Too Much History

In her book, The Romance of Protestantism, first published in the early 1900s, Deborah Alcock gives the following lament about the public schools of Britain:

"Pity it is that in our great public schools the young, who will by and by be the leaders of our thought and the pioneers of our progress are taught much about the siege of Ilium, but little about the sieges of Leyden and Londonderry; much about the noble 300 who died at Thermopylae in obedience to the sacred laws of Sparta, but little of the yet nobler 300 who died in England during five short years, in obedience to the higher laws of Christ their King. Far too much neglected has been the study of our Church history, and especially of our Protestant Church history. If only a few young minds--a few young hearts already devoted to Christ their King--would give themselves to that noble and most instructive branch of historical study, I think they would do great service to God and man, and I know they would be amply repaid."

In general, I agree with the author on the importance of studying the history of the church and particularly the history of Protestants.  I am, right now, teaching about the Puritans and teaching John Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost.   I find the quote amusing because of her lament about students knowing so much about the siege of Ilium (that is, the Trojan War as told by Homer, Virgil, and others) and the Greco-Persian Wars.  (My junior high students have recently studied the Trojan War, by reading The Odyssey and selected portions of Edith Hamilton's Mythology.  Next, they will be reading about the Greco-Persian Wars through studying Herodotus.) Thankfully, in classical Christian schools, students are being taught both about the wars of the classical world and of the history of the Church.