Reading

What has Herman to do with Homer?

Tony Reinke Herman Bavinck, Reading

In his excellent essay “Classical Education” Herman Bavinck traces out the long and quite complex history of ancient literature in the life of Christian education. Near the end of his essay he addresses the contemporary value of writings by Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Virgil, Horace, Homer, Sophocles, and others. The following quote is taken from the end of the essay as it appears in Bavinck’s Essays on Religion, Science, and Society (Baker Academic, 2008), page 242:

The study of antiquity is not only of formal and practical value: for the development of thinking, understanding Greek and Latin terms in our scholarship, understanding citations and allusions in our literature, and so fourth. Its lasting value also lies in the fact that the foundations of modern culture were laid in antiquity. The roots of all our arts and learning — and also, though in lesser degree, the sciences that study nature — are to be found in the soil of antiquity.

It is amazing how the Greeks created all those forms of beauty in which our aesthetic feeling still finds expression and satisfaction today; in their learning they realized and posited all the problems of the world and of life with which we still wrestle in our heads and hearts. They were able to achieve all that, on the one hand, because they rose above folk religion and struggled for the independence of art and learning; but on the other hand, they did not loosen art and learning from those religious and ethical factors that belong to man’s essence. In the midst of distressing reality, they kept the faith in a world of ideas and norms. And that idealism is also indispensable for us today; it cannot be replaced or compensated for by the history of civilization or new literature.

Perseus Classics Collection (Logos 4)

Tony Reinke Logos 4 Bible software, Reading, Writing

On Friday I downloaded a pre-release of the Perseus Classics Collection into my Logos 4 library. The new collection is the largest single batch of books I’ve downloaded since I began using Logos nearly two years ago. The collection is a library in itself of over 1,100 ancient Greek and Latin titles and includes many corresponding English translations and helpful commentaries. Authors include Aristotle, Cicero, Homer, Plato, Plutarch, Sophocles, Demosthenes, and many others.

The release of this massive collection is significant step for New Testament studies since many of the Greek titles are referenced in technical Greek reference works and lexicons like TDNT, BDAG, and EDNT. The folks at Logos have announced on their website that over time they plan to add lemma tags to all the Greek books and add hyperlinks to the lexical reference to correspond to the original books in the Perseus Classics Collection. So when you see a reference in TDNT to, say, Aristotle’s Metaphysics, the reference will be hyperlinked and a click will land you in Aristotle’s work to read the context for yourself.

Skilled Greek exegetes will benefit from the collection because of the tags and hyperlinks, but what about those who want to engage the classic Greek works on a less technical level? Most of the books are available as English translations. With these English translations the collection is quite accessible to all readers and offers many key books that can help sharpen your communication skills.

Last month I read Clear and Simple as the Truth: Writing Classic Prose by Francis-Noel Thomas and Mark Turner (Princeton, 2011). This book was an inspiring and helpful guide to understanding the persuasive power of writing in the classic style, a style that seeks to persuade by presenting truth as clearly as possible by a writer whose style builds symmetry with his reader. Write Thomas and Turner:

[The] sense of shared competence is characteristic of the relationship between writer and reader in classic style. There is always a tacit appeal to a standard of perception and judgment that is assumed to be general, rather than special. There is no need for the writer to make appeals to his sincerity, for example, or to some special insight or competence, to arcane or technical knowledge, or to a lifetime of experience obviously not available to anyone else. …

The classic symmetry between writer and reader is broken whenever the writer presents distinctions as if they are the product of her exceptional insight or temper, distinctions the reader could not have been trusted to see on his own in the right circumstances. (50–51)

If you have read the nonfiction works of C.S. Lewis you have been exposed to the classic style. Of all styles, the classic style is powerful one, but it’s also a subtle one that requires interested writers to do a lot of reading in the classics. Thomas and Turner motivated me to read more classic Greek literature and introduced me to many of the best-written ancient models of classic style. The classics that come highly recommended by Thomas and Turner are here available in readable English translations in the Logos collection. These include titles like:

  • Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War
  • Euclid, The Elements of Geometry
  • Aristotle, Poetics
  • Aristotle, Rhetoric
  • Plato, Apology
  • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, books 1-3
  • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, books 4-6
  • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, books 7-9
  • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, books 10-12

A wide range of readers will equally benefit from this collection, from skilled technicians of ancient Greek and to readers who engage the classics only in English translations.

