I received The Gods of Reason, by Timothy Jay Alexander, because I was impressed with his previous books, Hellenismos Today, and A Beginner’s Guide to Hellenismos. I began reading this book with some unease, as I knew that it was a theological and philosophical discussion. I am not an intellectual or a scholar, so I was worried that this work would be over my head.

Those that are interested in the delving into the deeper concepts of Hellenismos need not worry that this work is too complex or difficult. Mr. Alexander has an uncanny knack to be able to breakdown complex subject matter into easy to understand text. At the same time, the conversation is not watered-down, and I must warn the reader that this is not light reading. Mr. Alexander goes into great detail about subjects such as the nature of the world, virtue and vice, the soul and afterlife.

He explains quite well how the theology of Hellenismos and science go hand in hand, and makes it quite clear that science and religion are not at odds with each other from a Hellenic viewpoint.

I not only learned quite a bit from this book, but it also gave me the courage to start delving more deeply into the philosophers which, while not mandatory to practice Hellenismos, can certainly enhance and only help one understand different schools of thought.

As usual, the Appendix is full of wonderful information; Plato’s Republic is my personal favorite.

I feel that the Gods of Reason is the best of the three books thus far, and I would highly recommend it for both experienced Hellenic Reconstructionists and those new to Hellenismos.

Tags: books, Ethics, Hellenismos, philosophy, Reconstructionism, reviews, Timothy Jay Alexander