Christian humanists of the early sixteenth century ushered in a new intellectual movement in European history: one that stressed deep engagement with ancient texts and a belief that God had ordained man to do great things in the context of biblically-grounded virtue. Desiderius Erasmus is known today as the quintessential Christian humanist. His interest in languages and translation, his desire for a moderate Christian via media, and his scholarly engagement with his peers put him at the forefront of this new intellectual pursuit. Erasmus expressed the optimism of the humanists in his charge to educators, specifically, in his The Education of a Christian Prince. Unlike another, notorious “mirror of princes” published during this time, Machiavelli’s The Prince, Erasmus sees the educator’s role as one that cultivates biblical virtue in the heart of the prince or student; it is only by becoming a “Christian philosopher” that any prince can hope to rule justly and rightly in God’s eyes. While we may not be educating royalty, Erasmus’ lessons apply to us all as classical Christian educators. His exhortations, especially when contrasted with Machiavelli’s, teach us how to instruct our students to marshal vast amounts of information well, to the benefit of those we lead and in glory to God.

Janine Knedlik loves learning new things and was a student for many years, studying history at the University of Pennsylvania (BA and PhD) and the University of Guelph (MA). She arrived at Arma Dei in 2019 after finishing her PhD program and helping found the first classical Christian school in San Francisco. Since joining Arma Dei she has served in a variety of capacities: as a first grade and Latin teacher, as a curriculum developer, and as the Accreditation Director. Dr. Knedlik is now in her fifth year of using her gifts, talents, and passion for classical Christian education to lead the School of Grammar. She is also in her fourth year of teaching medieval and early modern history and literature to Arma Dei’s 10th grade students. Dr. Knedlik loves being able to speak God’s truth into the lives of students both young and old.