So what is the cost of this library of classics?

Nothing.

The Perseus Classics Collection is free for Logos 4 users who simply need to place a pre-order. When it’s ready to download, the entire collection (over 600 MB of text!) will be added to your Logos library.

Pre-order the Perseus Classics Collection and find a full list of titles here.

Many thanks to our friends at Logos!

Should You Read My New Book?

Tony Reinke .Lit!, Reading

The other day I mentioned that 300,000 new books are published each year in the US. With so many new books to choose from, one blog reader asked why he should read my new book? What original contribution does book 300,001 make? Is Lit! worthy of a reader’s precious time?

Those are all fair questions to ask of my book or any book. And while I cannot answer these questions for you personally, perhaps it will help if I explain why I wrote my book.

For the last several years I have read any author who addresses the topic of book reading. And I wish there were more authors and books to choose from. I’ve read Mortimer Adler of course, and also Harold Bloom, but also a number of modern Christian authors like James Sire, Gene Veith, Alan Jacobs, C.S. Lewis and Leland Ryken. Not to mention a number of patristic and reformed writers throughout the centuries. Each of these writers has much to teach us about reading books and I commend each of them.

But as I read these books from a pastoral and Christian perspective my mind kept returning to two important themes that seem to be neglected or assumed in many of these books: (1) clear and transcendent theological convictions for why reading matters, and (2) practical tips to help struggling readers.

Out of those burdens emerged a book idea.

First, I had a vision for celebrating the inerrancy of Scripture and the sufficiency of Scripture, but in a way that is careful not to diminish the contributions of all other books. John Broadus once wrote that Chrysostom and Augustine speak not so much as loving pagan writers less, but as loving the Scriptures more. I agree. When we look back to our forefathers we see men who do not diminish the value of books in order to distinguish the value of one Book (Scripture). A very high view of Scripture can coexist with a high view of great literature. This theme became chapter 1.

Next, I had a conviction that faith in the gospel fundamentally alters our literacy. To date I have not read anything that connects how the experience of personal conversion changes how we read books, even — to choose just one example — how we read a contemporary business book. Yet as I studied Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 3:14–16 I began to discover how the gospel influences our literacy, and I wanted to write about it. This became chapter 2.

Next, I wanted to explore the challenge of prioritizing book reading in an image-driven society. Do we discover truth and meaning more clearly through language or images? The answer is language. This is an important conviction, but one I could not find articulated in a way that satisfied me. I wanted the discussion to honor the value of images and artists, while carefully showing the distinct value of language and books to communicate meaning. This became chapter 3.

Next, I wanted to show how the biblical worldview equips readers to identify what is true, good, and beautiful in the books we read. I am grateful for the narrative worldview framework emphasis (creation > fall > redemption > restoration). This approach brings clarity to the metanarrative behind all of creation and recreation. But the narrative approach has one weakness in that it tends to minimize the fruit of common grace in the world round us and can lead us to neglect what is true, good, and beautiful. To identify these things we must also develop a Christian worldview in the aggregate form, and so I sought to explain why this is critically important for discerning and cherishing books. This became chapter 4.

Building on that chapter was my conviction that God uses non-Christian books to benefit the life of Christian readers. I’ve been thankful for the many different ways this general theme has been communicated in the past, especially by John Calvin and his view of common grace. As I studied, I discovered seven concrete ways in which non-Christian books benefit Christians – spanning everything from mathematics and scientific discovery all the way up to matters of spiritual edification. I wanted to summarize my findings in one chapter, something brief and cohesive and yet also carefully nuanced. This became chapter 5.

Next, I believe that cultivating the imagination requires disciplined reading of imaginative books. Our imagination is actually one means by which God grows us in holiness, which is obvious in the use of such powerful imagery in the book of Revelation. This conviction about the imagination, and about the value of books to help us develop our imagination, became chapter 6.

I also wanted to express the conviction that fiction literature makes a valuable contribution to the life of the Christian. This is a conviction that took many years to develop in my own life. I’m a non-fiction, theology, and biography guy myself. If it didn’t really happen, then it’s fake, it’s make-believe, it’s un-true. That’s what I believed for many years. But as I have come to learn that fiction offers many benefits to the Christian reader. In chapter 9 I build off of the work of Christian literature scholars, especially Leland Ryken, to help Christians who are less convinced.

