NOTE: I will need at least 3 interested parties to run a given seminar.

Registration Cost: $29 for one participant, or $19 each for multiple participants in the same family or group.

The Epic of Gilgamesh - The oldest surviving piece of extra-biblical literature in the world, the Epic of Gilgamesh presents us with the stunningly vivid adventure story of a Sumerian demigod whose deeds Father Abraham himself may well have heard growing up. With his friend, the wild-man Enkidu, Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk, travels to the ends of the earth looking for the secret of immortality in a world run by cruel, warmongering gods who ruled after the Great Flood. Along the way, Gilgamesh and his friend learn enduring lessons about family, friendship, the duties of kings, the limits of human existence, and the uneasy relationship of the artificial, sophisticated "good life" of the City to the untamed, raw state of Nature. Content Advisory: most translations of the text, including this one, contain two fairly graphic sexual scenes in the early pages; after this, such material does not occur.

Duration: 3 weeks
Required Book: The Epic of Gilgamesh

Homer, The Iliad - Homer's two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey arguably stand at the root of what we know as Western civilization. Built on the ancient (and likely true) story of the Trojan War, the Iliad explores several crucial "faces' of what it means to be human - love, civilization, ethics, divine oversight of the world - as focused through the lens of one of the most memorable characters of all time, wrathful Achilles. In this 3-week seminar, we will explore Homer's text both on a "macro" and a "micro" scale, seeking to better engage this foundational work of Western civilization.

Duration: 3 weeks
Required Book: Provided

Plutarch's Lives: The Lawgivers - Writing during the time of the Emperor Trajan in the first century AD, Plutarch is famous for his series of "parallel" biographies exhaustively examining perennial issues of history, public ethics, war and peace, economics, the founding and destroying of states, and others. This seminar will intensively look at three of the Lives, those of Theseus (Athens), Romulus (Rome), and Lycurgus (Sparta), focusing on issues of how to set up a good political order and properly deal with the numerous problems a new state will always face as it starts to make its way in the world.

Duration: 3 weeks
Required Book: Provided

Plutarch's Lives: The Politicians - Writing during the time of the Emperor Trajan in the first century AD, Plutarch is famous for his series of "parallel" biographies exhaustively examining perennial issues of history, public ethics, war and peace, economics, the founding and destroying of states, and others. This seminar will intensively look at three of the Lives, those of Alcibiades (Athens), Agesilaus (Sparta), and the Gracchi Brothers (Rome) with an eye to discerning the promises and pitfalls of practical politics in a rough-and-tumble world of factionalism about the common good.

Duration: 3 weeks
Required Book: Provided

Plutarch's Lives: The Statesmen - Writing during the time of the Emperor Trajan in the first century AD, Plutarch is famous for his series of "parallel" biographies exhaustively examining perennial issues of history, public ethics, war and peace, economics, the founding and destroying of states, and others. This seminar will intensively look at three of the Lives, those of Pericles (Athens), Pelopidas (Thebes), and Cicero (Rome) in an effort to gain a better understanding of what truly good, constructive leadership of a free society ought to look like - and what sorts of dangers await the good man amidst so many who are not.

Duration: 3 weeks
Required Book: Provided

Herodotus: The Persian Wars - Herodotus was the first Western thinker to write a rational account of culture and its impact on the historical events of both his own day and the past.  The culmination of his work is the story of the Persian invasions of Greece in 490 B.C and 480 B.C., which propelled the Greeks to become the great people we remember them as. Along the way of his fascinating narrative, Herodotus gives us profound insights into basic human character and motivations, giving his work a universal rather than a merely provincial character.  As well, he stimulates us to think seriously about such pivotal issues as the crucial difference between what seems to be true and what actually is true, the age-old battle between tyranny and liberty, and what it means to be a free, self-reflective human being.

