2nd Year History Curriculum - IV

The fourth unit is The Early Church.

124. Read SR chapter 82. On pg. 155 remove "He was as good ... many people now." Calling a non-Christian one of the best men that ever lived is to have an unbiblical view of goodness. Also, replace "he fully deserved" with "thy gave him" and remove "which they gave him". Read Pompeii by Peter Connolly pgs. 1 – 37.

125. Read Pompeii pgs. 38 - 73.

126. Read SR chapters 83 – 86. On pg. 159, remove "where we wrote ... New Testament". Revelation was written before 70 AD. On pg. 160: remove "which has never ... best of men". Pagans are not the best of men. Also remove "Ever ready ... comfortable." "in good" before "honest measures" and "was as good and charitable as he, and" and "generous" before "plans". Trajan was a giver of welfare, which is not generous, but rather makes people dependent on and thus slaves to the state. On pg 161: remove "who was so good and charitable as a rule". On pg. 162: replace "when you have learned" with "if you learn". Also, remove "Thus, you see, ... emperor of Rome." I am sure that Guerber was a professed Christian, so it amazes me that she can write such sentences just a few paragraphs after discussing how the same man persecuted Christians. Then explain that we will be reading about two early Christians who died during the reign of Trajan. Read Heroes of the Early Church: Life-changing Lessons for the Young by Richard Newton (HEC) chapters 1 – 2. This book has short biographies of early church leaders written for children. On pg. 18: The population of Antioch is now over 100 thousand.

127. Read SR chapters 87 – 90. On pg. 162: remove "a good and true man". On pg. 164: remove "very good and wise", and change "when" to "if" regarding learning Latin and going to Rome. On pg. 165: replace "a worthy sucessor" with "the successor", remove "the good" and "He was one ... that ever lived." On pg. 166: insert "by God's Common grace" before "practiced all the virtues" and replace "all" with "some of" in the preceding. Obviously, since Aurelius did not worship Jesus Christ he did not practice all of the virtues the Christians taught. He neglected the most important one of all. He even persecuted Christians (or allowed Christians to be persecuted when he had the power to punish the persecuters, both are wrong) so I hesitate to call him virtuous at all. Also replace "one of the finest characters that ever lived" with "a fine character", and remove "and are said ...after the Bible". Putting Aurelius' writings in the same sentence with the Bible is disgusting. On pg. 167: remove "and the only fault .. down at any price." This passage downplays the heinousness of the persecution of the Christians. It is as nauseating apologetic for Aurelius, who had the power to stop the brutal torture and murder of Christians and did nothing. Ignorance is no excuse. Also remove "and best of all .. to doing good." Read HEC chapters 3 – 4. On pg. 27: The population of Smyrna is now 3.5 million. On pg. 31: remove "in a very peculiar ... him from heaven" This sentence assumes that Revelation was written after 70 AD. For the same reason, on pg. 32: remove "Now think what ... glory. And then". On pg. 39: remove "When we go ... This is just what" We cannot go anywhere in seeking truth unless first God helps us. On pg. 43: remove "and excellent" from the last sentence. On pg. 45: replace "nineteenth" with "twenty-first".

128. Read Polycarp: The Crown of Fire by William Chad Newsom (PCF) pgs. 179 – 189. These are brief biographies of some of the historical characters in the novel. Then read PCF chapter 1. (Read pg. 20 – 26, 54 – 60; and pgs. 61 – 76 during literature time). I have cut out pages 27 - 53 because this portion of the novel assumes that Revelation was written after 70 AD. Thankfully, skipping this section doesn't impede ones ability to understand the rest of the book. To that end, on pg. 26: remove "Polycarp's eye glanced ... had to find them." and on pg. 56: remove "for it was indeed ... tall and fair)" and "only a few months after the escape with Ignatius" and on pg. 57: remove "who had never forgotten her, returned to Rome and"

129. Read PCF pgs. 77 – 94. (Read pg. 95 – 106 during literature time).

130. Read PCF pgs. 107 – 124. On pg. 113: remove "As they stood ... one more time." because we skipped that part of the novel. After pg. 115 you can explain the regulative principle to the student briefly. The church in Polycarp's time did celebrate Christ's resurrection on a special day each year, despite a total lack of instructions to that effect in the Scripture. (Read pgs. 125 – 136 during literature time).

131. Read PCF pgs. 137 – 160. On pg. 147: remove "but the Scriptures ...Word of God". On the contrary the Scriptures themselves tell us, in Romans 10, that a person will not believe until he is preached to (the scriptures are expounded to him). Many are converted by hearing a missionary read and explain the Bible who may never have even heard the Bible, let alone believed it to be the Word of God. Furthermore, some may suppress the truth in unrighteousness, but all people know that the Bible is the Word of God. The Bible, being the powerful, voice of the Almighty Creator and Loving Savior will always be a better argument than anything our brains can come up with, even to the self-professed atheist. On pg. 153: remove "Enemies?" and "No, I think not." and "but Rome is not the enemy ... left us alone entirely." Rome, in its policy of state-worship and its state-sanctioned persecution of Christian, was the enemy of the church. (Read pgs. 161 – 177 during literature time).

132. Read SR chapter 91 – 92. On pg. 168: remove "as you have seen, ... emperors; but his" This pagan was certainly not the model of every virtue (take submission to Christ, for instance). On pg. 169: remove "good" from before "father". Read HEC chapter 5. On pg. 47: replace "three hundred thousand and four hundred thousand" with "1.3 and 1.7 million". Also, remove "Seventy thousand looms ... 140,000 weavers." and "And for the purchase ... expended every year" I have no idea of the modern equivalent of these statistics. On pg. 53: remove "a few years ago". Read SR chapter 93. Read HEC chapter 6. On pg. 56: remove "and cost about 100,000 pounds" I don't know the conversion between 1889 pounds and 2007 dollars is. On pg. 67: replace "does not exceed two hundred thousand" with "is 3.5 million".

133. Read SR chapters 94 – 95. Read HEC chapters 8 – 9. We are skipping HEC chapter 7 because Tertullian revealed himself as a heretic by the end of his life. Consequently, on pg. 83: remove "as we found ... previous chapter." On pg. 85: remove "as" before "diligent in following" and "as he was decided in choosing". This puts the merit in Cyprian's salvation on his firm decision rather than in God who chose Cyprian. On pg. 88 - 89 remove "equal to five pounds with us". Read SR chapters 96 – 97.

