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Socrates had another student who, unlike Plato, has been relegated to the dusty shelves. As we learn about Xenophon, we’ll explore the following questions:
Who was Xenophon, and why did he fall out of favor such that he is far less known than Plato? How does Xenophon define excellence, and how is his view unique? To Xenophon, what is justice? How similar is that Plato’s understanding of justice? -
The questions that animate the spirit of the west can be found in Plato’s dialogues. As we discuss five of them, Rabbi Rocklin will walk us through the following questions:
How is Socrates’ refusal to escape an act of justice? According to Socrates, how does the philosophic life prepare someone for death What is the difference between the Greek and Jewish notions of love? -
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In his closing arguments, Socrates will continue to insist that the unexamined life is not worth living. In exploring that issue, we’ll address the following questions:
How does Socrates try to convince the jury that it is their loss if he is put to death? Why would Socrates refuse to beg the jury for his life? How does Socrates see himself as a Greek hero?Recommended Reading: Plato. The Last Days of Socrates: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo. Translated by H. Tredennick and H. Tarrant. New York: Penguin, 2003.
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The death of Socrates sets off a new phase in the world of philosophy. In today’s episode, Rabbi Rocklin will address the following questions:
How is Socrates’ death a continuation of the traditional Greek tragedy? Why is winning his case not a priority for Socrates? How does Socrates define wisdom?Recommended Reading: Plato. The Last Days of Socrates: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo. Translated by H. Tredennick and H. Tarrant. New York: Penguin, 2003.
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Our study of Plato’s Republic continues with Socrates’ remarkable insight into human nature. Rabbi Rocklin will walk us through the following questions:
To Socrates, what is the relationship between the form of government in a city and the ideal man within that city? How does Socrates imagine cities transitioning from one form of government to another? What does Socrates see as the potential dangers of the liberties that come along with a democratic society?Recommended Reading: Plato. The Republic. Trans. Allan Bloom. New York: Basic Books, 1968.
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Plato’s Republic is one of the most foundational texts in the western canon. To help us unpack why that is, Rabbi Rocklin will address the following questions:
What was Socrates’ goal in this very long conversation with his students How does the individual fit into Socrates’ “city in speech”? What is the role of knowledge in the pursuit of the good and the true?Recommended Reading: Plato. The Republic. Trans. Allan Bloom. New York: Basic Books, 1968.
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Athens’ contributions to the development of the west would be vastly incomplete without its invention of philosophy. Today, Rabbi Rocklin will walk us through the following questions:
What is philosophy and why did it develop as a discipline? Is there any truth to the notion that philosophy is necessarily sacrilegious What made Socrates different than the philosophers who came before him such that Socrates is considered the father of philosophy? -
The grandeur of Greek thought is captured in the heart of Greek tragedy. On today’s episode, we’lll explore the following questions:
To the Greek, what was the purpose of poetry? What was its relationship to prophecy How does Greek drama develop from poetry? What makes Greek tragedy so compelling that it lives on to today? -
Thucydides takes one step beyond Herodotus in his approach to history. As we read his account of the Peloponnesian Wars, we’ll address the following questions:
What is the difference between Thucydides’ tragic perspective of the Peloponnesian Wars and the Homerian tragedy? How does Thucydides’ description of Athenian devotion to the polis highlight a fundamental difference between Greeks and Jews? According to Thucydides in his recounting of Pericles’ funeral oration, why should the Greek choose to do the right thing?Recommended Reading: Thucydides. On Justice, Power, and Human Nature. Translated and edited by Paul Woodruff. Indianapolis: Hackett Classics, 1993.
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Not even the Peloponnesian Wars could stop the continued development of culture in Athens. On today’s episode, Rabbi Rocklin will walk us through the following questions:
Why did Athens and Sparta start warring with each other? How did fifth-century Athens cultivate Greek thought so that the spirit of inquiry became the hallmark of Greek intellectuals? What made Thucydides different from Herodotus if they were both historians? -
Herodotus is sometimes called the “father of history,” because he fundamentally changed the way humanity viewed its own story. As we read Herodotus, we’ll uncover answers to the following questions:
Why did Herodotus decide to write history? What made it different than other stories that had been written until then? How does Herodotus’ including the Persian perspective reflect a particularly Greek way of thinking? What does it mean when we say that the Greek culture is concerned with culture?Recommended Reading: Herodotus. The Histories. Trans. Aubrey de Sélincourt. New York: Penguin Classics, 2003.
