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!
What a teacher loves his subject, that love is contagious.
Find out more HERE.
In what way is Old Western Culture a "Christian Approach" to the Great Books?
Old Western Culture is a distinctly Christian course. The creators of the course believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, the Providence of God working in history, and that all truth is God’s truth wherever it may be found. A Christian worldview is not “taught” as an afterthought, but assumed throughout and thoroughly integrated in the approach to the material. Below are two small excerpts from the course which demonstrate how this works itself out in Old Western Culture. Platonic Heresies and the Church (excerpt from The Philosophers). Why the Aeneid Mattered to Early Christians (and still matters today!) The … Continue Reading “In what way is Old Western Culture a "Christian Approach" to the Great Books?”
History: A Moral Requirement
The study of history is a moral requirement for Christians. Think of the Israelites who were required to remember the past. Think of Paul in the NT: ‘These things were written for our instruction.’ – Wesley Callihan, Porch of our Fathers
Preparing Younger Kids for a Great Books Education
One question that often comes up as we talk to parents of younger children is “How do I prepare my younger children for a Classical (Great Books) education?” What a great question! There is a lot to consider: do my kids need to learn Latin and Greek, do they need to be learning ancient history now, do we need to study the Trivium (grammar, rhetoric, and dialectic) in elementary? To help families with younger children, we’ve published a wonderful e-book by one of the top thought leaders and teachers in the world of classical, Christian education today – Wes Callihan, author of the Old Western … Continue Reading “Preparing Younger Kids for a Great Books Education”
Proclaiming Claudius Emperor
Claudius, the 4th emperor of Rome, had to be dragged out from behind curtains where he was hiding in order to be proclaimed emperor by the Praetorian Guard. A bookish man, preferring to write and study history, Claudius did not want to be emperor. After all, many of the previous emperors had been killed by rivals. It is said that Claudius, a partially crippled man from birth, accentuated his condition so as not to appear a rival to Caligula who had been killing other heirs. In the end, Claudius’ fears were not unfounded, for he was assassinated himself. Taken from … Continue Reading “Proclaiming Claudius Emperor”
A Tour of Wes Callihan’s Personal Library
Wes Callihan gives a tour of his personal library, located at his home in Potlatch, Idaho. This tour also doubles as a mini-lecture on a philosophy of the “Great Books.” Wes explains why his collection is slightly different than Mortimer Adler’s Great Books set (University of Chicago Press). Wes Callihan organizes his library chronologically by time period, in part so that he can brush his fingers through the “leafs of time.” Enjoy this tour! YouTube version HERE.
A Chronological Confession of Faith
ADVENT SEASON AND THE CHURCH YEAR Guest post by Wesley Callihan [dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Advent season marks the beginning of the church year. As my pastor once said, one of the most important things we can learn in our celebration of the seasons of the church year is the basic truth that calendars are not silent – they always tell a story. Calendars are not neutral. The question is, what story do they tell? Or to ask it another way, who is the Lord of time and does our answer show in the way we mark the passing of time? Philip Schaff, one … Continue Reading “A Chronological Confession of Faith”
Refuting the Syncretistic View of the Great Books | Wes Callihan
What is the source of truth? Wes Callihan explains the error of some proponents of the great books, who seek to find truth in a syncretistic approach to the Great Books.
The Unusual Use of the Trireme in Thucydides
In this excerpt from The Histories, unit 2 of The Greeks in the Old Western Culture great books series, Wes Callihan talks about the unusual use of the Trireme in this episode from Thucydides that saved the people of a city from certain death.