134. Lecture on the Apostles’ Creed. Lecture on the Nicene Creed. It is important that even our little children are aware of the foundational doctrinal statements that the early church drafted. The lectures should include the text of the creed in question, as well as facts regarding the date and place and a brief description of the heresies they were counteracting. I took my lecture material from The Foundations of Social Order by Rushdoony. This is a very difficult book. I don't think I will be ready to really understand it until I have studied much more than I have now, but it did have the basic details that I wanted to communicate in it. Read SR chapter 98. On pg. 179: replace "so securely that ... it since then" with "as the official church of Rome". The Christian has been largely overthrown in Rome, though it has been established elsewhere in the world. Read HEC chapter 10. On pg 96: replace "the Church of England ... in this country to" to " in our church in" since we don't particularly care what the Church of England does. On pg. 100 remove "ever" before "since been called" and add "and is now called Istanbul" after "Constantinople". And remove "as there is now" after "Constantinople then", since I am doubtful that is still true in Muslim Istanbul. Read SR chapter 99.

135. Read HEC chapters 11 – 13. On pg. 102 replace "60 thousand" with "3.5 million". On pg. 106: replace "the Church of England" with "our church".

136. Read SR chapter 100. Read HEC chapters 14. On pg. 136: replace "nearly two hundred thousand" with "1.3 million" and replace "is not finished yet" with "was not finished until 1915" and replace "have little huts" with "had little huts". On pg. 128: replace "morning service .. in this country" with "church". Lecture on the Te Deum Laudumus. Read HEC15.

137. Read SR chapter 101. Read HEC chapters 16 – 17. On pg. 161: remove "Robert Raikes's ... in operation". The Sunday School movement was detrimental to the church. On pg. 167: replace "No woman has ever been dearer to the Christian church as Monica, the saintly mother of Augustine; and no mother ever conferred a greater blessing" with "Few women have ever been as dear to the Christian church as Monica, the mother of Augustine; and few mothers have ever conferred as great a blessing". Monica was a great woman, but I am not sure that she was the greatest woman ever. We need to be careful about throwing around superlatives. Doing so causes them to lose their effect and us to lose our credibility. On pg. 171: remove "the light shone in upon his darkness" The light from God shone before he repented, or he would not have done so.

138. Read Augustine: Farmer’s Boy of Tagaste by P. De Zeeuw (ISBN: 0921100051) (AFBT) chapters 1 – 7.

139. Read AFBT chapters 8 – 14.

140. Read AFBT chapters 15 – 17. Lecture on the Council of Ephesus. Lecture on the Council of Chalcedon.

141. Lecture on the Athanasian Creed. Read SR chapter 102. Read Science in Ancient Rome by Jacqueline Harris (ISBN: 0531159167) (SAR) pgs. 8 – 35. I skipped the first pages because they are a glorification of science, and the last pages because they are a slap at the medieval times. Watch out for a plug for universal healthcare. I can't tell you exactly where that is, because I borrowed this book from the library.

142. Read SAR pgs. 36 – 56. Read HEC chapter 18 – 19. On pg. 184: replace "five hundred" with "125". On pg. 186: remove "On the walls ...impossible to industry." This is a humanist statement, in direct contrast to God's word "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it" Psalm 127:1 Also, remove "Hence we read ... so with Columba". Try telling those who Christ overturned in the Temple, or those whom he will judge at the last day, that his gentleness the chief element of his character.

143. Review

144. Test on the Early Church

2nd Year History Curriculum - III

The third unit is The Apostolic Age. By this I mean the time from Christ's incarnation to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

73. Read The Holy Land by Peter Connolly (ISBN: 0199105332) (HL) pg. 4 – 19. I highly recommend this book. It details the clothing, architecture, landscape, art, food, home life, etc. of people living in Israel during the 1st century AD. It will really help your student. The last part of the book, which will be read later on, has maps and illustrations of the siege of Jerusalem, which is really helpful in visualizing what I read.

74. Read HL pg. 20 - 35.

75. Read HL pg. 36 - 51.

76. Read HL pg. 52 - 67.

77. Read HL pg. 68 - 73. Explain that we will now read the Biblical accounts of the life of Christ and the early church contained in Luke and Acts. Explain that Luke, the physician, wrote both. Further explain that the book of Luke is not strictly chronological, but rather grouped by idea, but that we will read it for consistency with the reading of Acts. Read Luke 1 – 3.

78. Read Luke 4 - 8.

79. Read Luke 9 - 13.

80. Read Luke 14 - 20.

81. Read Luke 21 - 24. Read Acts 1.

82. Read Joel: A Boy of Galilee by Annie Fellows Johnston (JBG) chapters 1 – 2. (Read chapter 3 during literature time). As a book of historical fiction, this will be read in history and literature class. This book is about a crippled boy who is healed by Jesus. It is written by a Christian woman and has much to recommend it. Only a few cautions. It makes a few statements that reflect the common error that all children are innocent. Anyone who has children should know this is not true. Even my 15 month old whines and throws herself on the floor when her will is defied and looks around furtively when she is doing something that we have told her not to do. It also states, several times, that Jesus was disregarding parts of the law of Moses. This is contrary to Christ's own statement in Matthew 5:18, "For verily I say unto you, until Heaven and Earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, until all things be accomplished." After Christ's death and resurrection, the sacrificial system became obsolete, for it was merely there to point to the coming Christ, but since this story takes place during Jesus' life, not even that part of the law was neglected by Christ. It seems to be a common error to confuse the law, as interpreted by the Pharisees, and the law, as recorded by Moses. Jesus did neglect the former when in contradicted the latter.

83. Read JBG chapters 4 – 6. (Read chapters 7 – 8 during literature time).

84. Read JBG chapters 9 – 11. (Read chapters 12 – 13 & 14 – 15 during literature time).

85. Read JBG chapters 16 – 18. (Read chapter19 during literature time). When the book is finished, in the process of discussing it, make sure to ask the student if he thinks Joel made the right choice regarding Simon’s offer. Explain that, due to the influence of Plato, many Christians think that the spiritual reality is better or more important than the physical reality. This is not true. God had given Joel a great gift of money and opportunity that he could give back in service to God, but he preferred poverty. Spreading the gospel and making money are not mutually exclusive.

86. Read Titus: Comrade of the Cross by F. M. Kingsley (TCC) chapters 1 – 4. (Read chapters 5 – 7 during literature time). This book is speculation about the 2 thieves who were crucified with Jesus. I recommend it to you with the same cautions as the preceding book and one more: she sometimes ascribes thoughts or actions to Christ that are not recorded in Scripture. While these thoughts and actions are not unbelievable, I still am uneasy about making up things about Jesus. You may ask why I include two books about the same period of time. Partly this is to make the time spent studying Christians as long as possible. Partly it is because the books have different foci and include different historical details. Finally, it is because I couldn't decide which of the two to cut. If you need to shorten your curriculum, choose the one you like least to cut.