Next, I wanted to transition into the practices of effective book reading. I begin with the most important practical consideration that often goes unconsidered: What do we want our book reading to accomplish in our lives? By failing to answer this question we fail to identify reading priorities that will help us make wise book choices. In chapter 7, I explain how I developed my filters and I encourage all book readers to set aside time to develop these personally chosen priorities.

The reminder of the book elaborates on various reading practices. I wanted to write a chapter to help readers find the time in their busy schedules to read books (chapter 10). I wanted to explain how poor online reading habits lead to poor offline reading habits, and how ebook devices actually exacerbate the problem (chapter 11). I wanted to explain why and how I mark in my books and what those markings are intended to do (chapter 12). I wanted to explain how books can be used to build the local church community (chapter 13). I wanted to encourage pastors and parents to train up a new generation of readers (chapter 14). I wanted to explain the value of re-reading books, the joy of reading old books, and the danger of using books as idols (chapter 15).

I wrote this book to help Christians make book reading a priority in their lives. But for us to prioritize any discipline in our lives we must first have firmly rooted biblical convictions. This book is my attempt to explain and defend the most important convictions book readers need. Once those are settled, I want to explain certain practices that have helped me to become an effective and efficient book reader.

This project was quite ambitious. Was it too ambitious? Can one book accomplish all this? Will the scope of the book scare off Christians who don’t really read books to begin with (thus defeating my whole purpose for writing it!)? It is too soon to tell. But for now I can say that I am very grateful for a publisher who supported my attempt, a team of diversely gifted scholars who sharpened my thoughts, dear friends who encouraged me in the task, and an understanding wife who made it all possible.

My book, Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books, releases at the end of September from Crossway and is now available for pre-order here. It’s 200 pages long, and was written for Christians who want to improve as book readers.

Note: And if you’re in the Gaithersburg area, I’ll be teaching from the content of my book in a 3-week course on Sunday mornings at Covenant Life Church titled “How To Read A Book.” It should be fun. Classes will meet on September 11, 18, and 25 at 9:30–10:30 am with classes repeating at 11:00am–noon. I’ll post audio on the blog when it’s available.

Reading LOTR to Kids

Tony Reinke J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Reading, spurgeon

This morning I received the following question from Laura:

I see that you have Lord of the Rings as one of your featured books. Our son (just turned 7) is dying to have me read it to him, but I haven’t read it myself in decades and don’t recall how easy it is to understand. I know your kids are about the same age as ours so I wondered if you’ve given it a shot with them. Any insight would be great. Thanks!

My answer:

Hello Laura! Your question arrives at the perfect time. We are reading LOTR at the dinner table each evening. We just finished book 1 (of 6) in this beautiful edition. The younger kids need 15–20 extra minutes to finish eating so we’ve filled the time with Tolkien and a calorie-free helping of adventurous prose dessert. But LOTR has also proven to be a challenge and especially for the youngest two (and for me the reader!). The names and locations and language can get tangled and complicated and reading them verbally is an exercise in tongue-twisting acrobatics. Although we are going to press on, my regret now is that I did not begin with The Hobbit. If I had given it more thought that is where I would have started. The Hobbit is much less complicated, it is shorter in general, and I think it would have been a better entry door into Middle Earth for our younger two kids. I hope my regret can be your guide. Blessings in Christ! Tony

I know a number of you blog readers have read Tolkien to your little hobbits. Please share your experience with us in the comments.

Reading Classic Literature For Spiritual Edification

Tony Reinke Literature, Reading

How do Christians read classical literature for spiritual edification?

Jim Hamilton provides us with one nice model, not only in how he thoughtfully cites excerpts from literature in his recent book on biblical theology, but more recently in how he connects Mark 12 and the plot of Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick. See Hamilton’s blog post: “Tenants, Traps, Teaching, and the Meaning of Melville’s ‘Moby Dick.’”

Preachers should take note of how Hamilton enlists classic literature for his sermon illustrations. Too frequently preachers draw their illustrations from entertainment world when classic literature abounds with even better and more useful sermon illustrations, illustrations that simultaneously reinforce the value and importance of reading to his congregation.