Theological Tractates / The Consolation of Philosophy (Loeb Classical Library) by Boethius (1989) Hardcover

by Boethius

Boethius (Boetius)—Anicius Manlius Severinus—Roman statesman and philosopher (ca. 480-524 CE), was son of Flavius Manlius Boetius, after whose death he was looked after by several men, especially Memmius Symmachus. He married Symmachus's daughter, Rusticiana, by whom he had two sons. All three men rose to high honours under Theodoric the Ostrogoth, but Boethius fell from favour, was tried for treason, wrongly condemned, and imprisoned at Ticinum (Pavia), where he wrote his renowned The Consolation of Philosophy. He was put to death in 524, to the great remorse of Theodoric. Boethius was revered as if he were a saint and his bones were removed in 996 to the Church of S. Pietro in Ciel d'Oro, and later to the Cathedral. The tower in Pavia where he was imprisoned is still venerated.Boethius was author of Latin translations of Aristotle, commentaries on various philosophical works, original works on logic, five books on music, and other works. His The Consolation of Philosophy is the last example of purely literary Latin of ancient times—a mingling of alternate dialogue and poems. His Theological Tractates are also included in this volume.

Genres: Philosophy, Theology, Religion, Classics, Nonfiction, Medieval, Poetry

Hardcover

First published January 1, 524

About the author

Roman mathematician Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, imprisoned on charges of treason, wrote The Consolation of Philosophy , his greatest work, an investigation of destiny and free will, while awaiting his execution.

His ancient and prominent noble family of Anicia included many consuls and Petronius Maximus and Olybrius, emperors. After Odoacer deposed the last western emperor, Flavius Manlius Boethius, his father, served as consul in 487.

Boethius entered public life at a young age and served already as a senator before the age of 25 years in 504. Boethius served as consul in 510 in the kingdom of the Ostrogoths.

In 522, Boethius saw his two sons serve as consuls. Theodoric the Great, king, suspected Boethius of conspiring with the eastern empire eventually. Jailed, Boethius composed his treatise on fortune, death, and other issues. He most popularly influenced the Middle Ages.

People linked Boethius and Rithmomachia, a board game.

Reviews

[David Haines · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tractates are frequently interesting and erudite, especially the De Fide Catholica, a summary of the faith which reads more like a narrative summary than a creed or confession. Of course the main event here is the Consolatio, a compelling and perplexing work, heavily Augustinian but containing no explicit appeal to scripture, thoroughly Ciceronian without being pagan, which can and should change the way you think about happiness.

[Paul Bond · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reacting to this book since I was 17 (so 20 years now). On first reading it, I felt liberation. All my fears and cares had been revealed as error, since the only good is truth, and truth cannot be taken away, only neglected. Over the years, this alternated with a second reaction -- if all the stuff of this world is of neither moment nor importance, why live? My anxiety gave way to a kind of numbness, a sense of life-as-marking-time. In responding to the theological problem that the existence of pain posed for Christians, C.S. Lewis remarked that God had two choices: give man a heart that could bleed, or a charcoal briquette for a heart. Life without suffering, and hoping, isn't really life.

My third, and relatively recent reaction to The Consolations was provided by W.S. Merwin, in his poem "To The Consolations of Philosophy". Written right after 9/11: "I know the design/ of the world is beyond/ our comprehension/ thank you/ but grief is selfish and in/ the present when/ the stars do not seem to move/ I was not listening". Admitting that a more philosophical attitude is on the whole better, but rejecting the idea that philosophy can or should draw anyone completely out of the (admittedly temporary) world.

Another twenty years, I am be able to decide what I really think.

[Brittany Petruzzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't understand the importance of this work until I read The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature. So then I read it again.

[Owlseyes]

When you're under false accusations, a visit in your prison cell, by the Goddess of Wisdom, will surely give you some form of consolation.

[Artsalnov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Всегда мучил вопрос, чем занимаются доктора теологических наук, особенно в РАН. А тут вон оно чего)
Видно, что Боэций старался донести мысль,очень!
Логические конструкции по поводу божественно прекрасны, увидеть логику в иррациональной вере - это твёрдая пятёрка!

[Robert Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the theological tractates was essential to my MA research. Reading the 'Consolation' is just plain essential.

[Alexey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Боэций - это такой грустный мужик, который комментирует переводы.

Почти как я.

Ну и интересуется чего там писали умные люди задолго до него, в этом мы с ним уже меньше похожи.

Самая интересная часть в этой книге - вовсе не "Утешение философией", хотя она позволяет схватить за жопу многих средневековых и более поздних писателей - мол, вот откуда вы изначально взяли свои образы.