87. Read TCC chapters 8 – 10. (Read chapters 11 – 12 during literature time).

88. Read TCC chapters 12 – 15. (Read chapters 16 – 17 & 18 – 20 during literature time).

89. Read TCC chapters 21 – 23. (Read chapters 24 – 25 during literature time).

90. Read TCC chapters 26 – 28. (Read chapters 29 – 30 during literature time).

91. Read TCC chapters 31 – 33.

92. Read Acts 2 - 9.

93. Read Stephen: A Soldier of the Cross by F. M. Kingsley (SSC) chapters 1 – 4. (Read SSC chapters 5 – 6 during literature time). This book tells of the martyrdom of Stephen, but mostly from the perspective of fictional characters. It includes historical details of the time period covered in Acts as well as an interesting story. I once again caution you to beware of Kingsley's view of the law, but still recommend this book.

94. Read SSC chapters 7 – 9. (Read SSC chapters 10 – 11 during literature time).

95. Read SSC chapters 12 – 14. (Read SSC chapters 15 – 16 during literature time).

96. Read SSC chapters 17 – 19. (Read SSC chapters 20 – 21 & 22 – 23 during literature time).

97. Read SSC chapters 24 – 26. (Read SSC chapters 27 – 28 during literature time).

98. Read SSC chapters 29 – 32. (Read SSC chapters 33 – 34 during literature time).

99. Read SSC chapters 35 – 36.

100. Read SR chapter 75. Read Acts 10:1 – 11:26. Read SR chapter 76. On pg. 145: replace "forced" with "influenced", and remove "good and" from before "lovely children". On pg. 146: remove "Among these prisoners ... killed himself too." I don't see the point of including this story about suicide. Read Acts 11:27 – 13:52. In this lesson and the ones that follow I am trying to read about things that happened in the same time period right next to each other. Perhaps the narrative will be too choppy and I will have to revise, but chronological accuracy is what I am aiming for.

101. Read Acts 14 – 18. Read SR chapters 77 – 78. Read Acts 19.

102. Read Acts 20 - 28.

103. Read Quintus: A Story of the Persecution of Christians in the Times of Emperor Nero by R. Weerstand (Q) chapters 1 – 2. (Read chapters 3 – 4 during literature time). This is my favorite book in the entire curriculum. It is a very exciting, gripping story. It has great theology (no editing needed) and good details about Nero and his persecution of Christians. By handling the violence in a restrained manner, the author manages to convey the brutality of that man while still making a book that can be read to/by children.

104. Read Q chapters 5 – 6. (Read chapters 7 – 8 & 9 during literature time).

105. Read Q chapter 10 – 11. (Read chapters 12 during literature time).

106. Read Roman Colosseum by Elizabeth Mann (ISBN: 1931414173). This is a Connolly-type picture book describing the structure and events in the Colosseum.

107. Read SR chapters 79 – 81. On pg. 154: remove "In spite of all these signs". Read HL pg. 74 – 87.

108. Read HL pg. 88 – 93. Read The Cross Triumphant by F. M. Kingsley (CT) chapters1 – 2. (Read chapters 3 – 4 & 5 – 6 during literature time). This book is about the fall of Jerusalem. I recommend it to you with the same caution as before about Kingsley's skewed view of the law. I forgot to mention another caution that applies to this book and her other books. She has the characters say, "My God!" and similar exclamations (almost all spoken during times of emotional anguish). I am unsure why she doesn't consider this taking the Lord's name in vain. Finally, she has a little section on pgs. 2- 3 where she tries to argue against spanking. Spanking is clearly prescribed in Scripture (especially in Proverbs) so I just cut this section out.

109. Read CT chapters 7 – 9. (Read chapters 10 – 11 during literature time).

110. Read CT chapters 12 – 14. (Read chapters 15 – 16 during literature time).

111. Read CT chapters 17 – 18. (Read chapters 19 – 20 during literature time).

112. Read CT chapters 21 – 22. (Read chapters 23 – 24 & 25 – 26 during literature time).

113. Read CT chapters 27 – 29. (Read chapters 30 – 31 during literature time).

114. Read CT chapters 32 – 34. (Read chapter 35 – 36 during literature time).

115. Read For the Temple by G. A. Henty (FT) chapters 1 – 2. (Read chapter 3 during literature time). This is another book about the fall of Jerusalem. I am including two historical novels about this time period because it is so pivotal. Many prophesies of Jesus and most of a whole book of the Bible is devoted to this event. Also, the two novels are not as redundant as one might expect. The first is mostly written from inside Jerusalem and concerns the Jewish priests and the few Christians who did not flee the city. The second book has more details about the battles leading up to the siege because it is from the perspective of a Jewish boy fighting in those battles. It deals more with the Jewish laity than any other people group. If you want to cut one of the two, I would cut Kingsley's.

116. Read FT chapter 4. (Read chapter 5 & 6 during literature time).

117. Read FT chapter 7 – 8. (Read chapter 9 during literature time).

118. Read FT chapters 10. (Read chapter 11 during literature time).

119. Read FT chapter 12. (Read chapters 13 during literature time).

120. Read FT chapter 14. (Read chapter 15 & 16 during literature time).

121. Read FT chapter 17. (Read chapter 18 during literature time).

122. Read FT chapter 19.

123. Test on the Apostolic Age. My curriculum came out 1 day too long, so I cut the review day for this test and justified the choice as follows: Since the preceding 15 lessons are from historical novels they will not be fact-dense, thus, if I am drilling the children 5 minutes per day they should be ready for a test without a review day.

2nd Year History Curriculum - II

The second unit is Pre-impirial Rome:

Ancient Rome by Mike Corbishley ( ISBN: 081605147X) has maps that can be used to illustrate events throughout the rest of the year.

31. Read The Story of the Romans by H. A Guerber (SR), chapters 1 – 6. Be sure to mention that this is the kingdom of iron and clay that Daniel prophesied. Point out the futility of Roman gods, but the obvious Providence of Jehovah. On pg. 16: remove "and they were very rude...know the whole story" This whole paragraph is written with an evolutionary view, as well as the belief that an educated person must know Roman myths. On pg. 17: remove "and his mother...appeared to him" and "She showed him that ... all his family." and "has been taught...so he at once". This removes the obviously mythical parts of the story. For the same reason, on pg. 19: remove "some of the gods whom ... stirred up a terrible tempest." and replace "a second god...the awful storm" with "the storm suddenly stopped." and replace "This was Venus, ...were a stranger and" with "She" On pg. 20: remove "Venus went away ...of Carthage" and "following her advice". On pg. 21: add "Aeneas thought that" before "the gods had decided that" and remove "people had not learned many.... children" which is evolutionary in outlook.

32. Read SR chapters 7 - 14. On pg. 29, tone down the praise of Numa Pompilius. On pg. 31: remove "As these Romans... foolish they have been". This paragraph assumes that education automatically makes a person more wise and righteous, which is not true. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. And no one has any excuse for sinning.

33. Read The Legionary by Peter Connolly ( ISBN: 0199104255) This book, and the one for the next lesson, each contain two elements: a biography of a particular Roman soldier, and details of Roman warfare such as structure of the fighting forces, weapons and armor used, clothing worn, etc. Skip the biography and read the parts applying to soldiers in general. If you need to shorten your curriculum, skip these to books altogether.

