Finals Week is battle.

UCCELLO, Paolo. St George and the Dragon.
1458-60. Oil on canvas. Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris

Slay the dragon! Destroy the dragon of Finals. And afterwards enter thou into thy rest, for summer awaits.

Final Review, Part III: Pax tibi

CARPACCIO, Vittore. The Lion of St Mark. (detail)
1516. Tempera on canvas. Palazzo Ducale, Venice

Let's use our time wisely. It's review time. What are the pronouns in Latin? What are the third and fourth declensions? How do adjectives interact with nouns? All such questions are "essential" to this semester of Latin.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. REDO: Cap X Vocab Quiz
3. Continue Cap X Grammar:
1. Verbs
4. Continue reading Cap X together
5. HW Review:
1. The Final is on Thursday, May 16, 2013.
2. Study for the Final by reviewing and memorizing the Latin Charts and by knowing Cap X grammar.
3. Study Present Tense Verb System
4. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
5. Este perfecti!

Final Review, Part II: Don't drink the hemlock.

DAVID, Jacques-Louis. The Death of Socrates.
1787. Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

What are the pronouns in Latin? What are the third and fourth declensions? How do adjectives interact with nouns? All such questions are "essential" to this semester of Latin.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Announcement: tomorrow you will take Cap X Vocab Quiz
3. Study for Final on Cap X Grammar:
1. Passive Infinitive Verbs
2. Accusative + Infinitive Constructions
3. Other things
4. HW Review:
1. Study for the Final by reviewing and memorizing the Latin Charts and by knowing Cap X grammar.
2. Study Present Tense Verb System
3. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
4. Este perfecti!

Final Review: Part I, Cap X Grammar

GOZZOLI. St Augustine Teaching in Rome.
1464-65. Detail of Fresco.
Apsidal chapel, Sant'Agostino, San Gimignano

Today we shall all learn more about the Church Fathers. And be careful; you just might enjoy it. One of the objectives of this assignment is to see the reason why we think the way we do about spiritual things. In other words, we can think because they thought first.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Correct Cap X Vocab Quiz
3. Study for Final:
1. Cap X Grammar
4. Begin reading Cap X. When everyone is done with the quiz, you may read together in pairs. Work quietly, though, and as unto the Lord. 
5. HW Review:
1. Study for the Final by reviewing and memorizing the Latin Charts and by knowing Cap X grammar.
2. Study Present Tense Verb System
3. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
4. Este perfecti!

Jacobum fratrem Domini.

GRECO, El. Apostle St James the Less.
1610-14. Oil on canvas. Museo de El Greco, Toledo

On May 1st, seven days ago, the Church celebrates the Feast Day of St. James the Less, or "James the Brother of our Lord." Many things might strike us about this El Greco portrait--the sad and fallen eyes, the tired posture, the almost shabby simplicity of dress, the typical cloak at an oblique angle across the saint. But such adornments are not accidental; rather, note how such things contrast with the almost Russian countenance of ponderous thought, the face of a man who spent not merely his adult years but his entire life with the Lord.

Today in Latin we are finishing our study of the "Fall of Rome," which is of course our final period of study in our survey of classical history.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Study for a bit. 2 mins. 
3. Vocab Quiz: Cap X
4. Begin reading Cap X. When everyone is done with the quiz, you may read together in pairs. Work quietly, though, and as unto the Lord. 
5. HW Review:
1. Study for the Final by reviewing and memorizing the Latin Charts and by knowing Cap X grammar.
2. Study Present Tense Verb System
3. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
4. Este perfecti!

Iohannes Apostolus Evangelicus

NARDO DI CIONE. St John the Evangelist.
1360-65. Tempera on wood.
Lindenau-Museum, Altenburg

Today Christians in Eastern Orthodox churches are celebrating the Iohannes Apostolus Evangelicus. Here he is depicted with pen and halo, John the Revelator, John the Divine, John--the only apostle who was not martyred and was sent to island of Patmos where he beheld the strange visions of the end of the world. 

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Finish Study Guide for Final:
1. Cap X Stuff, words, and concepts
2. Ancient Rome: Prosperity and Decline 
3. Seven Wonders of Rome
3. Study words for Cap X
4. HW Review:
1. Study words for Cap X.
2. Study for the Final by reviewing and memorize the Latin Charts and by knowing Cap X grammar.
3. Study Present Tense Verb System
4. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
5. Este perfecti!

St. John the Evangelist

CANO, Alonso. St John the Evangelist.
1636. Oil on canvas. Musée du Louvre, Paris

If you have not noticed, it is in the weeks after Easter that the Church celebrates the vitae apostolorum. In the East, tomorrow marks the feast day of St. John the Evangelist. Here he is now: "St. John the Evangelist and the Poisoned Chalice." His halo is baroque, much like those of Caravaggio. Christ is seen here charming the evil out of the cup. According to legend St. John was handed a cup of poisoned wine, from which, at his blessing, the poison rose in the shape of a serpent.

