Asclepius Culture and Philosophy Courses starting in April

Tuesday April 10 2018 10 am to 12 noon

Nothing gives us a better idea of medieval life than Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. Written in the late fourteenth century in the vernacular, it gives us an idea of the vast spectrum of people that made up the different classes within society. The poem describes the knightly class, the clergy, and those who worked for a living, thus describing the different classes as well. Chaucer gives us a cross-section of fourteenth century society by giving us the small details of people’s clothing, demeanour and professions; therefore giving us information on the lower and middle classes, not discussed in literature before.

Geoffrey Chaucer survived The Black Death’s peak at around age six, where twenty per cent of England’s population died.

The Canterbury Tales was one of the first works of literature actually written in English. Since society was ruled by the Church and the Church exercised in Latin, most of what was written by authors before the fourteenth century was in Latin or in the other major languages in Europe: Italian or French. English was seen as vulgar and only for the lower classes as it was these classes who would not be able to read or write in any other languages because that would mean they had the money to be educated. Chaucer made English literature more acceptable by writing The Canterbury Tales. It also brings light in the evolution of our language and how people of the Late Middle Ages pronounced the words.

Chaucer constructed the prologue in such a way that it gives a panoramic view of fourteenth century society. It allows us to see the lower classes of this time that would otherwise be unknown. The elite (those who would write in the educated languages of Latin and French) could only describe their own upper class. However, here it can be learned of what people wore, the different styles, qualities and colours.

Imagine a writer who is equally at home with romantic adventure and devotional meditation, or who brings the fullest measure of brilliance to ribald comedy and grave tragedy alike. Add a talent for creating unforgettable characters and keenly painting social relationships. Top it all off with a gift for expression so pure and scintillating that no less an authority than Edmund Spenser was moved to laud this writer's works as a "well of English pure and undefiled.

Now you have Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340-1400), one of our grandest and most enduring poets; an architect of our vocabulary and our literary style.

By examining texts from his short love lyrics to the copious profusion of character and incident that is The Canterbury Tales, this course prepares you for the challenges of Chaucer's oeuvre, and provides an understanding of what makes him the "founder" of English literature and language.

This is a thirteen week course and cost £65. For more details ring 07592330467 or email squabs@hotmail.co.uk.

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How Jesus became God Thursday April 12 th 2018 10 am

The early Christian claim that Jesus of Nazareth was God completely changed the course of Western civilization. What exactly happened, such that Jesus came to be considered God? To ask this question is to delve into a fascinating, multi-layered historical puzzle - one that offers a richly illuminating look into the origins of the Western worldview and the theological underpinnings of our civilization. This fundamental historical question and its complex answer speak penetratingly to the spiritual impulses, concerns, and beliefs that have played a seminal role in our world, even as they reveal the foundation of history's most global religious movement, and fresh insights into the Western world's single most influential human being. Tackling all of these matters and more, we will take you deeper into the process by which the divinity of Jesus was first conceived by his followers, demonstrating how this conception was refined over time to become the core of the Christian ideas reveals that the theological understanding of Jesus as God came about through a complex series of factors and events, each of which must be understood in order to grasp this most extraordinary and historically pivotal story. In the enthralling inquiry of “How Jesus Became God” we will examine how the diverse elements that combined to produce both an astonishing true-life story and one of history's most significant developments

This is a 13 week course and costs £65. For more information ring 07592330467 or email squabs@hotmail.co.uk

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Philosophy of the Renaissance and Enlightenment Wednesday April 11 2018 10 am

Renaissance World View versus the Enlightenment World View

Both the Renaissance and the Enlightenment are two significant points in world history, specifically in European history. Both periods have distinctive characteristics but share the notion of being periods of discovery in many aspects of life and living in this world.

Each period has its own world view, which is basically a framework of ideas and beliefs through which people interpret the world.

The Renaissance occurred during the 14–16th centuries. This period gave significant contributions to many disciplines, mostly in the arts like music, visual painting, architecture, poetry, drama, as well as philosophy and astronomy. There was an increase of thought and production in terms of the arts, culture, and the intellectual domain. There were also innovations in non-artistic fields like finance, politics, and technology.

The period was mostly centered on art, ancient wisdom, and religion. In addition, the period gave rise to the general movement towards freedom of thought and religion. The world view of the Renaissance was the humanistic world view with an emphasis on the power and capacity of the human being. There was also an aspect of valuing humanity, literacy, and education which became powerful tools for discovery and understanding of the world

On the other hand, the next succeeding period, the Enlightenment, also produced a slightly different world view. In the Renaissance, the seed of discovery and knowledge was the appreciation for reason and logic. These two disciplines bloomed in the period of the Enlightenment as well as industrialization.

The Enlightenment, (17–18th centuries) science, mathematics, and technology were the core of human interest and activity. To prove this point, all other disciplines and subjects like religion, art, and history were subject to rational scrutiny. There was also a focus on social sciences and the attempt to apply rational thought and order to society and all its extensions.

While the Renaissance was on the artistic side of human life, the Enlightenment focused on the human intellectual side. The Enlightenment world view contributed a great deal to today’s modern world.

This is a thirteen week course that costs £65. For more information ring 07592330467 or email squabs@hotmail.co.uk