Boethius was a Roman aristocrat who wrote the book "Consolation of Philosophy" in the 6th century. Itis written as a discussion between a character called "Philosophy" an Boethius and is an attempt to rationalize the philosophy of Classical world with the theology of the Christian era. Boethius is a bridge between the two, very different periods.
Classical and Christian
The sixth century was a time of great transformation in the Western world; it was the time of the end of the Classical Period and the beginning of the Christian Era. Rome had fallen to the barbarians, but they had assumed the mantle of Roman Emperors. However, these barbarian "emperors," and the empire they ruled, were just a shadow of the real thing. In other words, the remnants of the old Roman world still existed, but on top of that foundation was being built a new Christian world. Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy is an example of how the sixth century saw a mixture of the new Christian thought blended with a base of Classical philosophy.
Boethius was a Roman aristocrat who had served the Ostrogothic Emperor Theodoric the Great. The Ostrogoths had conquered Rome and set themselves up as the inheritors of the Roman Empire, even going so far as to declare themselves Roman Emperors. Boethius was sentenced to death when he fell out of favor with Theodoric, but while awaiting execution, he wrote Consolation of Philosophy from his prison cell. The book is an imaginary discussion between Boethius and the Classical figure of "Philosophy," but while Philosophy is a Classical concept, she argues that true happiness can only be found through union with the Christian God.
Boethius began his book in a state of deep frustration over the situation in which he found himself. "Why, O my friends, did ye so often puff me up, telling me that I was fortunate? For he that is fallen low did never firmly stand." (Cooper 2009, 8) What is interesting about Boethius' entire point-of-view is that it begins from a Classical standpoint. Fortune is not a Christian concept, it comes from the pre-Christian past, but Boethius seems obsessed by the fortune that has befallen him. He doesn't cry out to God, or Jesus for alleviation from his plight, but instead blames Fortune for his misery.
Another interesting aspect of Boethius' book lies in the title: Consolation of Philosophy. The Term "Consolation" actually comes from the Latin for a medicinal treatment. Boethius' consolation, or medicine, is not Christianity, or Christian theology, but a Classical cure: philosophy. These aspects of Consolation of Philosophy indicate that Boethius, and the world in which he lived, lay inbetween the pagan Classical world and the up and coming Christian one. Christianity was becoming the dominant view of the world, but there were still strong Classical foundations upon which it was being built.
Evidence of this idea comes in Book III, when Boethius realized that all the things that are normally considered to be "the form of human happiness: wealth, honours, power, glory, and pleasure," were only transitory. (Cooper 2009, 29) He once had all these things, and thought that he had attained happiness, but when they were all taken away, he came to realize that they were not the true source of happiness, only God could be. In the Classical view of things, worldly success was something to strive for, but in the new Christian view, spiritual salvation was what was important. Book III seems to be a condemnation that the view of happiness in the Classical world was based in worldly things instead of in God and the happiness that God encompasses.
Another change in the view of existence that came with the rise of Christianity was the idea of predetermination. Classical thought viewed chance as a major influence on a person's life; and chance was the cause of all the things that happened. However, Boethius is taught that "the order of the universe, advancing with its inevitable sequences, brings about this coincidence of causes. The order itself emanates from its source, which is Providence, and disposes all things in their proper time and place." (Cooper 2009, 61-62) God controls Providence, and while people have freewill to make their own choices, God already seems to know the choices that everyone will make. Boethius seems to be attempting to rationalize the Classical view of chance with the idea that the Christian view of God is all knowing.
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