In Latin today we reviewing our material from last week. Pay attention in our reviews because these are the things that are occurring of the Final.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Correct and discuss:
1. Pensa pro Cap IX
3. Study Guide for Final:
1. Cap X Stuff, words, and concepts
2. Ancient Rome: Prosperity and Decline 
3. Seven Wonders of Rome
4. HW Review:
1. Study words for Cap X.
2. Study for the Final by reviewing and memorize the Latin Charts and by knowing Cap X grammar for translation.
3. Study Present Tense Verb System
4. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
5. Este perfecti!

St. James the Apostle

VENEZIANO. Apostle James the Greater.
1384. Poplar panel. Staatliche Museen, Berlin

Still in the season of Easter now. Consider today's Easter meditation on the Feast Day of Saint James the Greater, the Son of Zebedee. He and his brother together were affectionately called Boenurges, or "Sons of Thunder." He was so zealous for the gospel that it did not take long for Herod to act against him. He was the second martyr of the Christian Church: "Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword" (Acts 12 1-2).

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Finish Pensum B in Cap IX (EC)
3. Study Guide for Final:
1. Cap X Stuff, words, and concepts
2. Ancient Rome: Prosperity and Decline
4. HW Review:
1. Study words for Cap X.
2. Study for the Final by reviewing and memorize the Latin Charts. 
3. Study Present Tense Verb System
4. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
5. Este perfecti!

Ecce Patres Eclesiae

LIPPI. Sts Gregory and Jerome.
1437. Tempera and gold on wood.
Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti.

Here are two more Church Doctors, Gregory the Great and St. Jerome. Note the monkish garb of Jerome and the colorful accoutrements of the Pope.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Correct Vocab Quiz for Cap 9
3. Do Pensum B in Cap IX (EC)
4. HW Review:
1. Study for the Final by reviewing and memorize the Latin Charts. 
2. Study Present Tense Verb System
3. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
4. Este perfecti!

Ecce doctores ecclesiae.

CRIVELLI, Carlo. St Jerome and St Augustine.
1490. Tempera on wood
Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice

Here are two of the "Doctors of the Church." You will no doubt notice the basilica that stands out, almost growing out of the books of the church.

Today in Latin we will begin our preparations for the Final and finishing working on our research projects. 
   
Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Study for a bit. 
3. Vocab Quiz: Cap 9
4. HW Review:
1. Study for the Final by reviewing and memorize the Latin Charts. 
2. Study Present Tense Verb System
3. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
4. Este perfecti!

Et ego si exaltatus fuero a terra omnia traham ad me ipsum.

REMBRANDT. The Raising the Cross.
1633. Oil on canvas. Alte Pinakothek, Munich

Although we have moved past the crucifixion of Christ, let us consider Rembrandt's rendition, a painting that should be well known to you all. Two ideas are formed in this image. The first should be most obvious: Rembrandt paints himself as one of those participating in the crucifixion. Why does he do this? Because he is confessing his own original sin, that he too is guilty of Christ's death, for that is what the doctrine of Substitutionary Atonement means, that Christ is dying for him personally. The other idea reflected in this image is located in the Jerome's choice words: et ego si exaltatus fuero a terra omnia traham ad me ipsum (John 12:32). The key word here is "exaltatus," which is where we derive the English word "exalt," which means "praise" or "glorify." And so it is that the lifting of Christ on the cross actually becomes His glorification.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Correct and review Cap IX Pensum A & C
3. Study words for Cap IX.
4. Review HW: 
1. Study words for Cap IX. Quiz tomorrow. 
2. Review and memorize the Latin Charts
3. Study Present Tense Verb System
4. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
5. Este perfecti!

Chruch Fathers

BOTTICELLI, Sandro. St Augustine.
1480. Fresco. Ognissanti, Florence

Here is Saint Augustine, one of the principle Church Fathers, a man who bridged two worlds, the fading light of the ancient world and the growing brightness of the medieval world. He was a "doctor of the church," that is, one who helped form and shape the doctrines of the Church. 

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Lingua Latina Cap IX  (for Marley)
1. Finish Pensum A
2. Do Pensum C: 1-3, 8-10
3. Finish Ben Hur.
4. Review HW: 
1. Study words for Cap IX. Quiz tomorrow. 
2. Review and memorize the Latin Charts
3. Study Present Tense Verb System
4. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
5. Este perfecti!

Cap IX: Pastor et Oves Part II

GUARDI, Francesco. Capriccio with Venetian Motifs.
1760s. Oil on canvas. Museo di Castelvecchio, Verona.

Today we are continuing our study of Cap IX and of a very popular and important scene in the Ancient World.

Agenda:

1. Credo
2. Lingua Latina Cap IX:
3. Review HW: 
1. Study Present Tense Verb System
2. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
3. Este perfecti!

