With Omnibus I, your students explored the events and ideas of the Ancient World. Omnibus II steps into a very different era: The Mediaeval Age, from the times of the early Church fathers to the Reformation. In the Primary book list, students will read books by foundational Church forefathers, like St. Augustine’s Confessions and Luther’s Bondage of the Will, as well as other influential works such as Dante’s Divine Comedy (for this year, students will read only the Inferno), selected Canterbury Tales, and Beowulf. The Secondary book list for Omnibus II is a fun one, including Tolkien’s Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Dorothy Sayers’s Nine Taylors, and Pyle’s Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. For each book, there is an introductory essay explaining the background and basic ideas of the book. This is followed by daily sessions the student can work thorough, consisting of questions, activities, and assignments that help the student learn to understand and communicate ideas thoroughly, eloquently, and from a solid Christian worldview.
Studying the Middle Ages is very different from studying the Ancient World. Omnibus I introduced your students to the pagan world, which is fraught with false philosophies and religions. But with the coming of Christ, the world was exposed to the truth, and began accepting it. The works written in the Middle Ages were written primarily by Christians in a newly-Christian culture. The focus for this year is no longer on refuting pagan philosophies, but on understanding the theology and history of the Church. However, this by no means implies that everything you will read will be the truth. Our Christian forefathers made many mistakes, and we should still read with understanding and critical analysis. But that’s the beauty of reading these works – we can observe the blunders and errors that have been made before us, and consequently avoid them. It’s the privilege of hindsight that Omnibus II takes full advantage of, instructing your students in the history of the Church and helping them hold everything up to the light of scripture.
* As all four of Tolkien's books are used (and the guide doesn't reference page numbers for them), it doesn't matter which version of the books you use. Our default for Hobbit is different than the one Veritas offers in their catalog, but it matches the LOTR set they recommend. If you prefer to choose another set, here are our options:
The booklist below consists of the editions recomended by Veritas Press, though different (often cheaper) editions of these books are available.