Cassiodorus

In the middle of the 6^th century, Cassiodorus writes in his Institutes of Divine and Secular Learning about his desire to establish a school devoted to the training of Christian men in Scripture and in the basics of a classical education. He goes on to explain that because of the upheaval of his times he was unable to start the school. Instead, he says,

I was moved by Divine Love to devise for you, with God's help, these introductory books to take the place of a teacher. Through them I believe that both the textual sequence of Holy Scripture and also a compact account of secular letters may, with God's grace, be revealed. These works may seem rather plain in style since they offer not polished eloquence but basic description. But they are of great use as an introduction to the source both of knowledge of this world and of the salvation of the soul. I commend in them not my own teaching, but the words of earlier writers that we justly praise and gloriously herald to later generations. For learning taken from the ancients in the midst of praising the Lord is not considered tasteless boasting.

This vision expressed by Cassiodorus is not unlike our own. We also live in times when there is a great need for excellent Christian education, as many of the treasures of the past are being forgotten. Cassiodorus saw clearly how the learning and eloquence of the classical past could and should be harnessed for the study and teaching of Scripture, and for the edification of the church. In short, he delivers a powerful defense of classical and Christian education. It shouldn't surprise us, then, that it is from Cassiodorus that we get the division of classical education into the seven disciplines of the Trivium and the Quadrivium. Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric are the practical disciplines that must be mastered in order to study effectively the more abstract disciplines of the Quadrivium—Mathematics, Music, Astronomy, and Geometry. This system of learning has endured the test of time, and, until the earlier part of this century, was the basic template followed in most of the western world. Cassiodorus.org follows in this tradition, as we offer classes in Logic, Rhetoric, and Latin.

Most important of all is Cassiodorus's praise of the Lord in the midst of this learning, and his concern for the salvation of souls. The learning he advocated was only a tool, and only a good tool, in so far as it was used for the kingdom of Christ. This is very much our attitude as well. We at Cassiodorus.org hope “to herald to the coming generation learning taken from the ancients, in the midst of praising the Lord.“

World History

What is History, and how important is it? This may seem an unnecessary question; and yet, many people have a shallow and limited appreciation of both the nature of the study of history, and of its relevance to them.

For the Christian, History is the study of remembering the mighty deeds of God. The importance of history is strikingly illustrated in the opening chapters of the book of Deuteronomy. Moses is about to turn over the leadership of the nation of Israel to Joshua. It is vital to note that in preparation for giving the people the terms of their new life in Canaan, he begins with an rehearsal of the history of their travels to date. His tone is that of a command and an urgent plea as he reminds them of God's care, administered both by cursings and by blessings. Many times he uses phrases such as, "You saw with your own eyes..." and, "You must never forget..." He sums it up by saying, "You have had sure proof that the LORD is God; there is no other." The Israelites are to remember God's mighty deeds, because those mighty deeds are their sure proof that they serve the true and living God. They are to remember God's ability to bless, to conquer, and to annihilate. If they forget, they may turn after other gods to their own destruction. But if they remember, they will be faithful.

So, is the study of History still as essential today? I believe it surely is. First, gratitude binds us to remember God's mighty acts on our behalf. Second, our own faithfulness depends, to some extent, on how truly we understand the past. And third, we cannot possibly understand our place within our era without a solid comprehension of what God has already done for His people--for us--throughout all the years which have preceded us.

Course Summary and Profile:

Age Range: 14 and up

Topic: World History

Duration: 2 years

This is a two year World History course which is designed to follow "redemption history" primarily, while including highlights of political and natural history wherever possible. The readings taken from primary sources give us windows into the lives of those who have come before us. Our other goal is to give the student a general framework of World History which will lay a foundation for further studies in history.

Required Texts (Year 1):

• Bible (Genesis-II Chronicles)
• David Rohl, A Test of Time: The Bible, from Myth to History; also sold in the US as Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical Quest. **David Rohl at Amazon**

• Herodotus, The Histories
• Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War or
• Thucydides,The Landmark Thucydides *Recommended*
• Arrian, Campaigns of Alexander (also known as "Anabasis of Alexander")
• Caesar, The Conquest of Gaul (also known as "The Gallic Wars")
• Tacitus, Annals of Imperial Rome
• Bible (the Gospels)
• Wall Chart of World History, ed. Edward Hull

Required Texts (Year 2)