Самая интересная часть - это перевод Порфирия, комментатора к аристотелевским "Категориям", который примерно по 10 раз рассказывает одно и то же про виды, роды, привходящие признаки и так далее. Потому что это - практически действительное начало формальной логики в том виде, в каком мы ее понимаем (кстати, Боэций походя дает довольно интересное комбинаторное решение для 5 категорий - показывая, каким математическим аппаратом пользовались в его время).

Но "Категории" Боэцию нужны были не просто так - на их основе он начинает выслаивать этот вечно ускользающий образ Христа как человека и Христа как Бога, призывая к себе греческих богословов и вводя кучу терминов в латинскую - а значит и европейскую метафизику.

До этой книги я плохо понимал, что значит Субстанция и Субсистенция. Теперь, когда я это понимаю, я не стал спать спокойнее, но хоть что-то в этой вавилонской башне культуры, которую строят уже много тысячелетий, стало понятнее.

[Josiah Kottman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must Read Book!

A excellent discovery in to the oneness of the Trinity and evil happening to good people. He shows the amount of free will man holds.

[Promethea]

რაც მეტს ვკითხულობ შუა საუკუნეების ფილოსოფოსთა ნაშრომებს, მით უფრო ვეჭვდები ჩემს ურწმუნობაში.

[Zack Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first read, but not my last. A beautiful final logical movement from God’s eternity to the concurrence of God’s will and lesser wills to the necessity and efficacy of prayer.

“Turn away then from vices, cultivate virtues, lift up your mind to righteous hopes, offer up humble prayers to heaven. A great necessity is solemnly ordained for you if you do not want to deceive yourselves, to do good, when you act before the eyes of a judge who sees all things.” p. 435

[Nick Tramdack · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...And the hind's fearless flank lay beside savage lions, nor was the hare afraid to look upon the hound, made peaceful by his song; when grief burned yet more fierce and hot his inmost heart, and measures that subdued all else soothed not their master, complaining of inexorable gods above he approached the halls below."

I got a really Wolfeian sense from this text... or maybe it would be more proper to say I get a Boethian sense from reading Gene Wolfe. Check section 5-6; a meditation on how our perceived life "fell" from the simplicity of infinity into motion, "by binding itself to the sort of present of this brief and fleeting moment, a present which since it wears a kind of likeness of that permanent present [eternity], grants to whatever things it touches that they should seem to be. But since it could not be permanent, it seized on the infinite journeying of time..." I have no idea why this idea (badly expressed in this quote, I'll admit it) hasn't been used in a SF story.

Also contains a cool scholastic strategy for escaping the free will/determinism problem. A human sees a man walking and the sun rising at the same time. We see one's voluntary, the other necessary. Meanwhile God, observing all points in time at once, makes the same distinction between voluntary and necessary events. And (as was pointed out before) the act of observing something is dependent on the capacity of the observer, rather than the nature of the thing observed..... cool, right? Unfortunately, quantum mechanics was not known to scholastic philosophers.

More shrewd moves: Providence is the unmoving center of the wheel, Fate is the distributed, temporal, moving edge...

Check it out!

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Consolation of Philosophy is the main draw here (although the Theological Tractates are also useful). The Consolation is a wonderful little book written by Boethius in prison while awaiting execution. He seeks to understand and to explain how his unjust lot in life can be compatible with the love and foreknowledge of all-powerful God. It is well worth reading as an introduction to classical philosophy and as an apologetic for the Catholic Faith.

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense but beautiful meditation on the fleeting nature of physical existence, free will, the holy trinity, God and more. The consolation of philosophy was especially beautiful, my favorite being the lyric poems every other chapter that summed up the sometime dense dialogue happening between Boethius and the Muse Philosophy.

[Hulya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forgetten by the god and destiny, boetius hugged the philosophy while he was in the prison waiting for his death. Between paganism and christianity, Boetius stands. However at the end,he wants to believe that human makes their own decisions. Unless he believes,it means that god is evil, so he is afraid of that and he feels an obligation to accept that idea. It is the dilemma of all mankind .

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful group of texts. The Consolatio itself is a beautiful presentation of a rich and (sadly) largely forgotten worldview. Those fond of the book of Proverbs or of ancient Greek philosophy alike will find familiar sentiments here. I can't wait to read it again!

[Anselm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing like being mocked into objectivity by the spirit of philosophy when you're about to die a ghastly death by imperial decree.

[Bram Cleaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

So brilliant, but so dense. I've read it so many times and I'm still only scratching the surface. I suspect this will play a prominent role in my dissertation.

[Ariston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the binding and size of the Loeb Classical Library editions, and this is no exception. I bought this because I wanted to brush up on my Latin, and thought Boethius would be a fun way to do it.

