To be human is to strive to be better, and we cannot be better without knowing what is best. In ancient Greek philosophy and the Bible, what is best is god. Plato and Aristotle argue that the goal of human life is to become as much like god as is humanly possible. Despite its obvious importance, this theme of assimilation to god has been neglected in Anglo-American scholarship. Classical Greek philosophy is best understood as a religious quest for divinity by means of rational discipline. By showing how Greek philosophy grows out of ancient Greek religion and how the philosophical quest for god compares to the biblical quest, we see Plato and Aristotle properly as major religious thinkers. In their shared quest for divine perfection, Greek philosophy and the Bible have enough in common to make their differences deeply illuminating.

‘This exciting and learned book offers a coherent framework for reading both Greek philosophy and the Scriptures as pedagogies of ascent. More radically, it recaptures deification as a central - if not the central - task of philosophy.’

Christopher Justin Brophy Source: The Review of Politics

‘…well constructed, written in captivating prose and with a solid argumentative structure. In addition to this, the explicit comparative intent, although it places the volume beyond disciplinary areas, each characterized by an almost endless literature (and therefore in principle at the risk of exposing the work to specialized criticism from each of them) constitutes a valuable element, since it offers an accessible and, at the same time, judicious overview of a theme whose centrality, even in today's disenchanted and cynical world, cannot be overlooked.’

Marco Ferrario Source: Rivista Biblica