The Foundations of Western Civilization – a video presentation at The Attic, 36, Regal Building, CP > 6:30pm on 20th May 2013

Time : 6:30 pm

Entry : Free (Seating on First-Come First-Served basis)

Place : The Attic, 36, Regal Building, Connaught Place, New Delhi-110001 
Landmark : On Parliament Street close to 'The Shop' showroom & next to the 'Kwality' restaurant
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Metro : Nearest Metro Station - 'Rajiv Chowk' (Yellow Line and Blue Line)

Event Description : The Foundations of Western Civilization – an education in 24 evenings.  An Attic video presentation from The Great Courses taught by Prof. Thomas Noble, University of Notre Dame.
You can discover the essential nature, evolution, and perceptions of Western civilization from its humble beginnings in the great river valleys of Iraq and Egypt to the dawn of the modern world. 

The next two lectures of the series are as follows : 

Lecture 45- The Protestant Reformation-John Calvin
 This lecture explores the reformation within the Reformation. The “reformed tradition” is the form of Protestantism that derives from John Calvin. However he was preceded by Huldreich Zwingli from Switzerland where he was elected “peoples preacher” in Zurich in 1518. In his reforms he attacked purgatory, saints, monasticism, clerical celibacy, the mass, the authority of the pope and fasting.
Calvin, though a Frenchman had to flee from France to Switzerland.  There along with Farel they instituted their “Holy Commonwealth” where 4 groups – pastors, doctors, elders and deacons had power.  Calvin became a virtual dictator. Harsh penalties were imposed for skipping church services or talking in church. One could be executed for saying that the pope was a good man. All pleasures such as singing and dancing were forbidden.

Lecture 46- Catholic Reforms and "Confessionalization"
It was common to divide the religious history of the 16th century into the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation. But this is now considered a warped view.  The Catholic Church had begun a wide ranging programme of reform before the Protestant reformers had began their work. 
Both traditions drew on humanist scholarship and widely expressed critiques of the late medieval church. Catholic reforms had already started with Erasmus and Thomas More. In Spain it was Francisco Ximenes de Cisneros who founded the University of Alcala to promote the new learning in Spain as a basis of the clergy and church.
The Catholic Church’s fundamental belief that reform in the institutional church would lead inevitably to reforms in the wider society produced a number of new religious orders. St. Filippo Neri who founded the oratorians who were dedicated to good preaching, inspiring worship (including music) and service to ordinary lay people.
The most famous of the new orders was the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) founded by St. Ignatius Loyola. There were many catholic women in the movement. Angela Mirici who created the ursulines, Teresa of Avila who revitalized the Carmelites. 

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