Garden of Eden Depicted on the Parthenon
New book decodes Greek Myth, deciphers ancient sculptural themes.
Annapolis, MD (PRWEB) August 20, 2004 -- Visitors to the Parthenon in Athens
and to the British Museum in London, where most of the Parthenon sculptures are
displayed, can now do more than “ooh” and “aah” at what they see: they can
actually understand what the Greeks were telling us about themselves and their
history. The newly-released book, The Parthenon Code: Mankind’s History in
Marble by Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr. deciphers the meaning of the sculptures of
Athena’s temple, relating their messages to the early events described in
Genesis.
According to the book, an authentic ancient artists’ code,
designed to portray the Greeks’ religious history, reached its highest and most
straightforward form on the Parthenon, the national monument of Greece. The
author maintains that Greek myth/art tells the same story as Genesis except from
the standpoint that the serpent enlightened Adam and Eve in paradise rather than
deluding them. “A sculpted depiction of the Garden of Eden, which the Greeks
called the Garden of the Hesperides, appeared on the sacred east pediment of the
Parthenon. As in all surviving Greek vase-paintings of it, the Garden featured a
serpent-entwined apple tree,” Mr. Johnson said. “The Book of Genesis does not
identify the specific type of fruit on the tree; it’s from the Greek tradition
that we get the idea Eve took a bite of an apple,” Mr. Johnson added.
The
book also says that Zeus and Hera, the first couple according to Greek myth, are
pictures of Adam and Eve, the first couple according to Genesis. And it explains
that the ancient Greeks knew exactly who Noah was, referring to him as Nereus,
the “Wet One,” and as the "Salt Sea Old Man." According to the author, the
Greeks rejected the Creator God of Noah in favor of the humanist ideal: “man as
the measure of all things.” The Greeks dated the beginning of their religious
outlook from the latter years of his Noah’s life, depicting the patriarch’s
image on many vases, seventeen of which appear in the book.
“The Greeks
created the living basis of our culture,” Mr. Johnson said, “Let’s give them
credit for knowing where they came from and what they believed, and especially
for knowing how to vividly express that crucial historical information to
posterity."
Reviewer Ron Pramschufer of BooksJustBooks.com puts Mr.
Johnson’s new book into a contemporary perspective: “While The DaVinci Code is
fictional and The Bible Code is bogus, The Parthenon Code presents a genuine
artists’ code which opens the door to long-hidden truths about the origins of
mankind.”
The Parthenon Code features 251 black and white illustrations
including twenty-seven Parthenon sculptures restored by computer artist Holmes
Bryant, based on the physical evidence. The 288 page book sells for $29.95, and
is available at The Parthenon Code Web site, and on Amazon. The book is
available to the trade at Biblio, a division of the National Book Network
(1-800-462-6420).
Contact Information:
Robert
Johnson
410-757-4630
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/8/prweb150805.htm