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 Latin:
Second Year, Robert Henle, S.J. Add
to Cart
It used to be that the first Latin author students
were confronted with in a substantive way was Julius Caesar. Today,
more politically correct Latin authors have taken his place, but we'll
stick with Caesar, thank you.
This text
contains additional grammar lessons as well as the student's first introduction
to real Latin literature, Caesar's account of his conquest of Gaul (modern
France). The emphasis in this book is on leadership. The military
genius of Caesar is studied, as well as that of Vercingetorix, the Gallic
freedom fighter who nearly defeated the Roman invaders. What was
it about these two leaders that inspired their men to fight and die in
their service? They are then compared with Christ himself, who alone,
says the author in the preface, "remains an everlasting power, the hope
and hero of all mankind." Julius Caesar is the greatest historical
writer the Romans produced, and his military journal De Bello Gallico
is considered a model of Latin prose.
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From
the Introduction to Latin: Second Year, by Robert Henle, S.J.
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"In this book you will read about three great leaders. The first
of these is Julius Caesar, a truly great military and organizing genius,
a writer, a speaker, a leader of magnetic personality and dynamic action.
"The second of our leaders is Vercingetorix,
a noble and tragic figure, who rallied the disunited Gauls around the
standard of liberty and all but brought defeat upon the Roman invaders.
With high patriotism, he clung resolutely to hope up to the last dark
moment of defeat and then sacrificed himself for his people. |
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"The third leader is one of a very different sort, whose claims rest upon
no human authority, whose battlefield is in the souls of men, whose kingdom
is not of this world. Our Captain and our King, Jesus Christ the
God-man, calls all to a campaign of spiritual conquest. All other
leadership fades in the light of Christ's divine attractiveness; all other
leaders pass into history and their names grow dim in the memory of men;
Christ alone remains an everlasting power, the hope and hero of all mankind."
-Robert J. Henle, S.J. |
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