson explaining how the ancient Greeks created gods after their own image and made up stories about them. The lesson plans skip the chapters that give those stories; I don't think our younger children need to study those false beliefs and can get dangerously caught up in those false stories.
That first lesson, if I remember correctly, also distinguishes the difference between myths and legends. We pick up the story of Ancient Greece with the legend of Hercules, being careful to discuss how legends "grow" over the years.
In that sample of the handbook is a little article on my thoughts about dealing with the false gods in studying the Ancients. That might give you some more details.
KellyP
Member
From what I've read in the blue covered book, the distinction between real and false is vague - for example in the chapter on Hercules it says "Greatest of all the heros of Greece is Hercules....his mother was one of the decendents of Perseus and his father was Jupiter."
AND
"Bravest of all the Greeks who went to fight the Trojans was Achilles. He was the son of Peleus and the beautiful sea nymph Thetis, at who marriage feast teh goddess of discord had thrown the golden apple among the guests."
I'm "ok" with reading a few myths (am thinking of doing some of D A'laires Myths, but making sure they are CLEARLY realized as stories about false gods). My main concern is the way Famous Men reads, this distinction isn't made clear in this particular edition, in my humble opinion.
Some of the chapters like about Socrates and Alexander the Great look ok. I'll peruse the lesson guide again and see how to best proceed. Might be buying a new book. :( Anyway, thought you might want to know.
In the Greenleaf Press version, the opening line about Achilles inserts the word "said" to help us understand that his ancestry was part of the Greeks' made-up stories:
Bravest of all the Greeks who went to fight the Trojans was Achilles. He was said to be the son of Peleus and the beautiful sea nymph . . .
My greatest concern in exposing young children to mythology is their getting fact and fiction confused; I do not want them to confuse pagan mythology with true accounts of the one true God. It sounds like our desires come from the same heart attitude, ladies. Please feel free to do what you think will accomplish that goal best in your families.
KellyP
Member
Thanks Sonya - yes, that is my concern exactly. Not sure what I will end up doing. The other book at least sounds better, though I think the title is a misnomer, since many of the characters in it were not real men, but that is my own opinion and certainly has nothing to do with you. Thank you for all you do, your responses and concerns.
Hi everyone. I appreciate this discussion as we are currently in Module 2 as well. I found the Shearer's notes on pp 143-145 in Famous Men of Greece to be a helpful reminder, as well as Sonya's thoughts in Module 1 & 2 and CM's words on mythology.
In Module 1 we were fascinated to see how each plague so directly unseated a false Egyptian god and glorified the one true God.
In order to help put the Greek false gods in Biblical context for Module 2, I added in two extra readings before beginning Famous Men (agreed, it's a horrible title). First, we read Chapter 77 (Acts 17,18) from Catherine Vos' The Child's Story Bible entitled "About the Unknown God" and then the next day I read from Don Richardson's Eternity in Their Hearts, where, based on historical recordings, he gives an account (written in narrative-style) of how sometime during the sixth century before Christ, that altar to to the unknown god came into being. In short, a plague had struck Athens and, following unsuccessful sacrifices to their false God's, the poet Epimenides is brought from Crete where he has the Athenians acknowledge their ignorance and appeal to the great and merciful God, whom cannot even be named by them.
Through this event, God paved the way for Paul's ministry six hundred years later amidst a culture glutted with gods! Paul's knowledge of Greek history and culture is apparent as he even references their poets.
Last summer, on a camping trip our kids made friends on the beach with a little boy. Afterward, my son told me that our younger son asked their new friend if he believed in God. The boy replied that he likes the Greek gods and they went on to tell him about Jesus' sacrifice and God's mercy compared to the spoiled-rotten behavior of the Greek god in question. I credit this to being able to expose our children to mythology in a thoughtful and controlled way and with much prayer.
All my best,
Richele
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