Omnibus II Text and Teacher CD

In Latin, Omnibus means “all encompassing.” 

The Omnibus Curriculum from Veritas Press is designed to help enlighten, train, and develop young minds through the study of everything important, long-lasting, and true: the ideas, arguments and expression of the Western Canon as expressed in the Great Books.

Omnibus II: Church Fathers Through the Reformation is the second in a series of six books that repeat a three-year cycle of Ancient, Medieval, and Modern history; the first three are at the Logic stage, and the latter three at the Rhetoric stage. Omnibus II is recommended for 8th grade, but parents may wish to preview the material to see whether their student is at a rigorous enough reading and maturity level for the materials covered. The first three books in the series may be used in any order for children at that level.

Each volume features lists of both Primary and Secondary books. They function as two separate, but intertwined courses. Students can do one or the other or both (recommended). Primary books are the traditional Great Books, while the Secondary books provide balance in the areas of Theology, History and Literature, such asThe Lord of the Rings trilogy, Robin Hood and several works of Shakespeare. Primary Books to read include: Beowulf, The Bondage of the Will, The Canterbury Tales, Confessions, Divine Comedy: Inferno, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Ephesians, Eusebius, History of the Kings of Britain, Gospel of John, Macbeth, On the Incarnation of Our Lord, The Rule of St. Benedict, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and The Song of Roland.

Each chapter covers a Great Book, examining the author, context, significance, main characters, summary and setting, worldview, and providing an in-depth essay analyzing and teaching the important points of the work. Chapters conclude with five sessions for the Primary books course or three for Secondary that provide questions to consider, optional activities, reading assignments, cultural analysis, biblical analysis, application, summa questions, recitation comprehension questions, lateral thinking, review questions, and evaluation questions.

The included Teacher Materials CD duplicates the student text and inserts answers to all questions, provides grading tools, and more. 

Covering literature, history, and theology from a Reformed perspective, editors Douglas Wilson and G. Tyler Fischer weave their understanding of God’s providence and sovereignty throughout history. Evaluating worldview, and having a Christo-centric understanding of the world is central to what the editors and publisher set out as the goal for this program.