34. Read The Cavalryman by Peter Connolly (ISBN: 0199104247).

35. Read City by David Macaulay (ISBN 0395349222) pg. 1 - 52. David Macaulay is known for his books illustrating how famous edifices were constructed. This book shows the parts of a Roman city and how they were made.

36. Read City pg. 53 - 111.

37. Read SR chapters 15 - 21. On pg. 40: replace "was surprised to see a" with "thought she saw a". Also, remove the first sentence of chapter 17. A pagan cannot be an excellent king. On pg. 44. remove "although" and "knew she was a prophetess, he". On pg. 47: add "which they believe was" after "and kissed the earth", since the earth is not our mother! On page 48: remove the word pure with reference to Lucretia, in order to tone down the praise.

38. Read SR chapters 22 - 29. On pg. 58: remove "Their writers have said... bright and beautiful stars"(pg. 59) since this is mythology. On pg. 62: remove the last sentence "They were always the friends of the people." since I am sure that this is not true. On pg. 63: remove "Thus, you see, the plebeians....look after their interests." This sentence lauds welfare and claims that we need the state to look after us.

39. Read SR chapters 30 - 37. On pg. 64: remove "was a good son, and" to tone down the praise for pagans. On pg. 65: remove "Thus, you see, even in... many another hero". This paragraph implies that moral knowledge in humanity grows over time, instead of with submission to God. On pg. 68: remove "good and" from the first sentence. Again, I hate calling pagans good. On pg. 70: remove "because they were, in general, good and just for all the people." These laws could only have been good and just if they were identical to God's laws, which is highly unlikely. Since I don't know what these laws are, I can't call them good or just. On pg. 74: remove "although he was only a barbarian", since this implies that morality automatically increase with the sophistication of a society. On pg. 75: remove "and people nowadays ... true ones that follow." since we disagree that Roman myths are necessary to education.

40. Read SR chapters 38 - 45. On pg. 79: replace "military justice" with "discipline". I don't think that killing someone for disobeying an order can be called justice. On pg. 87: remove "Judging by this account ... knew how to exaggerate." I find it humorous that she relates obvious myths about gods without comment, but says that a snake can't possibly by 120 ft. long. Since dinosaurs and humans did coexist, according to the Bible, it is possible that in years back, there was such a thing as a 120 ft. snake, or snake-like animal.

41. Read The Young Carthaginian: A Tale of the Times of Hannibal by G. A. Henty (TYC) chapters 1 – 2. (Read chapter 3 during the literature time). Henty books all place a young boy in a historical situation. I have read several and found some more interesting than others. This is one of the more interesting ones. In all his books, however, Henty does a good job of including lots of historical detail while still maintaining the narrative. With this book, and several others to follow, I will be reading to the student during history and literature time. These books are literature, and so they can be included in the literature curriculum. Also, the books are long and not as fact-dense as other books in the history curriculum, so it helps to move through them faster.

42. Read TYC chapters 4 – 5. (Read chapter 6 during the literature time).

43. Read TYC chapters 7 – 8. (Read chapter 9 during literature time).

44. Read TYC chapters 10 – 11. (Read chapters 12 & 13 during literature time). Chapter 13 is to be read during literature time on Friday (even though there is no history class on Fridays).

45. Read TYC chapters 14 – 15. (Read chapter 16 during literature time).

46. Read TYC chapters 17 – 18. (Read chapter 19 during literature time).

47. Read TYC chapters 20 – 21. (Read chapter 22 during literature time).

48. Read SR chapter 46. On pg. 94: replace "unlucky" with "unsuccessful" and "luck" with "success". Read Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick (ISBN: 1883937124) (ADS) chapters 1 – 3. Beware that this book needs some editing because it is too complimentary. I can't be more specific because I borrowed this book from the library.

49. Read ADS chapters 4 - 6. This section of the book includes some experiments to try. They may be over the head of a 2nd grader, though. Be guided by the abilities of your own child.

50. Read ADS chapters 7 - 14.

51. Read SR chapters 47 – 51. On pg. 102: remove "But it was now time... part of the oppressed people." This sentence implies that the poor need the government to provide for them. For the same reason replace "needed" with "wanted" in the next sentence. And add "desired" before "rights". Remove "an excellent" in the description of Cornelia. Also replace "clearly showed how bad it was" with "claimed that it was bad". Discuss the tyranny and oppression that democracy (mob-rule) leads to. Also show that people will always be helpless when they depend on the government to give them handouts, instead of making their own way. Read SR chapters 52 – 53.

52. Read SR chapters 54 - 62. On pg. 120: remove "Although he was one of the greatest generals who ever lived" Again, I hesitate to call a pagan the greatest in the world. How can he ever stack up to Lee or Jackson or William of Orange? On pg. 121: replace "even a barbarian has" with "he has" to remove the evolutionary undercurrent.

53. Read Roman Fort by Peter Connolly (ISBN: 0199104263) pg. 2, 5 – 9, 12 – 23 (ignoring specifics of Hempsteads), 26 – 29. This book describes the building of a Roman fort in Britain. Like Legionary, ignore the specific story and focus on the general details about Roman forts.

54. Read SR chapters 63 – 65. Read Julius Caesar by John Gunther (ISBN: 0394905431) (JC) pg. 3 – 10, 13 – 33. This book will need to be edited beforehand, since it is far too complimentary and welfare-friendly. I borrowed it from the library, however, so I can't be more specific.

55. Read JC pg. 34 - 74.

56. Read JC pg. 77 - 107.

57. Read JC pg. 111 - 128.

58. Read JC pg. 130 - 172.

59. Read SR chapters 66 – 69. Read Cleopatra by Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema (ISBN: 0688154808). This is a picture book about the life of Cleopatra. Read SR chapter 70. On pg. 134: replace "very beautiful when" with "if" since the student may not learn Latin and the works may not be beautiful.

60. Read Augustus Caesar’s World by Genevieve Foster (ISBN: 0964380323) (ACW) pg. Xi – 26. I really like the illustrations in this book. I also like the narrative style and I think that it has a good level of detail. I also enjoy the perspective of the book: looking at all parts of the world during a specific period of time. This perspective is particularly interesting because the time period in question includes the Incarnation of our Lord. She shows the state of everywhere from Japan to the Peru at this most pivotal moment in history. Be warned, though, Ms. Foster does NOT write from a Christian perspective. She makes some shockingly heretical statements in this book. I could only find this book on Christian websites, so this came as a surprise to me. However, with some editing, it is useful. On pg. xiii: remove "like that of offering burnt animals to God?" and "pleasant ones, ... Christmas season". We did not discard animal sacrifice, Christ brought it to its end. Remove "above all" and "that will be forever...have been spoken?" This sentence foreshadows the main error of this book, that there is some universal truth which all people have access to and all religions have at least a piece of, and that humanity is getting closer to all the time.

