Great Books – New Aberdeen College

C.S. Lewis, the Quadrivium, and Re-Enchanting the Mind

Josh Herring — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 20:17:06 +0000

Embrace the Fullness of the Liberal Arts These remarks were given at the 2026 New Aberdeen College Convocation ceremony. Thank you, Dr. Smith, for your remarks and kind introduction. What you are building here is needed, and it is being built to the glory of God. I’m grateful to play a small part in beginning the second year of New Aberdeen College. When Dr. Smith called me some…

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Reading Athanasius, On the Incarnation

Matt Marino — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 02:10:45 +0000

Image: Athanasius trampling down Heresy; Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Basilica in Rome The name Athanasius is symbolic of the victory over Arianism1 in the generation of the Council of Nicaea. His tombstone read, “Athanasius Contra Mundum,” which means, “Athanasius Against the World.” He would be exiled five times by four emperors, three of whom professed to be Christians. Clearly…

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Augustine’s City of God

Matt Marino — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 19:17:22 +0000

By Rev. Matt Marino In the year 410, Alaric and his army of Goths sacked Rome. Though not the final blow, this event marked the end of the Pax Romana, and in many ways, it signaled the beginning of the end of old paganism. During this time, Emperor Honorius appointed one of Augustine’s friends, Marcellinus, to oversee the continuing Catholic-Donatist dispute in North Africa where Augustine had…

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Milton, Meet Handel

Sherman — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 16:36:31 +0000

Dr. Ryan F. Smith Classical music can help students learn classical texts imaginatively. Music enlivens poetry in magical ways. When great classical composers and poets collaborate, the results can be exquisite. Such was the case when the eminent eighteenth-century composer G. F. Handel composed a now unfamiliar oratorio using the poetry of John Milton, entitled L’Allegro, Il Penseroso…

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How to Read a Book…According to Milton

Sherman — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 15:42:15 +0000

by Dr. Cole Jeffrey Guest contributor Milton’s lesser known political tracts reveal his philosophy of reading During the 1640s, England was divided by a bitter civil war. Two political factions, the Royalists and the Parliamentarians, fought for control of the government. The Royalists believed power should be controlled by the monarchy, while the Parliamentarians believed power should…

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Why Study Paradise Lost?

Peter Johnston — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 14:04:33 +0000

The Rev’d Dr. Peter Johnston Why study Paradise Lost? Yes, it is one of the great works of English and world literature, among what Matthew Arnold calls “the best which has been thought and said.” But there are more particular reasons that Classical Christian Education should prioritize Milton’s epic, even above many other worthy writings. It is an expansive text of Christian imagination…

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