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The rivalry between Athens and Sparta is one that has ignited minds and passions for generations. Rabbi Rocklin will address the following questions:
Why would the Greeks have experimented with different types of government? How did Athens resolve the tension between loyalty to the family and loyalty to the state? What were the Persian Wars and how did they lead to the rise of Athens? -
The Persian Empire dominated the Ancient Near East, affecting Jews and gentiles alike. Today, we’ll explore the following questions:
How did the mighty Persian Empire come to be? Why did the Persian Empire have multiple capital cities? How is Persia and Persian culture affected by Alexander’s conquest of the empire? -
The gods and fate continue to control mankind, but The Odyssey will now add a third element: human folly. Together, we’ll answer the following questions:
Why would Odysseus have chosen to go home instead of possibly becoming immortal? What role does Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, play in bringing Odysseus home? How does Odysseus model a different version of Greek heroism than Achilles and Hector?Recommended Reading: Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1996.
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Rage, honor, and fate continue to drive The Iliad to its ultimate, tragic end. As we read, we’ll explore the following questions:
What is it about beauty that would have made the Greeks go to war over a beautiful woman? How does The Iliad highlight the values of the Greek gods that the heros then personify? How does Homer attempt to resolve the conflict between loyalty to the family and loyalty to the city?Recommended Reading: Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1990.
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We turn our attention now to The Iliad, which is one of the most fundamental texts in western civilization. We’ll discover answers to the following questions:
Who was Homer, what is The Iliad, and why are we reading it? How do rage and honor drive the story as much as the gods do? Why are the gods so heavily involved in Homer’s recounting the story of a human war?Recommended Reading: Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1990.
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The way in which we choose to live will be affected by whether we live with Greek outlook or a Jewish one. Together, we’ll discover answers to the following questions:
According to the pagan mentality, why do people suffer? What does the Bible say about suffering? How did the pagans define good and evil and how does that impact the ways in which they conducted their lives? How does the Greek notion of tragedy give rise to the idea that man should take responsibility for his own life?Recommended Reading: D’Aulaire, Ingri & D’Aulaire, Edgar. D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths. New York: Delacorte, 1992.
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The concept of sacrifice is one that differs sharply from the pagan to the covenantal setting. Today, Rabbi Rocklin will address the following questions:
How does the cult of Dionysus uniquely position Greece—and eventually Rome—to be open to the notion of the covenant? What is the difference between the Jewish and Greek aversion to human sacrifice? Why must the Greek gods follow through on all prophecies in contrast to the God of Bible who can be persuaded to change his mind?Recommended Reading: D’Aulaire, Ingri & D’Aulaire, Edgar. D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths. New York: Delacorte, 1992.
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The difference between the Jewish and Greek worldviews come into even sharper focus with a careful study of the ancient Greek myths. Together, we’ll explore the following the questions:
Why do shepherds feature so prominently in both Jewish and Greek hero-figures? How do the Jews and the Greeks differ in the way they relate to the animating spirits of the world? What is the difference between the Greek notion that man was created in the shape of the gods and the Jewish perception that man was created “in the image of God”?Recommended Reading: D’Aulaire, Ingri & D’Aulaire, Edgar. D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths. New York: Delacorte, 1992.
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The earliest Greek mythologies come to us from Hesiod, to whom we turn for a glimpse into the Ancient Greek psyche. Rabbi Rocklin will address the following questions:
Who was Hesiod and why do we need to study his works? According to Hesiod, why was woman created? How does that compare to the Biblical account of the creation of woman? How does Hesiod’s Fable of the Hawk highlight the pagan perspective on being moral and just?
Recommended Reading: Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days (available online)" - Visa fler
