Socrates Searched for Jesus | by Steven Hunter
In Plato’s Meno, Socrates and Meno were conversing about the meaning of virtue and how one obtained it. Meno believed that virtue was relative to a person’s age, sex, and station in life (e.g. slave or free). He, then, posited that virtue was the ability to govern humanity, believing that justice was a virtue. As the conversation progressed, the meaning changed several times, but the turn came when the talk of obtaining virtue began to revolve around if one could learn virtue. Socrates asked But if the good are not by nature good, are they made good by instruction? Based … Continue Reading “Socrates Searched for Jesus | by Steven Hunter”
The Greatest Roman | By Wes Callihan
Vergil’s Aeneid, the epic poem which tells the story of the wanderings of Aeneas on his way to becoming the founder of Rome, is propaganda. But such a statement would not have bothered Vergil a bit. “Propaganda” in Latin simply means “things which ought to be propagated,” and Vergil certainly believed that the values espoused in his story needed to be spread about a bit. Aeneas was the ultimate Roman, primarily because he revered the gods. “Pious Aeneas” is the epithet used of him throughout the poem, and if anyone missed the point, they were asleep during the reading. Aeneas modeled for … Continue Reading “The Greatest Roman | By Wes Callihan”
John Chrysostom on the temptations to both rich and poor
St. John Chrysostom talks about the temptations to both rich and poor. He points out that while the sins of the rich tend to be obvious, the sins of the poor are just as egregious, and are not as evident. Chrysostom was the archbishop of Constantinople in the late 300s AD, and is a very influential Church Father, often quoted by Reformers like John Calvin who appreciated his pastoral teaching. This is from a collection of his homilies called On Living Simply: The Golden Voice of John Chrysostom. Students of Old Western Culture will learn about Chrysostom in Romans: Nicene Christianity.
Cincinnatus and George Washington
Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus was a Roman farmer in the 5th century B.C. Because Rome was in dire need of a leader to fight off invaders, the Roman Senate asked Cincinnatus to be “Dictator” for a term of six months. The Roman Senate was worried that the person they chose as dictator might not return the power to the Senate when the time was up. But the reason they chose Cincinnatus was that he was known to be a man of virtue, who had proven himself as a consul. After two weeks, he had taken care of the situation with their … Continue Reading “Cincinnatus and George Washington”
St. John Chrysostom on Redistribution of Wealth
St. John Chrysostom’s comments on whether we should be looking to the government (princes and kings) to redistribute wealth. Taken from On Living Simply, Sermon XLIII.
Plundering the Egyptians | by Wesley Callihan
I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians. – Exodus 3:21-22; 12:35-36 Does secular literature have any value for a Christian? There are so many good books by Christians – why should we waste our time with anything else? For many … Continue Reading “Plundering the Egyptians | by Wesley Callihan”
2015 Great Books Challenge for Parents (and how to earn FREE curriculum)
Are you giving your kids (or have given them) the classical education you never had? My invitation to you this new year is to dive in yourself! Old Western Culture is for parents too! While it may be daunting to pick up the Great Books and start reading, make 2015 the year you do it YOURSELF, and earn some FREE curriculum in the process! So here is my NEW YEARS CHALLENGE TO PARENTS: As a parent, use our newly released unit of Old Western Culture, The Aeneid, YOURSELF (with your kids if they’re the right age) before May 15th, 2015 UPDATE: EXTENDING DATE … Continue Reading “2015 Great Books Challenge for Parents (and how to earn FREE curriculum)”
Why the Aeneid mattered to the early Christians (and why it still matters to us today!)
In this excerpt from The Aeneid, part of the Old Western Culture curriculum on the great books, Wes Callihan explains why the Aeneid was particularly important to the Romans AND the early Christians. Find out more about this course HERE.
Should the time ever come…
The United States was founded by men who not only knew their classics, but considered them an essential part of who they were, and who we are as a nation. Old Western Culture is designed as a tool to give this heritage to the current and next generation of Christian students (and adults)! “Should the time ever come when Latin and Greek should be banished from our universities and the study of Cicero and Demosthenes, of Homer and Virgil, should be considered as unnecessary for the formation of a scholar, we should regard mankind as fast sinking into an absolute … Continue Reading “Should the time ever come…”
I strongly encourage you to read the Iliad…out loud!
We had fun with this one 🙂 Wes Callihan really does encourage his students to read the Iliad out loud!