Using Latin and Theatre with Jesus' Parables

Recently, I combined many subjects together during a Theology lesson with my third grade class. This is something that both my students and I enjoy. It's also a very "classical" way to teach. In Theology we were learning about and reading about the parable of the unforgiving servant where the master (Jesus) forgives his servant of a large sum of money. Then that servant goes and throws a friend, who owes him a little amount, in jail for not paying him. The master gets angry and throws the first servant into prison. (Read Matthew 18:23-35 for the whole story.)

Firstly, I knew that my class would enjoy acting the story out, while I read it out loud. Each student could have a part to play and students will often remember stories that they have acted out and therefore internalized. In fact, the birth of the theatre began in the church, when churches would put on plays to teach commoners the commandments and good morals. Likewise, one student acted out the wrong way to treat a friend by pretend-choking the friend, who owed him money, and one friend played the master, as the forgiving Lord of us all.

Now how did Latin fit into all that? The class had just learned the words for master and servant from Latin for Children Primer A. They had chanted the vocabulary and memorized the words, but here was an opportunity to tell the story using Latin words. I substituted the English words with the Latin words that they learned and in turn they internalized the parable and the Latin words. I hope to do both these things a lot during the year. I highly recommend using one or both of these ways to instill in your students the love of the Bible, acting, and languages.

Ceasar and Machiavelli: A Portrait of a Tyrant

In Chapter XXXI of Caesar's De Bello Gallico, Caesar gives the reader a picture of Ariovistus, one of the barbarians, who clearly made an impression on him: Hominem esse barbarum, iracundum, temerarium: non posse eius imperia diutius sustinere.  Ariovistus conquered the Gauls, but his cruelty led to his downfall. Caesar explains that the noblest prisoners of war were tortured mercilessly by Ariovistus it appears only so that his every wish could be carried out. Ariovistus was enslisted by the Sequani to defeat the Aedui and took up the role with ardor, meaning with fire. In the next chapter of Caesar's work an intriguing scene unfolds:

Animadvertit Caesar unos ex omnibus Sequanos nihil earum rerum facere quas ceteri facerent sed tristis capite demisso terram intueri. Eius rei quae causa esset miratus ex impsis quaesiit. Nihil Sequani respondere, sed in eadem tristitia taciti permanere. Cum ab his saepius quaereret neque ullam omnino vocem exprimere posset, idem Diviciacus Aeduus respondit: hoc esse miseriorem et graviorem fortunam Sexuanorum quam reliquorum, quod soli ne in occulto quidem queri neque auxilium implorare auderent absentisque Ariovisti crudelitatem, velut si coram adesset, horrerent...

The Sequani would not grovel in front of Caesar and Caesar had to beg to know the reason for their downcast heads. They were more afraid of Ariovistus, who was in captivity, than the fate they would have as silent supplicants with Caesar. Ariovistus' cruelty had mentally affected the Sequani, who were allies with Ariovistus. They saw how he treated his captives and they did not wish to become his enemy or impede his authority.

Machiavelli's The Prince comes to my mind as I read this passage in Caesar's work. Machiavelli writes about how a prince should not solely be feared or loved, but he should be feared and loved. I am not certain, but fairly sure that Machiavelli would have read Caesar many times during his studies and so perhaps he thought about the juxtaposition of Diviciacus, Caesar, and Ariovistus in Caesar's narrative. Caesar was perhaps Machiavelli's model for the perfect prince. Caesar proves to all of Gaul that he can defeat the "barbarian" Ariovistus and loyalties surge to his side. Fear does not gain power, but a false power that ends sooner. It is perhaps ironic that Caesar enlists the help of one of Ariovistus' friends to help with a parley, for friends ended up writing Caesar's demise back in Rome.

Something Old and Something New

Summer vacation is a wonderful time for a teacher to read books, new and old. I've been reading many books, but recently I've picked Plato's Republic back up. While reading Plato, I have also been reading Cheryl Swope's touching and instructive book, Simply Classical. This proves to be a wonderful coincidence for me. I always knew that contemporary classical thought was based in philosophies of a bygone age and Cheryle Swope mentions Plato many times in her book, but this book pairing truly reminds me of how classical education stems from ancient philosophy and thought. What a joy it is to be a part of an education that frees the soul and laughs in the face of the puppet master!

