

New Humanists
Ancient Language Institute
Join the hosts of New Humanists and founders of the Ancient Language Institute, Jonathan Roberts and Ryan Hammill, on their quest to discover what a renewed humanism looks like for the modern world. The Ancient Language Institute is an online language school and think tank, dedicated to changing the way ancient languages are taught.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 15, 2023 • 1h 13min
The Mirror for Princes | Episode LV
Send us a textThomas Elyot wrote "The Boke named the Governour," the first book about education written in the English language, an outstanding example in the crowded field of Renaissance-era mirrors for princes. The mirrors for princes were works designed to instruct and train future kings, nobles, and leading men. Machiavelli and Erasmus wrote famous mirrors for princes, but what does the English tradition of this genre have to show us?Richard M. Gamble’s The Great Tradition: https://amzn.to/3Q4lRnOThomas Elyot's The Boke named The Governour: https://www.luminarium.org/renascence-editions/gov/gov1.htmNiccolo Machiavelli's The Prince: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780199535699Desiderius Erasmus' The Education of a Christian Prince: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780521588119Niccolo Machiavelli's Discourses on Livy: https://amzn.to/463xl2yPlutarch's Parallel Lives (inc. Lycurgus): https://amzn.to/3YbAPxkNew Humanists is brought to you by the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/Links may have referral codes, which earn us a commission at no additional cost to you. We encourage you, when possible, to use Bookshop.org for your book purchases, an online bookstore which supports local bookstores.Music: Save Us Now by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Sep 1, 2023 • 60min
Martin Luther for Public Schools (or, Don't Be an Ostrich) | Episode LIV
Martin Luther, a religious reformer and advocate for public schools in Germany, discusses German education, ancient language instruction, and the debate over public schools vs. homeschooling. Luther emphasizes the importance of instruction in ancient languages, the significance of studying history, and the connection between the gospel, languages, and education. He also explores his views on political reform, household responsibilities, and the benefits of enjoyable education. The podcast delves into Luther's rhetorical strategies, his criticisms of modern education, and the influence of the Renaissance on education.

Aug 15, 2023 • 1h 7min
Only the Weak Desire a Quiet Life | Episode LIII
Explore Ulrich Zwingli's views on education and society, Christian redemption and the corrupted nature of humans. Discover the tradition of Jesus' birth, the concept of choosing between glory and a quiet life, reflections on the educational value of Age of Empires, and the importance of speech and rhetoric in humanism.

