[B-Greek] Is Thucydides helpful reading material?

Barry nebarry at verizon.net
Fri Oct 20 06:40:31 EDT 2006



N.E. Barry Hofstetter 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org]
> On Behalf Of Mary L. B. Pendergraft
> Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 7:31 PM
> To: Elizabeth Kline
> Cc: greek
> Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Is Thucydides helpful reading material?
> 
> The first time I taught Thucydides, I was sharing an office with Agnes
> Kirsopp Michels, daughter of the New Testament scholar Kirsopp Lake.
> (She was preparing to retire after 53 years of teaching!) When I
> commented on how difficult I found Thucydides, she said, "Don't worry.
> Cicero thought he was hard, too."

After intermediate Greek which included Plato and a semester of reading the Gospel of Mark, I engaged Thucydides and Aristophanes in the same semester.  Aristophanes was challenging but fun.  With Thucydides I felt I had passed from the Heavenlies to Gehenna...

But I agree with Carl.  Reading Thucydides was well worth it, and proved to me the truth of the "no pain no gain" cliché.

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