Monks, saints and kings; Anselm and Aquinas; Dante; Chaucer and the Reformation.
Old Western Culture: Christendom is a full-year literature and history curriculum for high school students (and above). Hosted by storyteller and veteran teacher Wesley Callihan and other classical educators, learn about the greatest and most influential works in Western Civilization. Learn about St. Benedict, Charlemagne, and Alfred the Great in the first unit, Early Medievals. Discover the real story behind the Crusades in the second unit, The Defense of the Faith. Travel through through Dante’s Divine Comedy in the third unit, The Medieval Mind. And finally, sit down with John Calvin and other Reformers and learn about the Reformation in the final unit, The Reformation.
Most families buy the year. Any unit can also be bought on its own.
Unit 1 · Reader Vol. 9Benedict: The Rule; Procopius: Wars of Justinian; Gregory of Tours: History of the Franks; Gregory the Great: Dialogues, Pastoral Rule; St. Patrick: Confession; Adomnán: Life of St. Columba; Anonymous: Beowulf, The Voyage of Brendan; Bede: Ecclesiastical History of the English People; Einhard and Asser: Lives of Charlemagne and Alfred; John of Damascus: The Fount of Knowledge
Unit 2 · Reader Vol. 10Anselm: Proslogium, Monologium, Why God Became Man; Geoffrey of Monmouth: History of the Kings of Britain; Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend; Villehardouin: The Conquest of Constantinople; Joinville: The Life of St. Louis
Unit 3 · Reader Vol. 11Thomas Aquinas: Compendium of Theology; Dante: The Divine Comedy
Unit 4 · Reader Vol. 12Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales; Luther: Ninety-Five Theses, The Freedom of a Christian; Erasmus: Julius Exclusus; Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion; Cranmer, Foxe, Hooker: and other Reformation texts; Spenser: The Faerie Queene
Each lecture opens with a short review, then summary, commentary and connections across history, art and theology. The first lecture of each unit is free. Taught by Wesley Callihan, Wes Callihan & Chris Schlect.
Lecture 1 · Historical Overview of Christendom · 31 min · freePlays here on the page.
Every assigned text is in the four Readers, printed or as the eBooks that come with the course. Students are welcome to use other editions of the great books they already own with this course. The video lectures reference Latin or Greek line numbers, which allows a broader use of editions for those who prefer to bring their own.
Benedict: The Rule; Procopius: Wars of Justinian; Gregory of Tours: History of the Franks; Gregory the Great: Dialogues, Pastoral Rule; St. Patrick: Confession; Adomnán: Life of St. Columba; Anonymous: Beowulf, The Voyage of Brendan; Bede: Ecclesiastical History of the English People; Einhard and Asser: Lives of Charlemagne and Alfred; John of Damascus: The Fount of Knowledge
Anselm: Proslogium, Monologium, Why God Became Man; Geoffrey of Monmouth: History of the Kings of Britain; Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend; Villehardouin: The Conquest of Constantinople; Joinville: The Life of St. Louis
Thomas Aquinas: Compendium of Theology; Dante: The Divine Comedy
Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales; Luther: Ninety-Five Theses, The Freedom of a Christian; Erasmus: Julius Exclusus; Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion; Cranmer, Foxe, Hooker: and other Reformation texts; Spenser: The Faerie Queene
Old Western Culture is intended for mature and discerning students; we recommend it for ages 14 and up. The course deals with mature themes such as paganism, sexual immorality, battle scenes (mostly in the reading) and classical paintings, and is meant to equip your child with a Biblical lens for them. We assume a working knowledge of the Bible and basic Christian doctrine.
Two high-school credits: an integrated humanities credit, or one literature and one history credit. The credit assumes the lectures, the reading, the daily questions and the four unit exams.
Four nine-week units; plan on one to three hours a day, with 30–40 pages of reading. The Honors schedule reads everything; the Essentials schedule reads a shorter selection and still watches every lecture.
No. The Reader eBooks are in the app with the course, and the editions already on your shelf work too. We do recommend reading in print; the Readers’ advantage is every assigned text in one volume per unit.
Both work with the lectures. The Workbook (PDF included with the main curriculum; printed edition available as add-on) holds the questions for every lecture and reading with an answer key. The Companion is the fuller book: schedules, more questions at four levels, and the Digressios. Use it beside the workbook or in its place. The Christendom Companions follow from 2027; until then this year uses the Workbook.
Yes. Students watch at home and discuss in class, or a teacher lectures live. Ask us about group licensing.
No. You buy it once and it is yours for life.
The complete digital year, from $299. Add the printed Readers and workbooks above.