61. Read ACW pg. 26 - 55. On pg. 37: replace "$15.00" with "$140.00". This book was written in 1947, and according to the Federal Reserve, $15 in 1947 is worth about $140 today. Pretty sad, huh?

62. Read ACW pg. 56 - 84. On pg. 69: remove "and so he was devoted to the Law... diligently for righteousness" The Pharisees were devoted to their own laws, not God's laws. I find the comparisons of the Pharisees with the Puritans particularly repugnant.

63. Read ACW pg. 84 - 111. On pg. 93: remove "The age of the Messiah ... ever seeing repeated." I find this comparison of the Messiah and Saturn disgusting. On pg. 94: remove "His words used to describe ...the one most pure in heart." (pg. 96). This whole passage is even worse than the one above. Here Foster tries to liken Virgil to Isaiah. I shudder.

64. Read ACW pg. 112 - 140. On pg. 116: remove "One of the very important battles ... the world was going forward." This paragraph ties justice, freedom and the rule of law to human development rather than obedience to the law of God. On pg. 139: replace "find it wise to nail the cross" with "think it wise to nail the cross". There is nothing wise about blending Christianity with pagan religion. That is sinful. On pg. 140: replace "all other early races" with "many other early races". I know at least one race that didn't practice human sacrifice: the Israelites. Also, remove "It may be possible...slow in dying." It is not known that there were more savage natives in Gaul when the druids arrived. That assumption is based on evolution.

65. Read ACW pg. 141 - 169. On pg. 150: remove "Under its great dome ... dome of any temple." Appalling, damnable, blasphemous...I trust that I don't need to explain why. On pg. 152: remove "The Jews had a sacred book ...days of their race." Here she uses a lowercase "g" to refer to the god of the Jews. And she likens the Bible to Homer. Yikes! On pg. 158: remove "a lover of truth and". Virgil, a pagan, did not love truth. On pg. 159: remove "just as all races of people must have been once upon a time." The race of Israel did not have gods that were spirits of the forest. Also, remove: "And that is ... Great Spirit of the Universe". This is just wrong.

66. Read ACW pg. 170 – 185, 192 – 207. On pg. 171: replace "wisdom of the Magi" with "order of the Magi" and remove "one of the great prophets of the world". They were not wise, nor was Zoroaster a great prophet. On pg. 174: remove "And we do rightly so?...layer upon layer." As mentioned before, it was not wise or right to blend Christianity with pagan festivals. On pg. 185: remove "All the years of his life ... the rest is but explanation." Hillel's supposed summary of the law of God forgets the greatest commandment and decreases the requirements of the second greatest commandment by stating it negatively. Pages 186 - 191 are Foster's summary of the Pentateuch. I didn't even bother to read it. There is no way I am going to let this spouter of blasphemy summarize the law of God for my children. On pg. 194: remove "more or less reasonably". Describing the worship of emperors as even slightly reasonable is ludicrous. On pg. 204: remove "the wisdom of the Egyptians". Moses learned of God, not the Egyptians. Also remove "Those two old obelisks ... thirteen centuries later." This passage asserts that an Egyptian pharaoh, Akhenaton, was the first to conceive of One God. This is false. Adam was the first and the knowledge of One God has always existed on this Earth, by God's grace. This passage also takes an evolutionary view of religion, as if the idea of One God was an inevitable part of human development. On pg. 207: remove "Originally, Akhenaton ... today is not yet ready to accept."(pg. 209) More of the same.

67. Read ACW pg. 210 - 238. This lesson, the one before it, and several after it, have a lot of passages on the religions of the world at this time. If you want to shorten your curriculum I would start with these passages. I am including them, though, for two reasons. Since one's religion affects everything that one does, it is impossible to study a civilization without studying its religion. Secondly, all of the religions mentioned are still held on this earth, though with different dressing. Since anti-Christianity often claims to be new and enlightened, it will strengthen our children's defenses to realize that "there is nothing new under the sun". And the passages in question are short, so we are not dwelling unduly on error before the student has been sufficiently steeped in truth. If you chose to read these sections be sure to discuss the major errors of each false religion with your child. That will help keep the focus of our teaching where it should be, on the law of God. On pg. 213: remove "one of the greatest of the all ...harbor toward the city" (pg. 214) Some unnecessary praise of philosophers and criticism of the Creation story. On pg. 214: remove "how long those six days were supposed to be, and other" and "And though he held fast ... down in Ancient Hebrew" This passage asserts that there are many similarities between Greek philosophy and the Bible. This may appear to be true at a quick glance, but further investigation shows that they are completely at odds. On pg. 215: remove "and will probably keep on asking forever." At some point everyone will know the answers to these questions. Pg. 216: remove "just as pure sunlight ... different colored windows" This simile does not hold. On pg. 218: remove "His teaching was ...body was ugly." Pagan philosophy is not beautiful. On pg. 220: replace "great" with "famous" when speaking of Plato and his work. Add "Plato believed that" in front of "once the world itself..." On pg. 222: remove "People's mind can never ... into a baby's shoe." Evolutionary view of man. On pg. 223: "For each nation, like each person ...found in this world." I have already addressed such comments. On pg. 233: remove "One law there is ... in the skies" and "as they advanced beyond the state of savages". On pg. 235: remove "mistaken" from before "Spanish conquerors", "wonderful" from before "calendar", and "They were the first civilized Americans". On pg. 236: remove "but they had looked back ... which they had started counting." This does not fit with the Biblical timeline. It may have been adjusted by atheist scientists, as the Egyptian timeline has been. On pg. 238: remove "But they had separated, ... mysterious Mayans."

68. Read ACW pg. 239 - 264. Don't forget to point out the major errors in the false religions. On pg. 250: replace "2,000 years" with "1,500 years" and remove "but many centuries before that" to fit with the Biblical timeline. Remove "Then, like all other ... full of unseen spirits." Not Israel. On pg. 257: replace "one upon which all great teachers of every land agree" with "as follows." This suggests that all religions share some common truth, which is not true. Also, someone lately pointed out to me how much less demanding Confucius' version of the golden rule is. In requires no positive action, no sacrifice, no putting yourself out of your way for another. All it requires is that you aren't actively mean. Of course, no one could even do that without God's help, but still, they are not the same thing. Remove "so pure and simple ... to understand." and "That was good, ... far in the future" Unchanging rules (like the 10 commandments) do not stifle a culture. False religion does, though. On pg. 260: remove "when the Jews ...Arabian desert." She keeps harping on this theme that the Jews were once semi-savage nomads. It annoys me. Also remove "more primitive" from the last sentence. On pg. 261: remove "It is the first ...in the world today." She says that the Rig Veda is the oldest holy book, written in 1000 B.C., but Moses wrote in the 15th century B.C. Something is wrong with her math. On pg. 262: remove "or Jahveh" I shudder as she lists Jehovah with Aton or Ahura Mazda and Brahma, all false gods. On pg. 264: replace "holy" with "extraordinary". Buddha was not holy. Replace "greatest" with "most popular". The two are not identical concepts, just think of Bach and Beyonce. Remove "and pure of heart" and "in one of the late sacred ... one of these ways." Damnable thoughts.