Cap IX: Pastor et Oves

BÖCKLIN, Arnold. Villa by the Sea. 1864
Oil on canvas. Neue Pinakothek, Munich

Some of you might have already noticed this, but there are only 3 weeks left of school de hodie. For some this is too short; for most of us, it is too long. Nevertheless, let us press on and finish well the race that is before us.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Begin reading Cap IX together.
3. Review HW: 
1. Study Present Tense Verb System
2. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
3. Este perfecti!

Beginning Cap XVII

BELLOTTO, Bernardo. Capriccio of the Capitol.
1743-44. Oil on canvas. Galleria Nazionale, Parma.

Today we will begin the chapter on one of the most important declensions in Latin.

Agenda:

1. Pray
2. Correct and discuss Cap VIII Pensum A 
3. Intro new words for Cap IX words. 
4. Review HW: 
1. Study Present Tense Verb System
2. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
3. Este perfecti!

Et mittam manum meam in latus eius non credam.

STOM, Matthias. The Incredulity of St Thomas.
1620. Oil on canvas. Museo del Prado, Madrid.

Today consider the patientes Dei. In Stom's depiction of Thomas' unbelief, it is not Thomas but Christ on whom we fix our eyes. Note the patience and forbearance with Thomas' doubt: Christ holds his hands as if to prevent the other disciples from interrupting Thomas' inspection of his body. Stom's focus on the wound in the side is also telling, for as John tells us, it was the "blood and water" of the Church that came from forth at the latus Christi.

Agenda:

1. Credo Deum Patrem...
2. Ben Hur
3. Review HW: 
1. Study Present Tense Verb System
2. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
3. Este perfecti!

Jesus as Companion: quomodo cognoverunt eum in fractione panis.

BLOEMAERT, Abraham. The Emmaus Disciples. 1622.
Oil on wood. Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels

"Were not our hearts burning within us?" So ask the disciples on the way to Emmaus. They say this, of course, after their eyes have been opened. Consider today's painting and "how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread" (Luke 24:35). There is something mystical about the breaking itself that reveals some deeper mystery at work in the soul of every human. We know the character of a person best when we see them broken. What is the significance of this? It means that Jesus is both the "companion" and the "panem" that is broken and revealed in this breaking. In other words, he is not a hermit god who looks at us from some intangible distance. On the contrary, God in Christ is near and revealed in the breaking of bread.

Agenda:

1. Credo in Deum Patrem... 
2. Videmus Seven Wonders of Rome
1. Take Notes
3. Review HW: 
1. Study Present Tense Verb System
2. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
3. Este perfecti!

Resurrectio Veritatis.

BELLINI, Giovanni. Resurrection of Christ.
1475-79. Oil on panel transferred to canvas.
Staatliche Museen, Berlin.

Here we have Bellini's depiction of the Resurrection of Christ; consider the symbolic elements: the stunned soldiers, the petrified joy of the disciples, the merciful beauty of the myrrh-bearing women. Such an event touches all points of society. In other words, today's significance is nothing without the resurrection of Truth, the resurrection of Meaning.

Agenda:

1. Credo Deum Patrem...
2. Correct past quiz. 
3. Lingua Latina: Capitulum VIII. 
1. Collect Pensum A together.
4. Review, discuss the notes on Ancient Rome: Prosperity and Decline.
5. Review HW: 
1. Study Present Tense Verb System
2. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
3. Este perfecti!

Easter is not over.

CARPACCIO, Vittore. The Meditation on the Passion.
1510. Oil and tempera on wood.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Some of you might be asking, "Why are we still talking about Easter. It's so over already--pshaw!" The answer to this question is simply that Easter is not over. Consider Cappricio's argument here. It is right that we continue to think on the significance of Easter. It is the most important event in history, remember the sine qua non of Christianity. 

Agenda:

1. Apostle's Creed
2. Watch Ancient Rome: Prosperity and Decline
1. Take notes
3. Review HW: 
1. Finish Cap VIII Pensum A
2. Study Present Tense Verb System
3. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
4. Este perfecti!

Slumber no more.

The Large Passion: 12. The Resurrection of Christ.
DÜRER, Albrecht. 1510. Woodcut.
Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna.

The resurrection changes everything. Note here the sleepers in the foreground, a symbol of the slumber of the world before Christ breaks open the universe in new life and new glorified matter.

Agenda:

1. Credo Deum Patrem...
2. Finish Pensum A in Lingua Latina: Cap VIII. 
1. Work with a partner.
3. Watch Ancient Rome: Prosperity and Decline
1. Take notes
4. Review HW: 
1. Study Present Tense Verb System
2. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
3. Este perfecti!

Noli me tangere.

