Christianity and Classical Culture, Episode 4: Sophocles Part I

This month our exploration into the links between Christianity and Classical culture take us into the world of Greek tragedy, specifically the world of Sophocles.

Dr. Thomas Fleming explains how Greek tragedy was delivered and acted, how it was composed, and how the seven plays we do have of Sophocles may have managed to survive for 2,500 years.

In the second half of the episode we explore Oedipus Rex, the first in the cycle of the Theban plays. How do the Greeks view this tension between free will and divine foreknowledge? How can we compare the Greek view to the Christian view?

We also look at striking similarities between the attitude and behavior of Oedipus and that of the United States of the last 25-40 years.

We hope you enjoy this first part of a two part mini-series on Sophocles and these plays.

Original Air Date: April 15, 2016
Show Run Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Show Guest(s): Dr. Thomas Fleming
Show Host(s): Stephen Heiner

Christianity and Classical Culture℗ is a Production of the Fleming Foundation. Copyright 2016. All rights are reserved and any duplication without explicit written permission is forbidden.

Notes

Recommended translations:  1) the Loeb Greek/English edition by Sir Hugh Lloyd-Jones,  a thoughtful and intelligent wrestling with the Greek text, and 2) Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, for their beautiful and powerful verse-rendering--eminently readable and actable.