Course-1
From the Roman Martyrdom Periods to the Norse Invasions:
The first thousand years of the Church after Pentecost was anything but dull. No sooner had the arenas been abandoned and the public execution daises been taken down with the rise of Constantine the Great, the Viking raids started in what would become expansion across ‘Europe’; and that’s not to mention the visceral encounters with deeply pagan and violent societies from the Celts of Britannia, Ireland & Gaul (Britons, Picts, Gaels, Gauls) to the Frisians of Germania, Gallia Belgica & Francia. Some of the greatest saints in the Legendarium of the Church came from this period as martyrs and/or patriarch-missionaries, from St. Polycarp and St. Ignatius to St. Patrick (Ireland) and St. Boniface (Germany).
Course-2
The Classical to Early Medieval Philosophers:
Ancient philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato, despite their obvious pagan connections, still profoundly influence(d) the Church in matters of doctrinal profession, dogmatic development, artistic expression, rhetoric, and polemic well beyond their deaths before the birth of Christ. For this reason it is important to appreciate what they wrote and thought, as well as others who were their peers, protégés, and generational students.
Course-3
Ancient Literature/Theatre/Culinary:
When it comes to the Arts of this period, Corbenic currently offers three paths, the latter two in particular being based (at times) on both pledged interest and the availability of the tutors (on the principle of ‘the more consistent interest, the more consistent availability’).
Human creatures have loved a good Story since primordial times. It was normal for stories to have an overt and significant religious bearing about them—for meditation, edification, proselytization, and intimidation (towards power-base development and protection if not empire-building). Understanding the purpose of ancient storycraft & writingcraft, both those in the Bible and those outside it (yet often interacting with the ‘Old Covenant Church’), not only helps Christians appreciate how the Holy Spirit has used Story to cultivate faith through Holy Writ, but also why ‘the God-less nations’ were regularly under God’s judgment—and His Church when they had dealings with them, and even intercommunions(!), expressly against His will.
To this end, Ancient Literature and Drama played roles both overlapping and unique. More, based on clues in the original Hebrew, it is fascinating to consider that Ruth and Esther were written as (what we call today) ‘non-fiction narratives’; that Job, and even Amos and Jonah, come down to us as ‘performed oratory’ scripts (what we think of bards doing in medieval times), or even ‘Solomonic court dramatizations’—all still Holy Spirit-breathed texts that either these prophets wrote themselves, or were written for them by accompanying assistants taking their dictation (like St. Paul had, since he could not write).
A student may also choose to focus this course on the culinary culture of Ancient times, particularly foods mentioned in the Bible, and even recipes based on the dishes mentioned in the text. Here are some examples of what you may make: the meal served by Abraham to the Son of God and His angel companions; the meat-stew Rebekah made for Jacob to receive Esau’s blessing; the platter and raisin cake David handed out to each citizen of Israel when the Ark arrived in Jerusalem. Focusing on the culinary culture naturally brings in history, the wider ethnic culture, and an opportunity to meditate on the text and ponder how (and why!) food plays such a key role in many of the most important scenes in Salvation History.
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