69. Read ACW pg. 265 – 268. On pg. 268: remove "great" from before "religion of China". Buddhism is not great. Also, replace "gospels" with "works". The Buddhist holy books should not be given the name gospels, which means good news. Remove "This is the story ... will reign among mankind." (pg. 272). We will skip reading the story of Buddha's life, just like we skipped the Greek and Roman myths. Read pg. 274 – 286. On pg. 278: remove "meaning 'Prince of Peace' " and "also to" before "be spoken of". Comparing Christ to Ping Ti, even if in name only, is horrible. On pg. 279: remove "no one knows exactly, ... seen in starlight." This passage is humanist propaganda about how the gospels don't agree with each other. Also remove "are the two men". She must be forgetting about Mark. On pg. 284: remove "And the earth was ... clap their hands." This passage is supposed to be Jesus' thoughts, but they are nothing like what the Alpha and the Omega would ever think. Even if they sounded appropriate, I would hesitate to put any thoughts in Jesus' head, so to speak. On pg. 286: remove "Those great prophets ... top of a hill?" Here the boy Jesus is thinking of the prophets with admiration and doubting his ability to follow in their footsteps. So, so, so wrong! Please skip pages 287 - 294, which are Foster's summary of the Old Testament prophets. Just like her summary of the Pentateuch, I didn't even bother to read it. With her humanist worldview, she will surely get it wrong. Read pg. 295 – 307. On pg. 299: replace "but according to Matthew, he may have been" with "when he was" and "and this would be" with "he took". Again she says that the gospels contradict each other. Also, remove "He could almost feel ... the promised land!" Again, I don't like putting thoughts in Jesus' head. For that reason, on pg. 300: remove "The House of the Lord ... people kneeling!" Also, replace "legend" with "story". Calling the story of the fall of Jericho a legend, implies a doubtful attitude towards Scripture. On pg. 301: replace "1,200" with "1,500" to fit the Biblical timeline. Also, remove "There Jesus saw it for the first time" On pg. 303: remove "Jesus did not sleep ...wise quiet eyes." (pg. 304) Again she is presumptuously ascribing thoughts and actions to Christ. On pg. 304: remove: "So absorbed was the boy ... left for home." Jesus was in complete control of this situation; it was not some mistake on his part.

70. Read ACW pg. 308 – 316. On pg. 311: remove "slowly, and their own way, develop and become civilized." which displays an evolutionary view of man. Also, remove "what future wars might have been avoided" which assumes that a large empire creates more peace than small independent states. On pg. 316: remove "This is from the story ... for it lies within each."(pg. 319). This is Foster's summary of Jesus' life and teaching, which is something else I didn't bother reading. Read pg. 320 – 325. On pg 323: remove "they had felt his presence with them." which implies that Christ was only there in spirit, rather than in bodily resurrection. Also, replace "preach the gospel to every creature" with "make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." because that is what he actually said. On pg. 325: remove the last paragraph. Read SR chapters 71 – 74.

71. Review the Pre-Imperial Rome unit. Cook a meal from The Classical Cookbook, if desired. (See previous post for details about The Classical Cookbook.

72. Test on Pre-Imperial Rome.

2nd Year History Curriculum - I

I am finally ready to write down my plans for 2nd Year History. I have spent the last few months reading a lot of potential texts and ranking them according to priority as well as timing how long it takes to read them. Then I tried to create a curriculum of the correct length with the best texts I could find. For my curriculum I assumed 36 weeks of school, with history taught 4 out of 5 days per week (the 5th day is for geography). That makes a total of 144 lessons. I tried to make each lesson between 25 and 35 minutes, but I also tried to stop at places in the texts that made for a reasonable flow of information. Finally, I assumed that the teacher would be reading the texts to the student. Most of these texts were written for older children. I do not think the 2nd grade student should have trouble understanding them, but he may not be able to read them fast enough, so they should be read to him. After each lesson, the main facts that you want your student to remember should be written on cards. These cards should be drilled for about 5 minutes before each lesson. Cards the student has learned can be retired until it is time for review. These drills will be especially important if your child has an exceptional reading ability and is reading the lessons himself.

The year is divided into 4 units. The first is Ancient Greece:

Ancient Greece by Anton Powell has many useful maps which can be used throughout this unit.

1. Explain that now we are going to study the Greeks, the civilization that conquered the Persians, the civilization of brass that Daniel mentions in his prophecy to Nebuchadnezzar. The Greeks were descended from Japheth, who they worshipped as Iapetos (Jupiter). Japheth's son Javan was the father of the Ionian Greeks. Elishah, the first son of Javan was the ancestor of an ancient Greek tribe the Elysians. The Pelasgians were likely descended from Ham. Nearby civilizations include the Phrygians and the Lydians, descendents of Lud, a son of Shem. Also the Thracians (Balkans) Etruscan (Italy) and Trojans descendents of Tiras, a son of Japheth. Also the Scythians were descendents of Magog, the second son of Japheth. (You can use the Wall Chart of World History (ISBN = 9780880292399) to illustrate the above). Read The Story of the Greeks by H. A Guerber (SG) chapters 1 – 4. skip the second two paragraphs on pg. 17; since we are not going to be reading most of the myths. On pg. 18, in the second full paragraph: change "long known" to "not lost" and change "further advanced" to "more learned". These changes correct Ms. Guerber's evolutionary view of the development of mankind. The Bible tells us that Noah could make fire, thus all his descendants that couldn't, had lost that ability. On page 22, cut out the section "It was under the reign on Deucalion ... owed its birth to this great miracle." since it is obviously untrue, and we are trying to deemphasize the Greek myths. Explain that ancient Greek myths arose from a confused half-remembrance of true history. Bits of true history became mixed with false stories; which false stories came from willful rebellion at Babel, and in time degenerated even further. The Greeks, the descendants of Noah through Javan, forgot their true history and the true God, and all they had left of it was bits embedded in their mythology. We are going to read a few Greek myths to illustrate this. If you are looking to shorten your curriculum, I suggest taking out this part about the myths. It is interesting to confirm the Babel dispersion in this way, but it is certainly less important than other aspects of the history. Read D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar D’Aulaire ( ISBN: 0440406943)(DBGM) pg. 10. Explain to the student that the story of the separation of Father Sky and Mother Earth mirrors many ancient cultures who have heaven-earth separation myths, from their single place of origin at Babel, all of which are perversions of Genesis 1:6 – 7.

