Augustine and Ephrem Against the Manicheans
This course will focus on two of the greatest authors of their respective traditions: Augustine of Hippo (354-430), whose writings cover over the Latin West, and Ephrem the Syrian (d. 373) whose influence stretches across the Syriac Orient. Though they never met or knew of each other, they both wrote a great deal against a…
Aristotle Seminar: Plato and Aristotle Compared
Aristotle disagreed with much of Plato’s thought, but their differences are often overstated. Thought of more accurately as a student tweaking and developing the thought of his teacher, Aristotle’s agreement with Plato is as significant as his disagreements. Is the soul immaterial? What are the virtues and how does one acquire them? What is the…
Philosophy as a Way of Life
What does it mean to study philosophy? Is it the act of studying philosophical texts (whether ancient or modern)? Does it predominantly involve memorizing arguments and counter-arguments about the big questions, and then trying to make some positive case for one’s own vision? Moreover, what is a philosopher? Is it simply someone who does the…
The Seven Ecumenical Councils in Historical Context
From 325 to 787, seven major church councils were convened by Roman emperors. These were attended by as many bishops as possible from the known inhabited world, the oikoumene (though most usually came from the eastern half of the Roman emperor). Seven of these were recognised as being truly representative of the universal (or at…