Lectiones Antiquae
Ἐν γράμμασι καλόν
Why learn Latin and Greek?
Many have regarded Western civilization as being founded upon three pillars—Greek philosophy, Roman law, and Christianity. To grasp more profoundly the roots of our political, moral, philosophical, and theological ideas—which mold not only our society but even our most ordinary thoughts and feelings—we must return to their sources in their original form.
How many ideas do you have of which the origin is unkown to you? We've all absorbed many of them from our cultural backgrounds, but shouldn't we look for their origins and learn what the great minds of history have said about them?
Arthur Schopenhauer states in his book The Art of Literature: "Latin is not only a key to the knowledge of Roman antiquity; it also directly opens up to us the Middle Age in every country in Europe, and modern times as well, down to about the year 1750. Erigena, for example, in the ninth century, John of Salisbury in the twelfth, Raimond Lully in the thirteenth, with a hundred others, speak straight to us in the very language that they naturally adopted in thinking of learned matters."
Indeed, since the time of the Romans, Latin served as the lingua franca among scholars throughout Europe, and it was only very recently that it lost its prestige, especially with the rise of nationalistic and anti-clerical movements.
This means that by knowing Latin, we gain access to an immense cultural heritage—much of which has never been translated, and much of which loses something essential in translation from its original form.
Greece has preserved its language since the time of Homer, when he sang of the great deeds of the heroes of old and the stories of the gods. If one wishes to read the ancient poets, such as Homer and Hesiod, the great philosophers Plato and Aristotle, the New Testament, the Greek Fathers of the Church, and the entire literary tradition of the eastern part of the Empire up to the Fall of Constantinople, then knowing Greek is essential.
Services
Conversational Latin
(Beginners-Intermediate-Advanced)
Initially, conversations are based on the Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, while the student learns the fundaments of the language and gets confortable with them. As progress is made, we explore other didactic books, such as the Fabulae Faciles, and the Ad Alpes, until we finally start reading passages from real Latin works, and talking about them in Latin.
Obs.: Latin speakers who just want to practice conversation without a definite plan are most welcome too.
Pronunciations used:
1. Classical (reconstructed);
2. Italian (ecclesiastical).
Conversational Ancient Greek
(Beginners)
At first, conversations are based on the Athenaze series. Then, after the student learns the first principles of the language and increases their vocabulary, we shall start alternating the Athenaze with the book A Greek Boy At Home and simple paraphrases of ancient texts prepared by me.
Pronunciations used:
1. Modern (neohellenic).
Values and Disponibility
The trial lesson is free.
It lasts 30 minutes. In it, we get to know each other (feel free to ask any question you want).
Also, I give a demonstration of my method and get to know your needs and expectations!
At last, I furnish the details about payment.
N. B.: Please cancel the lesson previously in case you cannot attend it.
After waiting for 10 minutes, I shall leave the lesson and shall consider the lesson as given.
One-hour lessons:
1. One lesson for $20.
2. Four lessons: $75.
3. Eight lessons: $128.
30-minute lessons:
1. One lesson for $10.
2. Four lessons for $37,5.
3. Eight lessons for $64.
What do students think?
Jacob D., from Norway (in Latin): Grātissimum mihi est gaudium testārī inquīrentibus quam nōn modo frūgiferentēs, efficācēs ac commodae ad īnstitūtiōnem linguae Latīnae impetrandam, vērum etiam omnigenā suāvitāte plēnae mihi fuerint scholae cum praeceptōre cārō Jōhanne, quibus ferē jam biennium (mīrum dictū!) libentissimē frūctus sum. Ipse scīlicet doctus, benignus, facilis, et—quod quidem saepenumerō perīclitātus sum—summā patientiā imbūtus; semper ad tempus, numquam nōn parātus. Tōtō corde eum commendō omnibus linguae Latīnae studiōsīs, praesertim iīs quī cordī habeant Latīnē expedītē atque ēmendātē loquī.
Júlio S., from Brazil (in Portuguese): Durante as aulas de latim, o professor Giovani sempre se adapta ao meu ritmo e forma de aprendizagem, sem deixar, entretanto, de prosseguir com o aprendizado dessa linda língua. Ele é um conhecedor profundo, contínuo pesquisador e elaborador de novos conteúdos. Estou sempre motivado para as aulas, já aprendo com ele por mais de 2 anos.
Sidd N., from the US (in English): I have only spent a couple of months learning with Giovani and already my Latin proficiency has noticeably improved. He is an excellent instructor, who has the patience to work at the student’s pace, in order to help the student grasp new or difficult concepts. Each lesson offers something new to learn for the student, while also repeating and strengthening the student’s retention of prior material. It has been a joy to work with Giovani. I look forward to continuing my time with him and improving my Latin abilities.
