This book is about the theme of innocent suffering in the ancient world. After an introduction to the topic, and an overview of the Greek, Roman and biblical traditions, successive chapters deal with the lliad (Sarpendon and Hector); Heracles/Hercules; Socrates, the (Roman) Stoics; the Wisdom of Solomon and finally Early Christianity, with a concluding relection. A rare comparative treatment of a universal theological, philosophical and dramatic problem in the ancient world not less than the modern.