1. Curriculum. Classical education has long used a curriculum based on the Great Books
of Western tradition, believing that students learn best from the masters. The nearly 100 texts in
the Torrey canon have been selected for their relevance to the centuries-long Christian dialogue
about the great issues of life and faith. It includes a number of non-Christian works chosen for
their influence on Christianity and the West and their elevation of themes of interest to
Christians such as: who are we, why are we here, is there a God, how should we then live, what
is beauty and why is it important. Christian works, along with most of the Bible, were chosen for
their seminal influence, truth, and beauty. Fully half of the curriculum represents Scripture and
the work of Christian thinkers, but in reality biblical thinking and theology pervade the entire
program.
The works are taught in chronological order. Students read the actual texts, usually in
their entirety, not brief excerpts. In the first semester students read Greek literature, history and
philosophy, along with the Pentateuch and Hebrews. In the second semester they read Roman
literature, the early Church Fathers and creeds, Augustine, and Old Testament wisdom literature.
In the third semester they read Medieval and Reformation works, including Aquinas, Dante,
Luther, Calvin, Cervantes, and the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles. The fourth semester spans
the 16th to 18th centuries, with works from Spenser, Shakespeare, Milton and Bunyan to
Descartes, Hume, Locke, and the U.S. Constitution, as well as the Pauline Epistles. The fifth
semester covers works in the 18th and 19th centuries, e.g. Edwards, Wesley, Blake, and
Coleridge, as well as the Old Testament historical books. The sixth and seventh semesters focus
on 19th century philosophy and literature, e.g. Goethe, Kant, Emerson, Bronte, Dostoevsky, Old
Testament prophetic literature and non-Pauline epistles. The final semester features 20th century
writers like T.S. Eliot, C.S. Lewis, Bonhoeffer, and biblical apocalyptic literature.