June 23, 2004

New book looks at the meaning of the Parthenon Sculptures

Posted at 11:11 am in Acropolis

Robert Bowie Johnson Junior has published a new book about his own interpretation of the meanings behind the Parthenon Sculptures. It is worth noting here, before you read the book, that his views are not generally accepted by most of the archaeologists / classicists. If it is like his other previous books it is an interesting read in parts, but you ought to also read some other books on the meanings of the sculptures to give you a more balanced opinion of the range of possible interpretations.

From:
PR Newswire

New Book Deciphers Meaning of Parthenon Sculptures
Purpose of Athena’s Temple in Athens Understood for First Time in More Than 2,000 Years — Noah Depicted in Ancient Greek Art

ANNAPOLIS, Md., June 23 /PRNewswire/ — 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 from Solving Light Books, “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 Greek artists’ code, designed to portray their religious history simply and clearly, reached its highest and most straightforward form with the sculptures of the Parthenon, the national monument of Greece.
The author writes that Greek myth/art tells the same story as Genesis except from the standpoint that the serpent enlightened Adam and Eve in Eden rather than deluding them. “Greek art depicts the myth; Greek myth explains the art. Together, Greek myth/art takes us back through the Flood to a woman, a serpent, and a tree in an ancient paradise,” Mr. Johnson said.
The Parthenon Code reveals that the ancient Greeks rejected the Creator God of Noah in favor of “man as the measure of all things.” Thus, the Parthenon sculptures celebrated the re-emergence of the way of Kain (Cain) after the Flood. The Greeks called Noah Nereus, the “Wet One,” and dated the beginning of their religious outlook from the latter years of his life, depicting the patriarch’s image on many vases, seventeen of which appear in the book.
Mr. Johnson’s work contradicts the writings of the late popular mythologist, Joseph Campbell, who wrote that the ancient myths were merely subjective metaphors and expressions of the unconscious mind. “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 Parthenon sculptures restored by computer artist Holmes Bryant.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr. has been studying the Scriptures, Greek myth, Greek art, and the Parthenon since 1984. He is a graduate of West Point and an airborne ranger infantry veteran of Viet Nam. He previous two books are “Athena and Eden: The Hidden Meaning of the Parthenon’s East Facade,” and “Athena and Kain: The True Meaning of Greek Myth.”

Table of Contents, sample chapters, and Flash presentation of Parthenon Sculptures restored in color: http://www.solvinglight.com

Title: The Parthenon Code: Mankind’s History in Marble
Author: Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr.
Publisher: Solving Light Books
ISBN: 0-9705438-3-2
7×10 hardcover, 288 pp., 251 b&w illustrations, $29.95

The book is available to retail outlets through Biblio, a division of the National Book Network, 1-800-462-6420, or custserv@nbnbooks.com

The Parthenon Code is available now at: http://www.solvinglight.com

For further information, please contact Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr. of Solving Light Books, +1-410-757-4630, RBowieJ@comcast.net.

This release was issued on behalf of the above organization by Send2Press(TM), a unit of Neotrope(R). http://www.Send2Press.com

SOURCE Solving Light Books
Web Site: http://www.solvinglight.com

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