2. 2) Read DBGM pg. 14 – 20. Point out the similarity between this account and the flood (mountains destroyed, the first volcanoes, only a few people left alive on the earth, and a rainbow). Read pg. 22 – 23. Read pg. 35 – 37 (skipping the story of Arachne). Read pg. 70 – 77, noting God’s sovereignty (the Fates) and justice (Nemesis), and noting that men are made in the image of God. Note how the smell of burnt offerings appeased Zeus. Explain that Deucalion is the Greeks’ confused remembering of their ancestor Noah through his son Japtheth (Greek “Iapetos”, Roman “Jupiter”) and his grandson Javan (Greek “Ion”, from whence “Ionian” is derived). The Pandora's Box myth contains clear elements of the true history of the entrance of sin, death, and everything evil into a perfect world: the first woman receives a gift which she is not to open (the first woman has access to fruit of which she is not to eat), and the result of her disobedience allows evil to enter the world. The Pandora's Box myth even has Hope remaining in the box, which the woman especially cherishes, mirroring the promise of the woman's Seed in Genesis 3:15. Read pg. 112 – 113. Read pg. 178 – 180. Explain that another manifestation of the promised hero based in Genesis 3:15 in Greek mythology is found in Achilles, the invincible warrior who could only be wounded in the heel. Read pg. 181 – 187.

3. Read SG chapters 5 – 7. Read In Search of Knossos by Giovanni Caselli. (ISBN: 0872265447) This book includes pictures and details about an excavation of the Minoan civilization. I like to include books like this, since they help the student picture the time period under study.

4. Read SG chapters 13 – 16. I skip chapters 8 - 12, since they are the story of Oedipus, which is neither true nor appropriate for children. The next section is about the siege of Troy. Troy has been excavated, and it has been shown that at least part of Homer's story is true. On pg. 39 remove the section "She first carried Achilles, ... Styx had not touched" and the word "good" from before mother. This part of Achilles story is false and not necessary to learn. On pg. 40 remove the section "but unfortunately there was no favorable wind ... The deer was killed." Since there is no such thing as Diana, this story cannot be true. On pg. 41: insert "They say" before the sentence "The god heard and granted this prayer..." since obviously Apollo did nothing. Explain that the story about Apollo striking them with a plague is obviously false, but I read it because it may have been true that Agamemnon stole Achilles slave and that is why he wouldn’t fight against the Trojans. Read SG chapters 17 – 19. On pg. 43: take the phrase "guided by one of the gods" out of the first sentence of the third paragraph. On pg. 45: remove "The Greeks said, however, that their gods were very angry with" and "on account of the cruelty they showed on that dreadful night and that many of them" .

5. Read SG chapters 20 – 25. On pg. 47, last paragraph: change the word "chance" to "providence". On pg. 48 remove "the most" and "the world has ever known" from the sentence that begins "This was quite easy to do, because Homer had put..." and on pg. 49 remove "The native land of the grandest poet the world has ever known" David was the best poet the world has ever known. On pg. 50, third paragraph: remove "thoroughly good and". Being a pagan, that cannot be true of him. For the same reason, remove "As he was one of the wisest men who ever lived" from the last full paragraph. On pg. 51: remove the word "beautiful" to describe the Greek legends and "good and wise" to describe the Trojan women, since Greek legends are full of debauchery and Trojan women were pagans. On pg. 53: and the phrase "but stupid" after "how cruelly he had torn the brave" And remove "Ever since then, ...memory of this lad." Since there is nothing to admire in that boy's conduct. In the next paragraph, change "behave well" to "obey immediately". On pg. 55: remove "And good" from the third paragraph of chapter 25, since Lycurgus was not concerned with having his people obey God's laws, which is what it is to be good. Also, in the next paragraph, change "knowing" to "thinking" since there is nothing wrong with great wealth, if God blesses you with that and you get it honorably (i.e. Job was restored to even greater wealth). On pg. 56, first full paragraph: remove "to make them a great people" because they weren't great measured by God's standards. And "and as long as they remembered this promise...happy people". Discuss how the Spartans may have possessed some admirable qualities, like bravery, respect for elders, and lack of complaining, but they were slaves that lived a harsh, servile life. Their own lives were unimportant, if only the state of Sparta had a good army. We can see this in that the boys who died by beating or hiding foxes were praised and honored, not mourned or censured for wasting the life God had given them. This civilization was an abomination to God, since human life was not valued. Point out that slavery is the inevitable result of giving up our God-given responsibility to train up our children and instead letting the state raise them. Explain that this is one reason why we choose to homeschool. Read SG chapter 26. On pg. 57, second-to-last paragraph: change "the child he loved so well" to "his child". Since love is to obey the commands of God, he could not love a child whom he killed. In the next paragraph remove "his generosity, and by" his actions were sinful, and thus selfish, not generous. Note how false gods do not save, and how cultures that worship the state are cruel to others as well as their own people. Read SG chapters 27 – 28 .

6. Read SG chapters 29. Skip ch. 30, since it is likely not true, and has no bearing on anything else. Read SG chapters 32 – 41. On. pg. 65: remove "and it must have been...foot-race course was called". No big reason...just trying to cool the tone of enthusiasm. On pg. 69: remove "so that the bright sun god....dying for his misdeeds". On pg. 71: change "When you learn Greek" to "If you learn Greek". On pg. 72, last full paragraph: remove "and ruled them very wisely" since one who does not worship and obey God cannot be very wise. Take note of how easily democracies are swayed.

7. Read Darius the Great by Jacob Abbott (DG) (ISBN: 1590161521) pg. 13 – 49. This book is about the Darius mentioned in Scripture. This book gives a detailed history of his life, mostly taken from Herodotus. Thus book was first written in the middle of the 19th century and has a great vocabulary.

8. Read DG pg. 49 – 81. On pg. 80, last paragraph: replace "in all countries are" with "was". A thoroughly Christian populace would not be easily swayed by sensational arguments.

9. Read DG pg. 82 – 113. On pg. 103: remove "instinctive" and add "due to the law of God written on his heart" after the phrase "in man". This is perhaps being overly picky, but the word "instinctive" is too charged with evolutionary though, in my opinion. I break in the middle of pg. 113 due to time restrictions. The chapters in this book are so long that it is difficult to always break with a chapter.

10. Read DG pg. 113 – 143. On pg. 124, remove "as such characters generally do at the present day". This phrase shows the text's age. Teenage malcontents no longer become sailors.

11. Read DG pg. 144 – 182. On pg. 157: remove "If they had risen....brave his power". This is an unfounded assumption on the author's part. He can't read Darius' mind. On pg. 58: remove "but all this is now changed....artillery another way". This paragraph is quite dated. On pg. 168: remove "as, in fact, the accounts....But we must return to the Scythians"(pg. 171) In this passage the author takes a detour to theorize about the nature of savages. I don't think that his thoughts are correct or useful for this narrative. I break after the last full paragraph on pg. 182.