• Bible (Acts, Romans, Hebrews, II Timothy)
• Josephus (selections)
• Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History
• Rule of St. Augustine and the Rule of St. Benedict
• Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy
• Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People
• Einhard and Notker the Stammerer, Two Lives of Charlemagne (Penguin Classics Edition)
• Chronicles of the Crusades, ed. Elizabeth Hallam
• Chaucer, Canterbury Tales(readings to be announced)
• Luther, To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, and The Freedom of a Christian
• Book of Common Prayer and 39 Articles
• Covenant & Crisis In American History: An Anthology of American Poetry and Prose Illustrating Six Eras in American History, Ed., Dennis Oliver Woods
• William Shirer, Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent 1934-1941
• The Goebbels Diaries 1942-1943, trans. Louis P. Lochner
• The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, Philip Jenkins

Other books and readings to be announced. See also World History II Syllabus

Latin I

The study of the Latin tongue is very practical, and is an invaluable study for all students, whether young or old. One reason that should come immediately to mind is Latin's far-reaching impact on the English language. Taken in conjunction with the fact that it was, for over 500 years, the language of the Christian Church, this reason is more than sufficient to justify studying the language. But there are others. One benefit I cannot emphasize too much is the opportunity to learn about grammar within a regular language system. This aspect is one that will serve students well for the rest of their lives, whether they venture into modern language studies, or merely want to expand their own vocabulary and hone their communication skills. As you have guessed, I would like to see the study of this ancient language revived -- and that with enthusiasm -- in our modern schools. I personally enjoyed Latin very much, and I look forward to communicating this enjoyment to my students (and, by extension, to their parents as well).

Cassiodorus.org's online Latin class will be held twice weekly. During the first class I will introduce the chapter and get the students started on the assignments. In the second class I will review the lesson and answer any questions. As we have time we will work on in-class translation. Students will be encouraged to learn the lesson well so we can be free to do fun stuff in class instead of spending time on donkey work such as memorizing paradigms.

Ann Myers' text approaches classical Latin by taking the student on a tour of a Roman home. Students will learn the names for rooms and household items just like they would if they were going to live with a Roman family. This study of Latin doesn't just teach the basics of Latin grammar and vocabulary, but is also a fascinating lesson in the history and anthropology of the everyday life of the Roman home.

Course Summary and Profile:

Age Range: 12 and up

Topic: Basic Latin Grammar and Vocabulary

Duration: 1 year

Latin is usually associated with the first or "grammar" stage of the trivium of classical education. This course will equip the student with basic Latin vocabulary and grammar. We will use the classical pronunciation but will also focus on translating out of the Vulgate.

Required Texts

1. Latin Grammar I: A Grammar of Classical Latin For the Beginning Student, Ann Myers

2. The Vulgate and other Latin sources (available online)

Rhetoric

Rhetoric is a fundamental part of classical education. It is the art of effective communication, whether written or spoken. Or, as Aristotle puts it, it is the art of studying the available means of persuasion in any given situation. It teaches the ability to persuade others, and the power of analyzing the attempts of others (whether politicians, news media, or books) to persuade us, to discover whether those attempts are manipulative or beneficial.

Rhetoric has been a central subject in classical education for over two thousand years, because it is the art of organizing knowledge. It is the capstone of the Trivium, the three fundamental arts of learning; once the grammar (the particular facts) and logic (the connections between the facts) of a subject have been learned, the knowledge gained must be organized and incorporated into the student's worldview in such a fashion that it can be communicated to others.

Cassiodorus.org's online Rhetoric classes will cover the history and basic principles of rhetoric, a brief review of logic, and the skill of determining the structure of spoken communication (speeches, debates, arguments) and of written works of all kinds, from the sentence level to paragraphs to whole books. The course will include reading and discussing primary sources and current articles, and writing papers and short speeches to demonstrate ability in the principles studied.

Course Summary and Profile:

Age Range: 15 and up

Topic: The Communication Arts

Duration: 1 year

Rhetoric is the name for the last stage in the trivium of classical education. This course is designed to teach the student how to apply the principles of classical rhetoric to his own speech, writing, and communication. We will study the elements of the rhetorical situation and the available means of persuasion. The text for this class is written by the tutor, Peter Roise, and is primarily based on classical rhetoric as represented in Aristotle's Art of Rhetoric and Ad Herennium.