Aug 1, 2023 • 1h 16min
Return of the Old Gods in Germany | Episode LII
Send us a textIn the opening lecture of his course on Homer, the Professor of Greek at the University of Wittenberg, Phillip Melanchthon, first invokes the aid of the gods and declares that to Homer belongs "the highest and noblest place." Further, Melanchthon proclaims that Homer "alone snatches away the palm of victory from all poets that any age has brought forth, and he leaves them all far behind." Jonathan and Ryan take a look at Melanchthon's encomium for Homer and defense against the many varieties of Homeric critics, both ancient and modern.Richard M. Gamble’s The Great Tradition: https://amzn.to/3Q4lRnOC.S. Lewis' The Discarded Image: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9781107604704Homer's Iliad (Greek-English): https://amzn.to/3O2sBEdHomer's Odyssey (Greek-English): https://amzn.to/46DbOPeNew Humanists Episode on T.S. Eliot's Vergil and Christian World: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/was-virgil-divinely-inspired-episode-xxxiii/id1570296135?i=1000582748821Daoiri Farrell's The Valley of Knockanure: https://youtu.be/lu-FG92a9CwNew Humanists Episode on Simone Weil's The Iliad, or the Poem of Force: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-iliad-or-the-poem-of-force-episode-xxi/id1570296135?i=1000557727910Herodotus' The Histories: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9781400031146Cicero's Pro Archia Poeta Oratio: https://amzn.to/3JS7y4DNew Humanists is brought to you by the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/Links may have referral codes, which earn us a commission at no additional cost to you. We encourage you, when possible, to use Bookshop.org for your book purchases, an online bookstore which supports local bookstores.Music: Save Us Now by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Jul 15, 2023 • 50min
The Warm and Capacious Calvin | Episode LI
Send us a textA stern prophet of the new and harsh doctrine of predestination. A bloodthirsty tyrant burning people at the stake. A narrowminded dour Puritan. The magnitude of the popularity of these Calvinist stereotypes is matched by their massive distance from the truth of the man. In his affection for the pagan authors, Calvin reveals a deeply humanistic soul, attuned to truth no matter which rock he might find it under. In this episode, Jonathan and Ryan examine a particularly illustrative passage from his Institutes as well as a short passage from his commentary on Titus.Richard M. Gamble’s The Great Tradition: https://amzn.to/3Q4lRnOBruce Gordon's Calvin: https://amzn.to/3NQ4UPaJohn Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780664220280Alister McGrath's C.S. Lewis - A Life: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9781496410450C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780060652920New Humanists episode on C.S. Lewis' Introduction to Athanasius' On the Incarnation: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c-s-lewis-on-old-books-episode-xiv/id1570296135?i=1000546657094New Humanists is brought to you by the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/Links may have referral codes, which earn us a commission at no additional cost to you. We encourage you, when possible, to use Bookshop.org for your book purchases, an online bookstore which supports local bookstores.Music: Save Us Now by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Jul 1, 2023 • 59min
How to Educate the Queen | Episode L
Send us a textHow do you prepare a royal princess for the throne? In this episode, we look at the writings of two giants of Reformation humanism: Johannes Sturm and Roger Ascham, and in particular, their correspondence about Ascham's work training the future Queen Elizabeth I in Latin and Greek. Ascham himself variously tutored and served as Latin secretary to Lady Jane Grey, the woman who ordered her execution (Queen Mary), and the woman who replaced Queen Mary (Queen Elizabeth). If you think speaking dead languages is a new-fangled approach to language learning, you might be surprised at what Princess Elizabeth was doing in class.Richard M. Gamble’s The Great Tradition: https://amzn.to/3Q4lRnORoger Ascham's The Scholemaster: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1844Roger Ascham's Toxophilus: https://www.archerylibrary.com/books/toxophilus/New Humanists episode on Ælfric's Colloquy: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-first-english-conversation-feat-dr-colin-gorrie/id1570296135?i=1000581249310C. P. Wormald's "The Uses of Literacy in Anglo-Saxon England and Its Neighbours": https://www.jstor.org/stable/3679189C.S. Lewis' The Abolition of Man: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780060652944Herodotus' Histories: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9781400031146Shakespeare's The Tempest: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780743482837New Humanists is brought to you by the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/Links may have referral codes, which earn us a commission at no additional cost to you. We encourage you, when possible, to use Bookshop.org for your book purchases, an online bookstore which supports local bookstores.Music: Save Us Now by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Jun 15, 2023 • 48min
Bread and Circuses for Rome | No Republic Was Ever Greater
Send us a textKing Tarquinius secures his hold on power by expanding the Senate, but encounters a roadblock to strengthening the military in the person of a famous augur. Tarquinius is ruthless, productive, and the first great Roman promoter of "bread and circuses" (among other things, according to Livy, Tarquinius builds the Circus Maximus). Despite his political saavy, however, he comes to a violent, borderline slapstick end.Livy's Ab Urbe Condita: https://amzn.to/3gYwtbhMachiavelli's Discourses on Livy: https://amzn.to/3NtNBSjVirgil's Aeneid: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780143105138New Humanists is brought to you by the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/Links may have referral codes, which earn us a commission at no additional cost to you. We encourage you, when possible, to use Bookshop.org for your book purchases, an online bookstore which supports local bookstores.Music: Save Us Now by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Jun 1, 2023 • 1h 8min
Enter the Tarquins | No Republic Was Ever Greater
Send us a textStrange omens, plague, occult religious rites. King Tullus Hostilius' reign collapses in something like supernatural madness. The great Ancus Marcius takes over, but is finally deceived by a rich, mysterious newcomer to Rome: Lucius Tarquinius Priscus. Join Jonathan and Ryan as they outline how the first of the Tarquins takes the throne after first disinheriting his own nephew, and then effectively disinheriting the sons of Ancus Marcius, whom Lucius was bound to protect.Livy's Ab Urbe Condita: https://amzn.to/3gYwtbhMachiavelli's Discourses on Livy: https://amzn.to/3NtNBSjRene Girard's I See Satan Fall Like Lightning: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9781570753190Philostratus' Life of Apollonius of Tyana: https://amzn.to/3qgEcWNFustel de Coulanges's La Cité Antique (French): https://amzn.to/3yzATuZFustel de Coulanges's The Ancient City (English): https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780648690542New Humanists is brought to you by the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/Links may have referral codes, which earn us a commission at no additional cost to you. We encourage you, when possible, to use Bookshop.org for your book purchases, an online bookstore which supports local bookstores.Music: Save Us Now by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