FRANCIABIGIO. Noli me tangere. 1520-25.
Detached fresco. Museo del Cenacolo di San Salvi, Florence

Note the title of today's painting: Noli me tangere. Christ is speaking to Mary here, as recorded in the gospel of John. "Do not touch me, for I've not yet ascended to my Father." There is much mystery and anticipation in this statement, but it concludes a dramatic scene that St. John is keen to show us regarding the nature of Christ. It is the same idea that St. Paul will later pick up and expound, regarding Jesus as the Second Adam. 

Agenda:

1. Apostle's Creed 
2. Finish reading Cap VIII together. 
3. Begin Pensum A of Cap VIII
4. Review HW:
1. Study Present Tense Verb System
2. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
3. Este perfecti!

Thomas' Incredulity.

CARAVAGGIO. The Incredulity of Saint Thomas.
1601-02. Oil on canvas. Schloss Sanssouci, Potsdam.

Today we shall consider the doubting faith of Thomas. Biblical characters receive their epithets for their deeds, and it is a sad thing we do not still keep up this practice. Imagine how much more humble and circumspect we might be if we could be named by our foibles. However, in the case of Thomas, he must be vindicated. "Doubting Thomas," as he is often called, was no different from you or me, especially in this hyper-scientific age. And denying the Lord as Peter did is as much a lack of faith as Thomas' "unless I put my hand in his side." Thomas is what our generation needs. Thomas is a rebuke to us all, for as Jesus says, "blessed are they who believe and have not seen."

Agenda:

1. Apostle's Creed
2. Read Cap VIII together. 
3. Review HW:
1. Study Present Tense Verb System
2. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
3. Este perfecti!

Christus resurrexit!

BELLINI, Giovanni. Resurrection of Christ.
1475-79. Oil on panel transferred to canvas.
Staatliche Museen, Berlin.

Salvete, discipuli...(it's "salvete" to more than one person). Welcome back from Easter Break, and I hope you had a blessed time. He has risen! The resurrection of Christ is the sine qua non of Christianity. Understand this sentence, and you will know the secret of the universe.

In Latin today we shall endeavor to remember what we are about.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster 
2. Announcements: 
1. Easter Break
2. Make up work
3. Quizzes this week
4. And the rest of the year
3. Review HW:
1. Study Present Tense Verb System
2. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
3. Este perfecti!

Maundy Thursday.

Christ Washing the Feet of His Disciples.
TINTORETTO. 1547. Oil on canvas
Museo del Prado, Madrid

For most of you, the significance of today will extend only insofar as it marks the last day before our school's Spring break. But if you are a Christian, then you ought to know that today's meaning transcends your superficial excitement at the prospect of having a little time off. It is "Maundy Thursday" people, so go and love one another as Jesus showed us. That is a com-MAND, that is, mandatus. Have a good Easter break.

Agenda:

1. Pray
2. Study a bit. 
3. Expansion of Rome Quiz
4. Correct and review Vocab Quiz: Cap VIII  
5. Review HW: 
1. Study words for Cap VIII.
2. Study Present Tense Verb System
3. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
4. Este perfecti!

Spy Wednesday

GIOTTO. Judas' Betrayal. 1304-06
Fresco. Cappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua

In Western Christianity, the Wednesday before Easter is sometimes known as "Spy Wednesday",as a reference to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot, indicating that it is the day that Judas Iscariot first conspired with the Sanhedrin to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Wikipedia).

In Latin today we are proving our knowledge of the demonstrative pronouns, as well as finishing our new lesson on passive infinitives. 

Agenda:

1. Apostle's Creed
2. Get your chant on!
1. The Endless Noun Ending Song
3. Read Chesterton's Commentary on the Punic Wars (and on its significance).
4. Correct and review Vocab Quiz: Cap VIII  
5. Study for Expansion of Rome Quiz
6. Review HW: 
1. Study words for Cap VIII.
2. Study Present Tense Verb System
3. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
4. Este perfecti!

Holy and Great Tuesday

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins.
William Blake. 1822. Tate Gallery, London.

On this day the Church commemorates the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), which forms one of the themes of the first three days of Holy Week, with its teaching about vigilance, and Christ as the Bridegroom. The bridal chamber is used as a symbol not only of the Tomb of Christ, but also of the blessed state of the saved on the Day of Judgement. The theme of the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) is also developed in the hymns of this day (Wikipedia).

In Latin today we will chant our nouns...because you need to know them. In addition, we shall cover an important way of expressing certain verbs. To be educated is to be whole. You get the humor of this by the end of today.

Agenda:

1. Apostle's Creed
2. Get your chant on!
1. The Endless Noun Ending Song
3. Vocab Quiz: Cap VIII  
4. Review HW: 
1. Study words for Cap VIII.
2. Study Present Tense Verb System
3. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
4. Este perfecti!

