The Greek invasion of Troy was the equivalent of the Normandy invasion, the D day, of that epoch. Nothing like it had ever happened before. According to Homer over 1100 ships and over 100,000 men participated in this invasion. Comparing it to Normandy gives the modern reader a better understanding of what happened there. The Greek invasion of Troy was monumental for its time and changed the whole ancient world – much in the same way that World War II changed our world.

King Priam was basically a righteous and heroic man in his own right. He was very religious, always honored the gods, yet his city was destroyed and all of his family killed or enslaved. Why? It seems to me that the essential problem was he was a good man in an unjust cause. There is no question that the Greeks were justified in this invasion. Paris did more than just abduct somebody’s wife. He also abducted Menelaus’ son, and robbed the king of a good deal of his wealth. Perhaps even more serious than that, Paris violated the laws of hospitality. Yet, Priam allowed this. He had many opportunities for restitution. Yet, he did not take them. The message here is that a good man in an unjust just cause will lose. Perhaps his goodness allowed him to hang on as long as he did but in the end his cause was unjust and he paid the price.