Why Did They Keep Reading the Classics? — What Education from a Thousand Years Ago Asks of Us —

Why do people learn?

Is it to get a good job?
Is it to earn money?
In the modern age, many might answer that way.

However, the Byzantines had a slightly different way of thinking.

For them, learning was not merely the acquisition of knowledge.

The Byzantines Read "Old Books"

Modern people sometimes feel, whenever they study the classics in school, "What is the point of reading such old books?"

But the Byzantines were different.
In their education, Homer and the classics of ancient Greece were highly valued.

The Iliad, the Odyssey, and the ancient orators and philosophers.

We who live in the modern age tend to think that "the newer something is, the more valuable it is." Certainly, regarding science, technology, and medicine, newer might be better.

However, the Byzantines did not necessarily think that way about issues such as how humans should live, ethics, and the meaning of life.

They believed that people of the past, such as Homer and Plato, were closer to the truth than they were themselves, and that their words contained wisdom that would not fade even after many long years.
That is what was believed.

Therefore, the classics were not just old books, but
authority itself.

Moreover, they did not read the classics as textbooks for "memorizing the correct answers." They would engage with the ways the characters lived and keep asking themselves how they would think in those situations. They would listen to the words of philosophers and deepen their own thoughts.
It was an activity like engaging in dialogue with the great figures of the past.

What is a human being?
What is courage?
What is justice?

The classics were not books that provided a single answer to those questions. They were books for reading over and over, thinking about repeatedly, and continuing to search for one's own answers.

The Purpose of Learning Was Not Career Advancement

If you receive an education, it becomes easier to advance in your career.
You can become a government official.
You can also attain a high position in the church.

However, that is not all there was to it.

The Byzantines considered learning to be more than just the acquisition of knowledge.
To learn was also to refine oneself as a human being.

To become a person who can make good judgments.
To become a person who is not easily swayed by emotions.
To become a person who can think deeply about things.

That very formation of character was the purpose of education.

Knowing is not enough

Here is something that might be a bit surprising to modern people.
The Byzantines believed that simply "knowing" what one had learned was insufficient.

How to speak it, how to convey it, and how to reach the heart of the listener.
Education included all of that.

Rhetoric was an important discipline, especially for educated people such as officials, clergy, and lawyers.

Rhetoric is not merely the technique of writing sentences.

What words to choose.
How to structure thoughts.
How to convey them to others.

It was a discipline for learning such "techniques of language."

For example, suppose there is a grain shortage in a city.
If you were just conveying the facts,

would be the end of it.

However, someone who had studied rhetoric might say,

they might say.

Both convey the same facts.
However, the latter moves people's hearts more.
In modern terms, this is something that relates to writing skills and presentation abilities.

Not only possessing knowledge, but also being able to express it appropriately and effectively was part of being educated.

Why did they polish their language?

Why was language emphasized to such an extent?

It is because the Byzantines believed that human society is moved by language.

The emperor led the people through speeches.
Priests conveyed faith through sermons.
Teachers passed on knowledge through words.

No matter how excellent your ideas may be, they are meaningless if they are not conveyed to others.

That is why they honed their speaking skills and writing skills.

They believed that language was not merely a tool for transmitting information, but a power that guides people and sustains society.

Only an educated person is free

Since ancient Greece, there has been a belief that "only an educated person is free."

This is slightly different from the freedom modern people think of.
The freedom to do what you like. The freedom to go where you like. It does not mean that.

The freedom the Byzantines envisioned was
"the ability to think for oneself."

Not being swayed by rumors.
Not taking the words of those in power at face value.
Not being pushed around by emotions.
Judging with your own mind.

They considered that to be a free person.

Conversely, it was believed that people without knowledge or the ability to judge could be easily controlled by others.

Why do we learn?

Let us look back at the present day for a moment.

We learn for entrance exams.
We learn to acquire certifications.
We learn for our jobs.

Of course, these things are important.

However, a Byzantine might ask in return:

Increasing knowledge and refining oneself are not necessarily the same thing.

The Byzantines continued their education so as not to lose sight of that difference.

Conclusion

For the Byzantines, education was not merely the acquisition of knowledge or vocational training.

Read the classics, refine your language, and think for yourself.
What they aimed for beyond that was not career advancement. It was to become freer, more mature human beings.

And they believed that only an educated person is truly free.

Before asking "what should I learn?", they asked,
"what kind of person do I want to become?".

The Byzantines started by thinking about that.

Although this way of thinking is a thousand years old, this question gives us, living in the modern age surrounded by information, much to ponder.

The answer may still be quietly waiting within the classics that the Byzantines of a thousand years ago were reading.

Source of opening illustration: An image of a school scene in the Byzantine era. Byzantine education was conducted not to memorize information, but to form human beings. Learning the classics was not about increasing knowledge, but about cultivating within oneself the virtues and wisdom that serve as a guide for life. (Image generated by ChatGPT, created in July 2026)