May 15, 2023 • 1h 22min
Democracy Dies with Lysander, feat. Alex Petkas | Episode XLVII
Send us a textLysander is a troubling figure. As a child, he was a charity case who excelled his more affluent peers; he never cared for wealth, and yet overlooked the rapaciousness of his friends, allowing money and luxury into Sparta, corrupting it. He liberated the Greek world from the yoke of Athenian imperialism, but then installed oligarchic juntas to rule with an iron fist. He conquered Athens itself, but campaigned at a war council to spare the city from destruction. But once inside the city, he threatened the Athenians with extermination if they didn't obey him. Alex Petkas, the host of the Cost of Glory podcast, joins Jonathan and Ryan in discussing Plutarch's account of the extraordinary Lysander.Alex Petkas's Cost of Glory podcast (Lysander 1): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lysander-1-death-of-democracy/id1580153815?i=1000565510664Ancient Life Coach: https://ancientlifecoach.com/Speak Lead Retreat: https://ancientlifecoach.com/retreat/Herodotus' Histories: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9781400031146Isocrates' Evagoras: https://amzn.to/40NyCaPPindar's Olympian Odes: https://amzn.to/429sk6mPlutarch's Parallel Lives, including Lysander (Loeb edition): https://amzn.to/3HjDnC8Plutarch's Parallel Lives, including Lysander (Penguin edition): https://amzn.to/44amYK5University of Chicago's Penelope Parallel Lives: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/e/roman/texts/plutarch/lives/home.htmlEuripides' Electra: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780226035598Xenophon's Anabasis: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780307906854Andrew Roberts's Napoleon: A Life: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780143127857Sean McMeekin's Stalin's War: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9781541672796Alex Petkas's Cost of Glory episode 1 on the Anabasis: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/xenophon-anabasis-i-power-highlights/id1580153815?i=1000597494893Xenophon's Hellenika: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9781400034765Steven Pressfield's Tides of War: https://amzn.to/3oQF9EqPaul Cartledge's Agesilaos and the Crisis of Sparta: https://amzn.to/3LDaFi3New Humanists is brought to you by the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/Links may have referral codes, which earn us a commission at no additional cost to you. We encourage you, when possible, to use Bookshop.org for your book purchases, an online bookstore which supports local bookstores.Music: Save Us Now by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

May 1, 2023 • 1h 52min
Education that Makes Aquinas Look Modern, feat. John Peterson | Episode XLVI
Send us a textIn his wise and humane Didascalicon, the teacher, canon regular, and mystical theologian Hugh of St. Victor lays out his advice and instructions for teachers and students engaged in liberal study. The heir of centuries of thought in Christendom on the liberal arts, Hugh and his contemporaries were on the precipice of a revolution--the western rediscovery of Aristotle and the subsequent revolution of theology and philosophy, championed above all by Thomas Aquinas. University of Dallas professor John Peterson joins Jonathan and Ryan to discuss the Didascalicon and its role in liberal education.Classical Education Graduate Program at the University of Dallas: https://udallas.edu/braniff/academics/ma/classical_education/Richard M. Gamble’s The Great Tradition: https://amzn.to/3Q4lRnOHugh of St. Victor's Didascalicon (Latin): http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/1096-1141,_Hugo_De_S_Victore,_Didascalicon,_LT.pdfHugh of St. Victor's Didascalicon (English): https://archive.org/details/didascaliconmedi00hugh/mode/2upBruce A. Kimball's The Liberal Arts Tradition: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780761851325Ryan N.S. Topping's Renewing the Mind: https://amzn.to/41xlb08W.H. Cowley's The Seven Liberal Arts Hoax: https://www.jstor.org/stable/27565196New Humanists episode on Giambattista Vico: https://podcasts.apple.com/hr/podcast/messing-up-your-kids-education-episode-xxxviii/id1570296135?i=1000591833664Doug Lemov's Teach Like a Champion 3.0: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9781119712619John Peterson's Review of Teach Like a Champion 3.0: https://www.pdcnet.org/principia/content/principia_2022_0001_0001_0119_0123+Plato's Republic: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780465094080Augustine's Confessions: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780199537822Livy's Ab Urbe Condita: https://amzn.to/3gYwtbhMachiavelli's Discourses on Livy: https://amzn.to/3NtNBSjJacob Klein's The Idea of Liberal Education: https://www.scribd.com/document/46831695/The-Idea-of-Liberal-Education-Jacob-KleinMartianus Capella's The Marriage of Philology and Mercury: https://amzn.to/41NZh8tNew Humanists is brought to you by the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/Links may have referral codes, which earn us a commission at no additional cost to you. We encourage you, when possible, to use Bookshop.org for your book purchases, an online bookstore which supports local bookstores.Music: Save Us Now by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com