Welcome back to our Classical Christian Education Corner! In the year ahead, watch for short pieces about classical Christian education, from the philosophical to the practical. We’ll include reflections on Scripture, poetry, philosophy, and literature, summaries of relevant books, articles, and podcasts, and “best practice” tips from fellow travelers on this journey toward “lives well-lived.”
In our first CCE Corner for the year, we begin with the topic of Virtue. Trinitas was formed with the purpose of preparing students for lives well-lived. But what is a life “well-lived”? A life with physical health? Pleasure? Friends? Wealth? Power? Honor? A very quick history lesson shows that a theme throughout classical and Christian thought is that whatever else you think is part of the good life, a life well-lived must be a life of virtue. Ancient philosophers identified four Cardinal Virtues: wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice. “Cardinal” comes from the Latin word “cardo” which means “hinge.” The Cardinal Virtues are considered the primary virtues, the pivot on which the other virtues turn or depend. These four virtues were later incorporated into Christian moral teaching during the Middle Ages by thinkers like Thomas Aquinas, and three Theological Virtues were added: faith, hope, and charity (love).