12. Read DG pg. 182 – 184. Discuss the law of God written on our hearts. Read DG pg. 184 – 209. On pg. 189: remove "The attempts of a stronger...But he had no such design." (pg. 190). In this passage the author argues that a more advanced civilization has a right to invade and conquer a less advanced civilization for the good of that less-advanced people. Besides the error of ranking cultures by their degree of civilization (cities, technology, arts, etc) as opposed to by their degree of godliness, this idea is certainly unbiblical. I don't claim to know all the instances in which war is just, but civilizing your neighbors is certainly not a reason. On pg. 191, bottom: remove "and so, as the historian absurdly states...other evil passion" (pg. 192) If it is absurd, why mention it?

13. Read DG pg. 210 – 243. On pg. 243: remove "It ought, however, to be related...reigned in their stead" (pg. 246). This story is supposed to show that the tyrants sometimes acted kindly, but I think it fails in that objective.

14. Read DG pg. 246 – 286. On pg. 251: add "they believed" before "warned them that they were provoking". On pg. 262: remove "They who visit it ... myself a slave." No one can really get strength and encouragement apart from Christ. On pg. 278: remove "supernatural" from before "remorse and terror". On pg. 280: remove "This sentence as well ... condemnation and destruction" (pg. 281). This paragraph, which seems to contradict the author's earlier statements about invading the less-civilized, implies that there is no just war. This claim is also untrue. If nothing else, wars of self-defense are just.

15. Read SG chapters 42 – 49. On pg. 83: remove "not only a good man, but also" Let's not fling the word good at someone who did not keep the law of God. On pg. 85: remove "the greatest sculptor the world has ever known" This is pretty high praise and shouldn't be thrown around. Take note of how easily democracies are swayed. Also note how proud Xerxes looked upon himself as a god. Discuss the ways in which God preserved the Greeks from the mighty Persians, since He prophesied that the Greeks would eventually conquer the Persians.
16) Read SG chapters 50 – 58. On pg. 102: remove "upright and" from the 1st paragraph of chapter 56. and on pg. 103: remove "great" from before "man was marked by a temple". This praise is too excessive. On pg. 104, third paragraph: remove "good and". Once again, I don't like to use the word good with reference to pagans, so freely. On pg. 107, second-to-last paragraph: remove "which have never been surpassed". I don't think that the Greek art can be called the best ever. That is pretty high praise. Discuss the ways in which God preserved the Greeks from the mighty Persians, since He prophesied that the Greeks would eventually conquer the Persians.
17) Read Ancient Greece by Peter Connolly (AGPC) (ISBN: 0199108102) pg. 6 – 39. I will be suggesting many Peter Connolly books. He has interesting and detailed illustrations of actual ancient artifacts, as well as landscapes and reconstructions. He does include nudity in his pictures, however, for instance in his drawings of the Olympic games, the Roman baths, or Greek art. Most of the nudes are small and could be easily covered up, if you wanted to, and owned the book. This particular book has a lot of Greek art in it, and thus a lot of nudes. So, if you need to cut something from the curriculum, this is a good candidate.
18) Read AGPC pg. 40 – 61.
19) Read SG chapter 59. On pg. 108, replace "he was so wise and so thoughtful" with "by God's common grace". No one knows anything about God without his revelation. Read Science in Ancient Greece by Kathlyn Gay (from the library).
20) Read SG chapters 60 – 67. On pg. 113: remove "a truly wise and good man" and "however". Being a pagan who did not know, reverence or submit to God's Word he could not have been "truly wise and good". Also remove the last sentence "this belief was very ... return evil for evil". This was not true of Ancient Israel, at least if they obeyed the laws of God,which never change. On pg. 120: remove "who was generous and kind-hearted" again with the excessive praise. During the part about Socrates and the one God, discuss God’s common grace and the fact that no one is without excuse.
21) Read SG chapters 68 –70. On pg. 122: remove "though he was the greatest philosopher the world has ever known." which is not a title to be given to a pagan. This should be given to Solomon. Also, remove "good" from before "citizens whom these cruel rulers..." On pg. 123: replace "as you know, was one of the best and gentlest of men, yet he" with "though he was gentle" and remove "Although Socrates was so wise.... could prove it to be true" because it is far too high praise for this man. On pg. 125: remove "Socrates, as you have seen, ...Do good to them that hate you" This comparison of Socrates to Christ is appalling! On pg. 126, second to last paragraph: remove "beautiful and" Since Socrates theology was a lie, it could not be beautiful. On pg. 127: remove "beautiful" from the first paragraph, "good and" from the third, "beautiful" from the fifth, and "virtues" and "and all who know his name both love and honor him" from the seventh. Discuss common grace in Socrates acknowledgment of one god. Mention that he put human reason as the ultimate though, and explain how people have been lulled by the many correct things in Socrates philosophy into treating human reason as a discoverer of truth and on par with Revelation (or higher). Read SG chapters 71 – 75. On pg. 129, first full paragraph: remove "He was a good and brave man."
22) Read SG chapters 76 – 84. On pg. 141: remove "their greatest citizen and general" and add "supposedly" before "sprung". This tones down the praise and delineates what is myth. On pg. 144: remove "goodness and" from the last paragraph. Again, throwing around the word goodness. On pg. 148: remove "beautiful" from the description of Plato's talk.
23) Read SG chapters 85 – 92. On pg. 155: remove "As Demosthenes was such a great man." On pg. 156: remove "he was bound to succeed and" and "as it always is". Success is no guaranteed. On pg. 161: remove "Alexander's remarkable coolness, ... have been truly great." Aristotle, as a pagan, was not truly great. And, since he was not preaching God's Word, his preaching could not make others great either.
24) Read SG chapters 93 – 103. On pg. 161: rcplace "had one great fault" with "had a great fault". I am sure that he had more than one fault. On pg. 164: remove "pious" from the description of Alexander's pilgrimage.
25) Read Alexander the Great by John Gunther (AtG) ( ISBN: 1402745192) chapters 1, 3 – 7. Go through beforehand to do some editing; this book is far too complimentary. I can't tell you exactly what to edit, since I borrowed this book from the library, and I didn't write down the parts that need editing.
26) Read AtG chapters 8 – 14
27) Read AtG chapters15 – 20.
28) Read SG chapters 104 – 115. On pg. 194: remove "the country from which later nations learned their best lessons in art, philosophy, and literature." Since, once again, the Greeks were not the greatest civilization.
29) Review and that evening cook a meal from Classical Cookbook by Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger ( ISBN: 0892363940) I haven't actually read this book, but it intrigues me. I love to cook, and it would be really fun to try food from the culture we are studying. The meal is obviously optional.
30) Test: Ancient Greece I choose to test for two reasons. First, it gives the child something to work toward, an opportunity to gauge his progress. Secondly, it gives me some feedback on how well I am doing as a teacher. Right now I have no idea what form or what questions I will use for the test.