Plato and Swope emphasize that an education has little to no benefit to the receiver, if it does not also mold a student's mind to think on his or her own. This is part of what Swope calls a nurturing kind of education. Plato illustrates this type of education in Book VIII, when he describes a man "pushed by the desire" for money and other vices, "because [the man was not] educated by persuasion but by force." This kind of citizen (Classical training creates good citizens.) grows up, being forced to do things a certain way, without understanding the reason behind doing things that way. The pupil should learn why things are done a certain way and why certain things are unacceptable. Too much rigidity can breed ignorance and misconduct arrises when such a pupil enters adulthood. Swope also writes something to that extent. There has to be a median when it comes to a classical classroom: "Too much structure apart from nurture [becomes] rigidity...Too much nurture without structure [becomes] baseless encouragement with too much freedom and too little achievement" (57).


Plato's book mainly addresses the different types of government and how citizens are affected by these governments, but insightfully Plato's philosophy understands that the education of the youth affects the government and vice versa. No wonder Plato directly addresses the duty of a teacher (and also the father) to the encouragement of a student's education in mind, body, and soul. He uses a teacher as a metaphor for how democracy can go awry: "And, generally, the young copy their elders and compete with them in speeches and deeds while the old come down to the level of the young: imitating the young, they are overflowing with facility and charm, and that's so that they won't seem to be unpleasant or despotic." Since students copy their elders in every way, elders should neither be despotic nor charming. This is the dilemma of the teacher that the teacher must train their students to think well and to do right in every scenario. This requires much finesse and Plato does not give the teacher much hope for after reading The Republic one is not exactly sure what is the best form of government. We, like Plato, can describe all the bad ways, in which things are done, but it is much harder to come up with the right way of doing things.

Cheryl Swope gives teachers (and parents) hope! Her book has many practical tools to educating young minds classically. She gives one the tools to nurture students. She especially emphasizes the need to share Jesus' love and forgiveness, which truly is the most important part of a child's education. Teachers are not puppet masters, but individuals dedicated to the overall well-being of their students.

Tactile Learners: Get With the Groove of Latin

Latin class, in fact most classes, in the classical setting tend to be taught from a more verbal perspective. Even the songs and jingles are music and rhythm mixed with verba. Students, who have good listening skills, tend to do very well in Latin class, since Latin is verbal. Obviously Latin is verbal in natura. Other languages, such as Sign Language, can be physical, but how do I make Latin a physical activity?

My third grade students must learn Latin and they enjoy learning the language of the ancients, but P.E. is "cool." They just love P.E. What is a physical fitness class but a language of anatomy, the movement of each sinew, muscle, and bone as the student surges up the hill to beat his or her friend. The student learns how one becomes swifter and more agile, through practice and hard work. How do I, the teacher, make Latin just as "cool" as racing a friend up a hill?

Albrecht Durer

Although there is debate about whether certain students learn better through tactile learning or not, I have a few students who really benefit from the physical language of each Latin word. The students and I make up an action to go with each chanted Latin word. Much like how a student can associate a Latin word with an English word in order to remember the Latin word's meaning, my students dance or move to the Latin word in order to remember its meaning.

If your Latin class feels stagnant or just plain boring, take your students on the playground and move to the music of Latin. The tactile learners in your classroom will start to remember Latin words better and all your students will enjoy the change of pace. Not all learning is done by sitting at a desk.

As a classical Lutheran educator, this also brings to mind the process of learning from participating in church. The churchgoer doesn't just sit there, melting into a gelatinous goo of apathy. No, he or she may stand, kneel or fold hands. Actions help us to remember important things. Actions are just as important as words and they should reflect what we speak or say. If we are remembering the Trinity, let us stand. If we are praying, let us bow our heads and fold our hands.
Words and actions go together. A rhetorician points to what he speaks of and pounds his fist for added force. He throws his hands towards the heavens and claps his hands. In fact, it is said that the Roman people got used to hearing Cicero's signature rhythm at the end of his sentences that they started clapping to the rhythm.
Latin should not seem like a chore but a memory game. If you get your students to believe that they are playing a game then they will want to learn Latin.

Caesar's De Bello Gallico...Pueris

Caesar et Periculum Frigidi

Julius Caesar

Caesar in Gallia pugnabat. Gallia est patria frigida. 
Multi Galli sunt socii sed multi sunt hostes. 
Caesar multos milites et equos habebat, sic cibum ab Gallis rogabat.
Galli nec pabulum nec frumentum ab agris non habebant.
Caesar est miserus sed movet milites et equos protinus.

This passage will work well with young students who are learning Latin from Latin for Children Primer A.
Many of the words found in this passage are from the first 18 chapters of that particular series. I'll post back here how my third graders did with the passage. Happy translating!

Listed below is a glossary for some words.

Glossary
frigida: cold
hostes: enemies
milites: soldiers
sic: so
rogabat: he was asking (asked)
ab: from
protinus: forward

P.S. - If you are wondering where I got the idea for this passage, I got the idea from reading De Bello Gallic I : Ch. XVI.