Duration: 3 weeks
Required Book: The War for Greek Freedom

Homer, The Odyssey - Homer's two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey arguably stand at the root of what we know as Western civilization. Built on the ancient, vivid stories of the "Returns" of the great Greek heroes of the Trojan War, the Odyssey raises profound questions about the relationship of philosophy and mythology, the quest for domestic tranquility in a world of constant conflict, the true nature of heroism, and the value of mortal life when set next to temptations for gaining immortality.

Duration: 3 weeks
Required Book: Provided

Thucydides: The Peloponnesian War - Of his account of the great war between Athens and Sparta, Thucydides wrote, "I have not written this as an essay to win momentary applause, but as a possession for all time."  The story he tells of this seemingly provincial war is meant to highlight universal themes so as to serve as a storehouse of wisdom about human nature's propensity to war because of our apparent inability to navigate the tricky relationship between justice and power.  Must wars be waged?  Are there objectively good or bad ways to wage them?  How do they bring out both the best and the beast in man?  These questions and more arise from Thucydides' compelling narrative of the great war between Athens and Sparta from 431 - 404 B.C. In this 3-week seminar, we will explore these questions and more.

Duration: 3 weeks
Required Book: On Justice, Power, and Human Nature

Plato: The Trial of Socrates - Few thinkers have had such profound effects on the Western world (and through the West, the rest of the world) as Socrates of Athens, especially as his life and work have come down to us from his major student, Plato. The 20th century philosopher Alfred North Whitehead wasn't exaggerating when he said that all of Western philosophy after the 4th century B.C. is just "a footnote to Plato." Nor was the eminent 4th century Christian bishop, Augustine of Hippo, wasn't exaggerating when he said that were only some words and phrases to be changed, "Plato would have been a Christian." This 3-week seminar focuses on three of the key dialogues of Plato for getting to know the shape and form of the philosophical enterprise: The Euthyphro, The Apology, and The Crito.

Duration: 3 weeks
Required Book: Provided

Abridged Roman History - The history of Rome is in many ways just the history of the West, because the Romans managed the incredible feat of fusing all the important previous strands of civilization into one overarching whole. Moreover, the bulk of the history of Christianity in the West is intrinsically wrapped up in the history of Rome, so studying the latter gives one a major leg-up to studying Church history. Using the text of Eutropius, a 4th century A.D. pagan Roman who compiled a very short edition of Roman history from the founding of the city (753 B.C.) to the accession of Emperor Valens (A.D. 364), this seminar represents probably the quickest run through "essential" Roman history you can find. Perfect for those wanting to brush up the subject or even to get reasonably acquainted with it for the first time!

Duration: 3 weeks
Required Book: Eutropius: Abridgment of Roman History

Virgil, The Aeneid - One of the greatest works of Western literature ever penned in ancient times, Virgil's Aeneid tells the epic adventure of Aeneas, a demigod prince of Troy who flees the Greek destruction of the city with his family and wanders the Mediterranean in search of a place to found a destined new race that will conquer the whole world - the Romans. Aeneas' story is not only relevant to understanding "the glory that was Rome," but also much of subsequent Western history, for the epic, written in Latin, was a much-treasured book throughout the Christian Middle Ages. It is recommended that this seminar be taken after taking Homer's Iliad and Odyssey for maximum appreciation of Virgil's literary achievement. However, much of great value may be gained from reading Virgil alone.

Duration: 3 weeks
Required Book: The Essential Aeneid

Cicero: the Best of the Romans - Few ancient Roman thinkers have been as influential on the course of Western thought as Marcus Tullius Cicero.  A tireless defender of political liberty, through his translation work he contributed substantially to the Latin-speaking world's ability to engage with Greek philosophy, rhetoric, ethics, and religious thought.  The rediscovery of several of his most important works during the early 14th century Renaissance reinvigorated Western culture by jump-starting what we call classical humanism - from which many Christians from diverse theological backgrounds have greatly profited. In this 3-week seminar, we will explore some of these issues by engaging relatively short excerpts from a variety of Cicero's writings on our own throughout the week and then together in a live discussion at the end of the week.

Duration: 3 weeks
Required Book: Provided