Ave Maria et Sancta Dies Lunae

ANGELICO, Fra. Annunciation (Cell 3).
1442. Fresco. Convento di San Marco, Florence

Why the Annunciation, you ask? Isn't it Holy Week? Aren't we building up to Easter? It is true, yes, the season of Lent is giving way to the season of Easter. But this year, interestingly enough, Holy Monday, March 25th also happens to be the Feast of the Annunciation.What does this mean? Two things: (1) that life begins at conception, and without Mary's "ecce ancilla Domini fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum," we'd still be sacrificing inadequate bulls and goats, we'd still be in our sins, we'd still live in darkness, et cetera res; (2) that if we consult the astronomical record, we find it proven that Christ was born to die, for, as Shakespeare says, "the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes." The stars in their arrangements tell a story, and it is the fulfillment of millennia of prophecy. This week is the beginning of that story. 
Agenda:

1. Pray and Apostles Creed
2. Finish review of Pensum B of Cap VII. 
3. Read Cap VIII together. 
4. Study for Cap VIII vocab quiz cras. 
5. Review HW: 
1. Study words for Cap VIII.
2. Study Present Tense Verb System
3. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
4. Este perfecti!

Summus dies Pompeii.

Vesuvius from Portici. Joseph Wright of Derby. 1776.

What were some of the most important events in the first century of Rome? What was daily Roman life like? At the end of last quarter, we viewed two films that show accurate glimpses of Roman life in that transitional period from B.C. to A.D., particularly events in the first century. We are doing this for two reasons: (1) We wanted to answer the above questions regarding our course objectives to study Rome, and (2) we also wanted to complete our study of the phases of Roman history. This means we are entering into the Patristic period, from the Golden Age of the Empire from 44 B.C. to the Fall of the Roman Empire in the 6th century Anno Domini.
Today we reviewing Latin grammar things: third declension, demonstratives, etc. 

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Review the 3rd Declension Worksheet
3. Finish Pensum B of Cap VII. 
4. Read Cap VIII together.
5. Review HW: 
1. Study words for Cap VIII.
2. Study Present Tense Verb System
3. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
4. Este perfecti!

Morituri te salutamus.

A retiarius stabs at a secutor with his trident.
Mosaic. Nennig, Germany. 2nd–3rd century CE.

"We who are about to die greet you." Last week we began following the journey of "Verus," the gladiator. Here we see not merely an imaginative account of two gladiators but a very accurate depiction of two types of gladiators: a retiarius and a secutor. They represent two schools of gladiatorial combat.

In addition, we are going to review and learn from our quizzes from last week.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Review the following:
1. Present Tense Verb System.
2. 3rd Declension Nouns
3. 3rd Declension Worksheet
3. Review HW: 
1. Study words for Cap VIII
2. Study Present Tense Verb System
3. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
4. Este perfecti!

Studying

I am sick. Picked up some bug during my travels. You all can study for tomorrow's quiz. 

Agenda:

1. Pray
2. Study 3rd Declension Nouns (Quiz tomorrow!)
1. Read & study 3rd Declension Nouns
3. Review HW: 
1. Study words for Cap VIII
2. Study Present Tense Verb System
3. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
4. Este perfecti!

Third Declension

Minotaur at center of labyrinth. 16th-century.

Today we shall enter into a yet another labyrinth. It has to do with nouns. (Huge surprise.) You are becoming like the cynical Daedalus, no doubt? Well, there's good news and bad news: the bad news is that you have absolutely no familiarity with these nouns at all; the good news is that once you master the nouns of the third declension, you will know the majority of all Latin nouns. But remember Theseus and keep track of your threads. The Minotaur awaits all those who have forgotten.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Finish Pensum B in Cap VII. (Hand it into the tray when finished.)
3. Read & study the Present Tense Verb System.
4. 3rd Declension Nouns
1. Read & study 3rd Declension Nouns
2. Do  3rd Declension Worksheet
5. Review HW: 
1. Study words for Cap VIII
2. Study Present Tense Verb System
3. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
4. Este perfecti!

URI, VINCIRI, VERBERARI, FERROQUE NECARI

Gerome, Jean-Leon. Pollice Verso. 1872. Oil on canvas. Phoenix.

That is the oath of the gladiator, the sacramentum gladiatorium. All gladiators were to pledge a chilling promise: "I will endure to be burned, to be bound, to be beaten, and to be killed by the sword." This oath, however, is ultimately selfish, only for one's own glory.
Consider the "arena" as a metaphor. The truth is that we all are in our own arena. The Christian especially is a kind of gladiator. Paul alludes to this. And it is true that many Christians have already endured being beaten, burned, or killed with the sword; we call them martyrs. In fact, some of them were in the same arenas as the gladiators. But the difference is that the Christian did not seek his own glory but rather the glory of the Father. Here is the wonderful irony. Remember what Christ said about losing your life for his sake? That "whosoever shall lose his life shall ... shall preserve it." And what has happened? We remember the fame of the martyr more than that of the gladiator. Who is remembered more? The martyr has found life in our continued memory of their sacrifice. 

