Probably written in the early-third-century, this Greek dialogue is centered around the return of the Protesilaos, the first hero to die in the Trojan War, and his commentaries and "corrections" of the Homeric tradition. Editors Maclean (religion, Roanoke College) and Aitken (New Testament studies, Harvard Divinity School) believe that the purpose of Philostratus in composing the Heroikos was to advocate for a revival of an "authentically" Greek religion of hero worship which still had popularity among the Greek populace, in contrast to the official religion of the Olympian gods. The editors argue that this could shed light on the understanding of early Christianity, arguing that the early Christian efforts to avoid hero-worship of Jesus show a familiarity with competing hero-worship religions. The English translation is faced with the original Greek text and an extensive glossary of terms is included. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)