We will offer Latin as an option starting in middle school. Greek will begin in the second grade and will be offered throughout the high school years as the primary foreign language offering at St. Gregory Classical Academy for the following reasons:

• Language of the Scriptures
  • The New Testament was written in Greek (Koine), and much of the Old Testament survives in the Greek Septuagint.
  • Studying Greek allows students to read Scripture in its original form, uncovering nuances and theological depth that translations cannot fully capture.
• The Well of Christian Theology
  • The early Church Fathers (St. Basil, St. Gregory the Theologian, St. John Chrysostom, etc.) wrote in Greek.
  • Orthodox liturgy, theology, and doctrinal definitions are expressed in Greek terms.
  • Without Greek, one loses immediate access to the theological imagination of the early Church.
• Foundation of Western Thought
  • Greek philosophy (Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics) undergirds the liberal arts tradition, influencing logic, ethics, rhetoric, and science.
  • Key educational concepts such as paideia, scholé, and logos come directly from Greek thought.
• Language of the Liberal Arts
  • The trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric) and quadrivium (mathematics, music, astronomy, geometry) were first named and developed by Greeks.
  • Greek gives students a window into the original meaning of the liberal arts themselves.
• Poetic and Symbolic Knowledge
  • Homer, Sophocles, and other Greek poets reveal the archetypes, stories, and symbols that shaped Western imagination.
  • Poetry, epic, and tragedy in Greek train the moral imagination in a way few other languages can.
• Theological Precision
  • Greek is uniquely rich in expressing metaphysical and theological realities… words like Logos, ousia, phronema, phronesis, agape, charis, theosis.
  • These are not just vocabulary items but carriers of profound meaning for Christian life and education.
• Cultural Continuity
  • Learning Greek forms a direct link to both Athens (classical heritage) and Jerusalem (biblical revelation).
  • This bridges Hellenic culture and Christian faith, which are the twin roots of classical Christian education.
• Formation of the Mind
  • Greek grammar and syntax are highly structured yet flexible, training the intellect in precision, analysis, and beauty.
  • It requires students to wrestle with deep meanings, sharpening both logical and poetic faculties.
• Orthodox Distinctive
  • For an Orthodox classical school, Greek is not optional: it is the liturgical, theological, and cultural language of the Church.
  • It embodies philotimo, piety, and paideia and poetic knowledge … key dimensions of Orthodox formation.
  • Foundation for future seminarians
• Beauty
  • The Greek language is poetic and dynamic in form. The harmony of the Greek language is musical and reflects the poetic emphasis of the Greek people. 
  • Its symbols for the alphabet are also visually beautiful.