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Study for 1 minute
3. Grammar Quiz: Cap VII
1. You may work in partners
2. When finished, work on Pensum B for Cap VII
4. Watch Colosseum. (Est sub hoc.)
5. Review HW: 
1. Get your chant on! The Endless Noun Ending Song
2. Este perfecti!

Watch and enjoy the following adventure in Latin!

Cap VII Pensa

SARACENI, Carlo. 1610.
St Gregory the Great. Oil on canvas.
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome

Two days ago was the feast day of St. Gregory the Great. Here he is working diligently. Let us also follow suit.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Work on Pensa pro Cap VII
3. Review HW:
1. Study for Grammar Quiz on Cap VII (3/15)
   
2. Este perfecti!

St. Gregory the Great.

CRESPI, Giovanni Battista.
St Gregory Delivers the Soul of a Monk.
1617.  Oil on canvas. San Vittore, Varese

The feast day of Gregory is today, without whom we'd not have England. Consider the following image and the two dimensions revealed in Crespi's painting. Consider how small the physical and natural dimension is in comparison to the spiritual realm.
Today we are continuing our study of Cap VII.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Work on Pensa pro Cap VII
3. Review HW:
1. Grammar Quiz on Cap VII (3/15)
   
2. Este perfecti!

End of Quarter 3; beginning of Quarter IV.

CARRACCI, Annibale.
The Temptation of St Anthony Abbot.
1597-98.Oil on copper. London.

Today we are wrapping things up for quarter 3. We are now into the fourth quarter of the school year. As we enter into this last phase, let us not grow complacent in our labors; let us rather press ahead with all the more diligence, so that we might finish well. Here consider St. Anthony's steady gaze on God, so that he might resist the temptations of the devil.

Agenda:

1. Pray
2. Finish correcting and reviewing Cap VI, Pensum A
3. Finish reading Capitulum VII:
1. Get into groups of 3-4. 
2. Read scenes II-III of Cap VII
4. Review HW:
1. Be perfect. 

Omnium rerum principia parva sunt.

BELLOTTO, Bernardo. Capriccio with the Colosseum.
1743-44. Oil on canvas. Galleria Nazionale, Parma.

Cicero here, telling us, "The beginnings of all things are small." This is true, of course, of Rome, who was not built in a day. This aphorism expresses perhaps that most Roman of virtues, the idea beauty takes time. In other words, the people of Rome understood the patience and perseverance involved in building great things, things that last for more than the generation that has created it. Today we shall hear of the lives of those men who helped make Rome great.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Finish Famous Roman Research Projects:
1. Presentations
3. Review HW:
1. Study notes on Ancient Rome: Expansion and Conquest. (Quiz in 4th quarter.)
2. Be perfect.

Ora et labora!

The Younger Pliny Reproved.
Colored Print. Thomas Burke (1749–1815).

 Let us not think we are done with a task by only completing half of it. Today we are finishing our work that we began in chapter 6 (even though we have started chapter 7 now). So...ora et labora!

Agenda:

1. Pray
2. Finish Pensum A in Cap VI.
3. Correct and discuss our quizzes.
4. Review HW:
1. Famous Roman Research Project. Download the resources:
1. Fami Viri Romae
2. Fabulae a Romana Historia
2. Study notes on Ancient Rome: Expansion and Conquest. (Quiz in 4th quarter.)
3. Be perfect.

Famous Romans Part IV

Battle Scene with a Roman Army Besieging a Large City.
CORTE, Juan de la. Oil on canvas. Private collection

Today we will begin a new Latin lesson, which is really an old Latin lesson. Having taken the pronoun quiz there were some things about the relative pronouns in particular that we reinforce and review.

Agenda:

1. Pray
2. Work on FRPs. Get 'em. 
3. Review HW:
1. Famous Roman Research Project. Download the resources:
1. Fami Viri Romae
2. Fabulae a Romana Historia
2. Study notes on Ancient Rome: Expansion and Conquest. (Quiz in 4th quarter.)
3. Be perfect.

CAP VII Continued

PANNINI. Architectural Capriccio
1730. Oil on canvas. Private collection

Today we continue where we left off yesterday, but we will utilize our time to study, study, study for the quizzes this week and next week.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Lecture on Grammar for Cap XIV:
1. Pronouns: Reflexives & Datives 
2. Adverbs & Points of Style
3. Review interrogatives
3. Read Cap VII together. 
4. Work on Famous Roman Projects
5. Review HW:
1. Famous Roman Research Project. Download the resources:
1. Fami Viri Romae
2. Fabulae a Romana Historia
2. Study notes on Ancient Rome: Expansion and Conquest. (Quiz in 4th quarter.)
3. Be perfect.

