Emmanuel Simon

As the Ancient Greeks used the Trojan Horse to deceive the Trojans, so Dorothy Sayers used a faulty conception of the trivium to deceive those seeking a true classical education. Following Dorothy Sayers, modern classical educators hold that the trivium arts—grammar, logic, and rhetoric—are not mere subjects of study. Rather, they are psychological stages of development. Dorothy Sayers writes, “Looking back upon myself (since I am the child I know best and the only child I can pretend to know from inside) I recognize in myself three states of development. These, in a rough and ready fashion, I will call … Continue

In an article titled, The Two Canons: The Biblical Books and the Great Books, Dr. Christopher Perrin compares the formation of the Biblical Canon to that of the Great Books. A canon, he rightly notes, is the rule, measure, or standard by which something abides by. For example, the criteria for which books belong in the Bible ultimately reduce to whether these books are inspired by God. If Catholicism is true, then the Catholic Church rightly judges which books belong in the bible because she is guided by the Holy Spirit, and cannot be led into error in matters of … Continue

In Lesson 38 of the Baltimore Catechism II course, we learn that, “Prayer is the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God to adore Him, to thank Him for His benefits, to ask His forgiveness, and to beg of Him all the graces we need whether for soul or body.” (Baltimore Catechism II, Question 34.) We learn that there are at least two kinds of prayer: vocal prayer and meditation or mental prayer. Vocal prayer is the prayer we say aloud. An example of vocal prayer is the Our Father, the prayer that Jesus taught us. Vocal prayer … Continue