How Grammar Saved Civilization
Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini lived in 15th century Italy, and was installed as the 210th pope on August 19, 1458. In 1450, he wrote a letter to Ladislas, the king of Hungary, called de Puerorum Educatione (Concerning the Education of Boys) which is very timely and relevant to us now. In his letter, I would like to focus on one line of the text: Sine litteris, omnis aetas est caeca.
Without Letters, the Whole Age is Blind
This phrase, sine litteris, omnis aetas est caeca, put more poetically, is translated, “where letters cease, darkness covers the land…” As I reflect on this, I cannot help but think of our current political and cultural climate. Language is under attack, and it has been for some time. Take for example the dictionary definition of the word “education” found in the current Webster’s Dictionary: “the action or process of educating or of being educated.” Everyone knows you’re not allowed to use the word in the definition. Here is the same definition from Webster’s Dictionary in 1828:
“EDUCATION, noun [Latin educatio.] The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.”
It is now almost 200 years after the writing of this definition. Viewed together, these two definitions give us insight in how far our society has strayed to produce a context where this change in language would even come about.
What is the Antidote
Aeneas states,
“Grammar...is the portal to all knowledge whatsoever…Be wise now therefore, O ye Kings; be learned, ye that are judges of the earth.' But [h]ow, in our day, can a man be learned and acquire wisdom unless first he master that which is the very foundation of all knowledge, viz. Grammar?(Ibid.)”
Words have meaning! Christians ought to have a high view of words because God is a God of language and words. He has revealed Himself in words. John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word…” This is important to emphasize in our culture as it has lost touch with the value of words and the notion that words have objective meaning, which is reflected in the tripe of modern literature, or in the ever changing relativism in university textbooks.
Books have taken the brunt of this blow. We no longer accept the gifts that have been handed down from previous generations. What has Athens to do with Jerusalem...or America? Hyper-individualism is rampant and made worse by an improper view of words and their meanings. Once words become defined primarily from the reader’s immediate context or through the lens of their own personal experience, there is a disconnect from the value that books offer. Learning, then, is an exercise in confirmation bias, an echo chamber that slowly and gently lulls us in our selfish complacency with conclusions that resemble our bias. It is a school’s (and church’s) duty to assist the parents in fighting this pandemic of individualism by training the students towards a righteous understanding of objectivity in language (among other things). If God lies at the foundation of all knowledge and propositions, then we must make every effort to connect this knowledge back to the foundation. This disconnect from knowledge and its foundation becomes increasingly clear as we delve further into the belly of postmodernism.
Christians, however, cannot afford to let this sweep over us. We must take captive these deceptive philosophies. We must reclaim a biblical understanding of words and their value. We must train students in the grammar (facts and rules) of all things.
This change must take place at the most basic level and in the most basic of institutions. I am talking about the family, particularly fathers. I am also speaking of pastors. True lasting change happens in the family and from the pulpit. The church for far too long has been complicit in allowing the world to undermine the imperative to ‘go make disciples.’ We must not offer apology for things that Scripture does not give apology. The Church is a people that believes words change the hearts of those who hear (cf. Rom. 1) and we must stand firm on this promise.
At GCCA our hope is to come alongside parents and pastors in this effort, training students up in the paideia of the Lord and the enculturation of students - that is to say, we want students to understand that Christ is the foundation of all things. Biblical obedience leads to the manifestation of biblical culture and we desire to assist in training students to understand this truth and lead this effort, conforming all things and making them obedient to Christ. This begins by giving students God’s Word as the grammar of all things, which is foundational to training “up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).”
By: Joshua Taylor, GCCA Headmaster
Reference: The Paideia Principle - https://dougwils.com/books-and-culture/s7-engaging-the-culture/the-paideia-principle.html