Date of Award

Spring 2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Classical Studies

Thesis Advisor

Dr. Anita Simpkins

Committee Professor

Dean Amy Beatty

Abstract

Christian parents continue to have few education options suitable for kingdom children. While textbooks and test scores hold prominent consideration for many Christian parents, neither cultivate a love of learning nor human flourishing. Rather, it is the language used in the learning environment that invites or repels engagement and learning. An expository exploration of sentence purposes and the type of sentence most commonly used by Christ to engage His learners reveals the power of the question. Appropriately asked, questions welcome learners to actively participate as well as to attentively listen. It is the workhorse of humility, for the question is a continual reminder that humans cannot know everything: they are not omniscient. In such an educational setting, neither the student nor the teacher occupies center stage. Practicing the art of the question on the mysteries of creation inspires the imagination and cultivates the wisdom necessary to transcend the inadequacies of a modern education.

Keywords: education, classical, Christian, pedagogy, hospitality, questions, mysteries of creation, wisdom


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