Virgil's Aeneid: The Founding of Nations in the Will of God

Dr. Henry Russell joins TAN Academy in presenting Virgil's Aeneid: The Founding of Nations in the Will of God. Dr. Henry Russell is headmaster of St. Augustine Homeschool Enrichment Program and author of The Catholic Shakespeare Audio Series. These 16 lectures are both deeply Catholic and highly intellectual, but eminently accessible to high school students. 

These ancient texts and the world view they represent are part of the pre-Christian era and so lack the revelation of Jesus Christ. However, because men of all times and places are made for God, all civilizations reveal the pursuit of truth and represent it in partial glimpses. Ancient Roman texts such as the Aeneid often transcend their time and even pave the way for the fullness of truth found in the Catholic faith. 

This course explores those partial truths in the light of Christ, which allows us to deepen our understanding of the ancient world from which Western Civilization sprang. Not only are the core philosophies of this course Catholic, and the aim of its exploration aligned with the Faith and revelation, but Dr. Russell also begins every lecture in prayer. Through this ancient text, the course forms students in both mind and heart for a deeper love and appreciation of God’s promise of the Redeemer and his incarnation as man. 

Dr. Russell also trains students in the art of rigorous conversation with literary texts, making this series, when coupled with TAN’s High School Ancient Literature lesson plan, a college-preparatory experience. The course covers Virgil’s Aeneid in its entirety while analyzing key themes such as:

• The historical and spiritual significance of the text
• The Aeneid as a typological prefiguration of the Catholic Faith
• Man’s need for conformity to God’s will
• The role of the divine in human government.

Don’t miss this exciting journey into the foundations of our civilization! 

Lectures

1. Seven Reasons to Study the Aeneid
2. Punic, Social, and Civil Wars
3. The Wrath and Promise of Heaven
4. Troy versus Greece and Impossible Tasks
5. Fated Futures and Nation Before Family
6. The Great Wanderings
7. The Perils of Passion
8. The Glory of Games
9. The Burning of Ships
10. Avernus and Places of Justice
11. Blessed Groves, Punishment, and Communion
12. Unholy War and the Beginning of the Iliad
13. The Greeks and the Glory of the Shield
14. Friendship, Folly, and Bloodlust
15. Fate, Freewill, and Death
16. Sorrow, Peace, and Glory

Lecture Sample