The London Lyceum Christians Reading Classics with Nadya Williams
Jan 14, 2026
Join Nadya Williams, a Classicist and author passionately exploring how Greco-Roman literature enriches Christian understanding. She discusses the significance of ancient texts in illuminating the Bible, enhancing spiritual formation, and the virtues offered through rereading. Nadya shares her insights on the importance of translation and contrasts emotional responses to classics before and after conversion. Delving into themes like humility and glory, she emphasizes how ancient works reveal deep spiritual longings and provide context for Christian hope.
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Classics Improve Biblical Reading
- Reading Greco-Roman classics improves your understanding of the Bible as a literary, antiquity-rooted document.
- Nadya Williams argues that knowing ancient genres and parallels clarifies biblical themes and makes hard biblical books more comprehensible.
Pick Translations That Keep Reading
- Choose translations that keep you reading rather than obsessing over a single 'best' version.
- Nadya Williams recommends picking prose or poetic translations based on what helps you stay engaged.
Glory Reveals A Warped Spiritual Longing
- Ancient literature's pursuit of immortal glory reveals a spiritual desire warped without God.
- Williams connects kleos in Homer to humanity's deeper longing for eternal life fulfilled in Christ.