CAPITVLVM VII: Puella et Rosa

Cincinnatus leaves the plow for the Roman dictatorship.

Juan Antonio Ribera. c. 1806

Today we digging into the grammar of the seventh chapter of Lingua Latina.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Lecture on Grammar for Cap XIV:
1. Nouns: Case Uses & Datives
2. Verbs: Imperatives & Compounds
3. Pronouns: Reflexives & Datives 
4. Adverbs & Points of Style
5. Review interrogatives
3. Work on Famous Roman Projects
4. Review HW:
1. Famous Roman Research Project. Download the resources:
1. Fami Viri Romae
2. Fabulae a Romana Historia
2. Study notes on Ancient Rome: Expansion and Conquest. (Quiz in 4th quarter.)
3. Be perfect.

Famous Romans: Part III

Pannini. Roman Capriccio: The Pantheon and Other Monuments
1735. Oil on canvas. Museum of Art, Indianapolis.

Today we still finishing our study of that period in Roman history wherein the world was made bigger and made one through battle after battle, conquest after conquest, generation after generation loyal to civic and familial virtues and acting as one in the possession of the globe: the expansion and the conquest of the Roman State.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Work on Famous Roman Projects
3. Review HW:
1. Famous Roman Research Project. Download the resources:
1. Fami Viri Romae
2. Fabulae a Romana Historia
2. Study notes on Ancient Rome: Expansion and Conquest.
3. Be perfect.

Fomous Romans: Part II

LENS, Andries Cornelis. Regulus Returning to Carthage.
1791. Oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

Salvete, discipuli. Hope you all had a good "weekend" and are ready to work hard this week. Today we are continuing our work on the Famous Roman Projects, which are between the years 500 B.C. and 30 A.D. Here, consider the resolve of a Roman, intrepid and determined to return to what would most certainly be his death. Note the resolve written on the face of Regulus.

Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Questions on Ancient Rome: Expansion & Conquest. Check them; you need to know them: 
1. In the early days of the Roman Republic, what was Rome’s army like? Was it only defensive, or offensive?
2. What were the secrets to Rome’s military success in the early years of the Republic?
3. When were the Punic Wars, and why were they so significant? Who was Hannibal?
4. How did Rome win the Punic Wars, and how did Hannibal die?
5. Why was Rome’s non-professional army eventually no longer adequate?
6. Why would army be more loyal to its general?
7. When army becomes more powerful than the State, what are the consequences?  
8. What was the pattern that Sulla eventually set for the future of Roman rule?
3. Intro new vocab: Cap VII. 
4. Work on Famous Roman Porjects.
5. Review HW: 
1. Study notes on Ancient Rome: Expansion and Conquest. (Quiz next week as well) 
2. Famous Roman Research Project. Download the resources:
1. Fami Viri Romae
2. Fabulae a Romana Historia
3.  Be perfect.

Gaudete! And again I say, "Gaudete!"

This is the second and last day of the "Week of Joy." 

Agenda:

1. Pray
2. Work on making reparations to quizzes. 
3. Make-up quizzes
4. Tutorial Sessions...
5. Questions on Ancient Rome: Expansion & Conquest. Check them; you need to know them: 
1. In the early days of the Roman Republic, what was Rome’s army like?Was it only defensive, or offensive?
2. What were the secrets to Rome’s military success in the early years of the Republic?
3. When were the Punic Wars, and why were they so significant? Who was Hannibal?
4. How did Rome win the Punic Wars, and how did Hannibal die?
5. Why was Rome’s non-professional army eventually no longer adequate?
6. Why would army be more loyal to its general?
7. When army becomes more powerful than the State, what are the consequences?  
8. What was the pattern that Sulla eventually set for the future of Roman rule?
6. Review HW: 
1. Study notes on Ancient Rome: Expansion and Conquest. (Quiz next week as well) 
2. Famous Roman Research Project. Download the resources:
1. Fami Viri Romae
2. Fabulae a Romana Historia
3.  Be perfect.

The Week of Joy: Part I

LOO, Carle van. Aeneas Carrying Anchises.
1729. Oil on canvas. Musée du Louvre, Paris.

"But to recall one's steps, and to up above to the air, that is the task, that the work." 

Agenda:

1. Pray
2. Work on making reparations to quizzes. 
3. Make-up quizzes
4. Tutorial Sessions...
5. Questions on Ancient Rome: Expansion & Conquest. Check them; you need to know them: 
1. In the early days of the Roman Republic, what was Rome’s army like?Was it only defensive, or offensive?
2. What were the secrets to Rome’s military success in the early years of the Republic?
3. When were the Punic Wars, and why were they so significant? Who was Hannibal?
4. How did Rome win the Punic Wars, and how did Hannibal die?
5. Why was Rome’s non-professional army eventually no longer adequate?
6. Why would army be more loyal to its general?
7. When army becomes more powerful than the State, what are the consequences?  
8. What was the pattern that Sulla eventually set for the future of Roman rule?
6. Review HW: 
1. Study notes on Ancient Rome: Expansion and Conquest. (Quiz next week as well) 
2. Famous Roman Research Project. Download the resources:
1. Fami Viri Romae
2. Fabulae a Romana Historia
3.  Be perfect.

