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Fourth Day Press is once again offering the recent translation of that most seminal work of Christian classical education, Institutions of Divine and Secular Learning, by the 6th century Roman educator Cassiodorus Senator. This classic work is notable for being the first Christian guidebook for the Seven Liberal Arts: The Trivium of Grammar, Dialectic and Rhetoric; and The Quadrivium of Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy and Music.

Christian classical education has become very popular in recent years. Many homeschool families are now following the Trivium approach to education, as first explained by Dorothy Sayers in 1947. Cassiodorus's Institutes would be a valuable source for Christian classical education parents who wish to "drink from the font" of classical education, especially those wishing to obtain "a well-educated mind."

CASSIODORUS SENATOR (c.485-c.585 AD)

Cassiodorus lived literally on the cusp between the late classical and early medieval periods. His lifetime coincided with "The Fall of Rome" and the establishment of the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy. Although he came from a distinguished Roman Senatorial family, Cassiodorus became a high-ranking official at the court of Theodoric, King of the Goths.

Cassiodorus was a contemporary and a friend of Boethius, "The Last Roman," author of the famous Consolation of Philosophy. He was also a friend of Diogenes Exiguus, the Byzantine calendrist best known for introducing the Christian Era, the calendar method of reckoning the years according to A.D. -- Anno Domini, or "The Year of Our Lord."

The Institutions were written by Cassiodorus in his later years, after he retired to found a monastery, "The Vivarium." Cassiodorus prepared this work to be useful to his community after his death. He understood that classical civilization was in a state of collapse, and that western Europe was descending into a Dark Age. So he was determined to help "strengthen the things that remained" for the dark days ahead. In his Preface, Cassiodorus gives these reasons for writing the Institutions:

I made efforts to collect money so that it should rather be the Christian schools in the city of Rome that could employ learned teachers... from whom the faithful might gain eternal salvation for their souls and the adornment of sober and pure eloquence for their speech.... But since I could not accomplish this task because of raging wars and violent struggles in the Kingdom of Italy -- for a peaceful endeavor has no place in a time of unrest -- I was moved by divine love to devise for you, with God's help, these introductory books to take the place of a teacher.

Though he may not have appreciated it in his lifetime, Cassiodorus's work was instrumental in preserving a remnant of classical learning into the medieval period, not just for his small community, but across western Europe.

ABOUT THE "INSTITUTIONS OF DIVINE AND SECULAR LEARNING"

As the title suggests, the Institutions are written in two books. As Cassiodorus writes:

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.

In the first book, Cassiodorus provides brief recommendations of the best Bible commentaries available in this time. To the modern reader, this section could be a useful guide to the so-called "church fathers" -- Bible commentators such as Augustine, Jerome and Chrysostem -- whose brilliant expositions of the Scripture are still relevant today.

In the second book, Cassiodorus outlines "the seven headings of secular letters," later known as The Seven Liberal Arts. Though Cassiodorus does not use the terms Trivium and Quadrivium, summaries of the arts of Grammar, Rhetoric, Dialectic, Arithmetic, Music, Geometry and Astronomy are set forth for the first time in an explicitly Christian work.

The summaries of Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic or Dialectic are quite sophisticated. It might require some effort to follow Cassiodorus's formal examples, especially the logical syllogisms. But these summaries clearly demonstrate the intelligence of the ancient and medieval world, and the comparative deficiencies of a contemporary liberal arts education.

Cassiodorus gives an excellent overview of the mathematical or "theoretical" disciplines of Arithmetic, Music, Geometry and Astronomy. Cassiodorus explains why people of faith should include these subjects in their education:

Our holy Fathers properly persuaded men of a scholarly disposiion to read the sciences since they do much to turn our appetite form carnal things and make us desire what with the Lord's aid we can see with the heart alone.

The Institutions is not a long work, and other material is included with this volume, including an essay by Cassiodorus entitled On the Soul. This very interesting Christian essay contemplates the nature and various qualities of the human soul. This edition also includes a long-winded scholarly introduction discussing the scholarship of Cassiodorus. This is probably way more information than the average reader would want! But it can be amusing to see how academics can study a great work of the Christian faith and still miss the point. The reader might wish to read the introduction after reading the actual writings of Cassiodorus.

TO ORDER THE "INSTITUTIONS" OF CASSIODORUS

This paperback volume can be ordered directly from Fourth Day Press at this page.

We are pleased to introduce Cassiodorus's Institutions to the Christian homeschool community. If you know any other Christian classical educators, please feel free to share this review with them, or post it to any Internet message boards.