The study of the classics at Messiah College allows students to explore the language, literature, societies, institutions, and cultures of Greek, Roman, and Medieval cultures in the context of a traditional liberal arts education. Our extensive view of the classics as the study of western arts and humanities before the modern era captures the enduring creative expressions and vitality of the human experience over a period spanning three millennia. We aim to understand the individuals, texts, objects, and cultures of the ancient Mediterranean world and medieval Europe, and consider their value for contemporary thought and dialogue.
Students at the tombs of the kings in Paphos
Classical studies at Messiah include courses in the Latin language through the intermediate level; history classes on ancient Greece and Rome, Late Antiquity, Medieval Europe, Joan of Arc, and Tudor-Stuart England; literature courses on medieval British literature, Shakespeare and Milton; archaeology courses delivered on site in the Mediterranean country of Greece; philosophy classes in ancient and medieval thought; art history offerings; and broad introductions to the history of music and theatre.
Our program emphasizes the exploration of classical Christian texts, close relationships and student mentoring, and student-focused experiential learning. Our students have studied abroad throughout Europe, investigated Hellenistic and Roman archaeological sites in the Mediterranean, worked on faculty research projects in Greece and Cyprus, and pursued their own student honors projects on topics from mosaic pavements in Roman Cyprus to the rhetoric of Queen Elizabeth I of England, among others. Through Latin courses and Latin and Greek faculty-student reading groups, our students have read and translated original texts that include both classical authors such as Julius Caesar, Cicero, Livy, Ovid, Seneca, and Pliny the Younger, and Christian writers such as St. Paul, the apostolic fathers, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, Sulpicius Severus, and Byzantine and medieval hagiographers. 
Students examine Roman mosaics in Cyprus
Students seeking degrees in classics may choose between the Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies Minor, or the Classical and Medieval European History Concentration within the History major. The minor includes coursework in Latin, history and archaeology, vernacular literature and philosophy, and art, theater, and music history. The foundation of the concentration lies in the history program: students major in history and focus on the study of pre-modern Europe and the Mediterranean. Read more here:
- Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies Minor and courses
- Classical and Medieval European History Concentration
Our students who have minored or concentrated in classical studies have moved on to PhD programs in archaeology, medieval studies, and ancient religion; law school and careers as attorneys; and Latin language instruction in public and private schools. For more information, contact Professor Joseph Huffman.