Required Texts

1. The Power of Persuasion, Peter D. Roise

2. The Book of Psalms

3. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

4. Rhetorica ad Herennium (Loeb Classical Library)

5. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Mark Twain

6. Bondage of the Will, Martin Luther

7. Leave it to Psmith, P.G. Wodehouse

8. Henry V, William Shakespeare

9. A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

10. Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace, Williams

11. That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis

12. On Christian Doctrine, Augustine

13. Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman

Logic

LOGIC

Everyone thinks, but not everyone thinks clearly. Everyone makes arguments, but not all arguments are valid. Aristotle points out that all people use the arts of logic and rhetoric in all their thinking and speaking, but some do so randomly, while others study the principles behind these two basic mental arts and apply them systematically. And Augustine reminds us that the rules concerning logic are not arbitrary and man made, but descriptions of the way the mind naturally thinks, whether correctly or incorrectly, as God has created it. The study of logic helps us to identify the errors and inaccuracies in what we and others think and say. This is valuable training for the mind, for it teaches the student to analyze carefully the arguments in the books he studies, and it is a protection against deception, especially in the news media and the political and theological arenas.

Cassiodorus.org online classes include reading and discussing the texts in class, and working the exercises in the texts. Working the exercises will involve a lot of practice in applying the principles of logic to arguments found in Scripture, newspapers, advertising, famous speeches, popular science, etc.

This course is recommended for students thirteen years old and older, and it helps greatly to have had or to be taking Algebra I. We may make exceptions based on parental evaluation of the student's ability to handle coursework.

Course Summary and Profile:

Age Range: 13 and up

Topic: The Art of Reasoning

Duration: 1 year

Logic is the second stage of the trivium of classical education and is a crucial stage in the educational development of a child. This course is written to be both practical in its application to everyday reasoning, and thorough in communicating the principles and patterns of reasoning in the symbolic abstract.

Required Texts:

1. Rhyme and Reason, Peter D. Roise

2. Proverbs of Solomon, The Bible

3. Weight of Glory (Collection of Essays), C.S. Lewis

4. The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

5. A Study in Scarlet, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

6. Father Brown Stories (Father Brown Omnibus), G.K. Chesterton

7. Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis

8. Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

9. Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin (first six chapters)

Register

REGISTER

You can now register for classes online. Just select from the classes below and pay with a credit card using Google Checkout. Then send me an email with the following information:

• Student's Name
• Student's Email
• Student's Date of Birth
• Your Mailing Address
• How you heard about Cassiodorus.org

If you want to send your payment by check through the mail, please print the Registration Form from either PDF or HTML format. Classes begin the second week of September. All times are Pacific Standard Time.

TUTORIALS	TIMES	Per Semester
World History 1	Tues 8:00-10:00	$200
Rhetoric	Tues 10:30-12:30	$200
World History 2	Wed 8:00-10:00	$200
Logic	Wed 10:30-12:00	$200
Latin I	Tues & Thurs 8:00-9:00	$200

Resources

Web Site Resources for Research, Writing, and Reference:
Here are some recommended online sites where you can find answers, and get tips for writing.

• Google is everything-- that is to say, when in doubt "google it."
• Wikipedia is a great place to start your research (just make sure you don't just use Wikipedia)
• How to write a thesis statement-- very important
• How to write footnotes-- Turabian Style
• Christian Classics Etherial Library is an online library that seems to include all the volumes of the "Church Fathers" set. It also includes the Father Brown stories of G.K. Chesterton.
• Another Church Fathers Link (Eusebius of Caesarea's The Preparation of the Gospel, is of specific historical interest since his references to Artapanus in this work comprise most of what we know about Artapanus (a Jewish historian who lived and worked in Egypt during the late 3rd Century BC).
• James Ussher's Annals of the World a great resource for world history students. Ussher gives a basic Biblical Chronology, and a summary history from a broad array of ancient sources.
• Complete Shakespeare for reading out loud in rhetoric class.
• Latin Grammar Guide with Charts--just what it sounds like it is. This is a Wikipedia article.

Must have software resources:
All of these are free software applications that are directly useful for taking this class.

• Open Office is an "open source" office software suite which will give MS Office a run for its money, not least of all, because it is free. I require students to use either MS Word or OO Writer for handing in their assigments.
• GIMP for Windows is a free "open source" image manipulation program. The names stands for "GNU Image Manipulation Program." It works much like Photoshop.
• Audacity is free "open source" audio recorder and editor software, which can export easily to mp3 and other audio formats. Please read the instructions for adding the mp3 export function (an additional file must be downloaded and placed in a certain folder and then you have to identify the path to the file when you first attempt to export to mp3).
  
• Firefox this internet browser comes with the java listed below, and is reputed to be more secure. I also recommend it for running our conferencing sofware (Web4M).
• Java this java software is necessary for our conferencing application.
• Online Bible is a freeware searchable Bible program with lots of readily available add-ons. (SPECIAL NOTE, the complete History of the Christian Church by Philip Schaff is available as an add-on!!)