The Feast of Saint Valentine's

Bassano, Jacopo. St Valentine Baptizing St Lucilla.
1575. Oil on canvas. Museo Civico, Bassano del Grappa

Happy St. Valentine's Day! Here Bassano shows the influence and beneficent effect of that mysterious figure, Valentinus. He takes his name from the Latin adjective valens, meaning "strong, effective, or influential." Although there is little known about the man, we honor his martyrdom: "The feast of St. Valentine was first established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I, who included Valentine among those "...whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God." One story, that he married Christians during a time of Roman persecution, influenced the holiday, which flourished in the days of Chaucer, during the chivalric days of the courtly love of the Middle Ages. 

In Latin today, we are reviewing our pronouns in order to prepare for this week's quiz. In addition, we will begin a new project, which, if done well, should improve everyone's grades.

Agenda:

1. Pray 
2. Study for a bit
3. Grammar Quiz: Cap VI
4. CAP VI in Lingua Latina 
1. Do Pensum A 
5. Begin Famous Roman Research Project
1. Read the assignment.
2. Find someone you work well with. 
3. Download the books and begin reading resources.  
1. Fami Viri Romae
2. Fabulae a Romana Historia
6. Questions on Ancient Rome: Expansion & Conquest. Check them; you need to know them: 
1. In the early days of the Roman Republic, what was Rome’s army like?Was it only defensive, or offensive?
2. What were the secrets to Rome’s military success in the early years of the Republic?
3. When were the Punic Wars, and why were they so significant? Who was Hannibal?
4. How did Rome win the Punic Wars, and how did Hannibal die?
5. Why was Rome’s non-professional army eventually no longer adequate?
6. Why would army be more loyal to its general?
7. When army becomes more powerful than the State, what are the consequences?  
8. What was the pattern that Sulla eventually set for the future of Roman rule?
7. Review HW: 
1. Study notes on Ancient Rome: Expansion and Conquest. (Quiz next week as well) 
2. Famous Roman Research Project. Download the resources:
1. Fami Viri Romae
2. Fabulae a Romana Historia
3.  Be perfect.

Ash Wednesday

REMBRANDT. The Return of the Prodigal Son.
1669. Oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Today is a Ash Wednesday, which marks the day of corporate repentance for sins and the beginning of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer. Typically we would all have a black ash on our foreheads, the outward sign of our inward contrition, as in the ancient times.Consider Rembrandt's depiction of the broken and contrite heart of the Prodigal Son, who returned in dust to his father.

In Latin today, we will we continue our study of the famous men of Rome.

Agenda:

1. Pray
2. Begin Famous Roman Research Project:
1. Download the books and begin reading resources.  
1. Fami Viri Romae
2. Fabulae a Romana Historia
3. Finish Grammar Notes for Cap VI
4. Questions on Ancient Rome: Expansion & Conquest. Check them; you need to know them: 
1. In the early days of the Roman Republic, what was Rome’s army like?Was it only defensive, or offensive?
2. What were the secrets to Rome’s military success in the early years of the Republic?
3. When were the Punic Wars, and why were they so significant? Who was Hannibal?
4. How did Rome win the Punic Wars, and how did Hannibal die?
5. Why was Rome’s non-professional army eventually no longer adequate?
6. Why would army be more loyal to its general?
7. When army becomes more powerful than the State, what are the consequences?  
8. What was the pattern that Sulla eventually set for the future of Roman rule?
5. Review HW: 
1. Study notes on Ancient Rome: Expansion and Conquest. (Quiz next week as well) 
2. Famous Roman Research Project. Download the resources:
1. Fami Viri Romae
2. Fabulae a Romana Historia
3.  Be perfect.

Happy Shrove Tuesday.

DUYSTER, Willem Cornelisz. Carnival Clowns.
c. 1620. Oil on oak. Staatliche Museen, Berlin

Shrove Tuesday is more commonly known as "Mardi Gras," or "Fat Tuesday." Today marks the end of the carnival feast, which is typically the climax of wild and raucous reveling. Tomorrow, we shall all repent in ashes and dust.

Agenda:

1. Pray
2. Begin Famous Roman Research Project:
1. Download the books and begin reading resources.  
1. Fami Viri Romae
2. Fabulae a Romana Historia
3. Review HW: 
1. Study notes on Ancient Rome: Expansion and Conquest. (Quiz next week as well) 
2. Famous Roman Research Project. Download the resources:
1. Fami Viri Romae
2. Fabulae a Romana Historia
3.  Be perfect.