[Jake Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the “Theological Tractates” and absolutely loved them. My favorite takeaways were:

1. In “De Trinatate”, Boethius establishes God’s unity as well as the ways in which we can and cannot predicate things of God. This treatise unravels any attempt to predicate things like “authority” or “submission” to the Father and Son, and thus unravels an EFS view.

“But since the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, but God has no differences distinguishing him from God, he differs from none of the others. But where there are no differences there is no plurality; where there is no plurality there is unity.”


2. In “De Fide Catholica” Boethius writes a beautiful and fascinating summary of Holy Scripture. His description of Adam experiencing his the weight of his punishment in Abel was striking.

““Adam was the first to deserve to experience death in his own son Abel, in order that he might learn through his own child the greatness of the punishment that he himself was to receive. For if he had died first he would have in some sense not have known, and if one may so say not have felt, his punishment; but he tasted it in another in order that he might perceive the due reward of his contempt, and doomed to death himself, might be the more powerfully tormented by the apprehension of it”


3. In his treatise against Eutyches and Nestorius, Boethius outlines a robust christology that affirms the two natures and one person.

“ [Christ] is perfect man and God: God because he was begotten of the substance of the Father, but man because he was engendered of the Virgin Mary. And further, he who is man is God in that man was assumed by God, and he who is God is man in that God was clothed with man.”

If Boethius is right (which Scripture and tradition say he is) I find it near impossible to reject “theotokos”, i.e. Mary as the “mother of God (that is, on Christological grounds)

[Bennett Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

First time to read the 5 Theological Tractates; second time to read the Philosophiae Consolationis. The Tractates are an interesting synthesis of Christianity and Neoplatonism. Boethius is far more indebted to Plotinus than Augustine ever was, even in his early works. They are also important for their definitions the concepts like divine "substance" and "person" in both Greek and Latin, which set the agenda for centuries to come. It is also interesting that in De Fide Catholica, Boethius says nothing about the papacy, episcopacy, or anything distinctly Roman Catholic. Perhaps this explains why a theologian of this calibre, which had such an influence on subsequent generations, was never formally canonized as a martyr or saint.

The Consolation of Philosophy is simply a masterpiece. It remains one of the best treatments of the problem of evil and suffering, and divine foreknowledge and free will ever written. Why this wasn't required reading in seminary I will never know. C. S. Lewis paid Boethius high praise in The Screwtape Letters, when he had Screwtape say [of Boethius' teaching about time and eternity] "One of the humans let the secret out." It is a must read.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

SEVERAL THEOLOGICAL TRACTATES, IN ADDITION TO THE “CONSOLATION”

Anicius Manlius Severinus Boëthius (480-524) was a Roman senator, consul, magister officiorum, and Christian philosopher. He served under King Theodoric the Great, who later imprisoned him on charges of conspiracy to overthrow him; while in prison, Boethius composed his ‘The Consolation of Philosophy.’ He was executed in 524.

[This edition has the Latin original on the left-hand side, and the English translation on the right.]

He wrote in his Tractate, ‘Whether Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are substantially Predicated of the Divinity’: “neither Father, nor Son, nor Holy Spirit, nor Trinity is predicated substantially of God, but only relatively… But God, truth, justice, goodness, omnipotence, substance, immutability, virtue, wisdom and all other conceivable predicates of the kind are said of the divinity substantially. If these things are right and in accordance with the Faith, I pray you confirm me; or if you are in any point of another opinion, examine carefully what has been said, and if possible, reconcile faith and reason.” (Pg. 37)

In his ‘A Treatise Against Eutyches and Nestorius,’ he explains, “Wherefore if person belongs to substances alone, and these rational… we have found the definition of person: ‘The individual substance of a rational nature.’ Now by this definition we Latins have described what the Greeks call [‘persona.’] For the word ‘person’ seems to be borrowed … from the masks … which in comedies and tragedies used to represent the people concerned.” (Pg. 85-87)

He argues, “For if you think of [Christ] as man, the same is man and God, being man by nature, God by assumption. But if you think of him as God, the same is God and man, being God by nature, man by assumption. And in him nature becomes double and substance double because he is God-man, and one person since the same is man and God. This is the middle way between two heresies, just as virtues also hold a middle place. For every virtue has a place of honor midway between extremes.” (Pg. 121)

In his ‘Consolation of Philosophy,’ Lady Philosophy advises Boethius, “Do you think there is some constancy in human affairs, when man himself is so swiftly removed from the scene by flying time? Even if a man can, very rarely, rely on the gifts of fortune remaining with him, yet the last day of his life is a death also for what fortune does remain. Do you think it matters, then, whether you leave fortune behind by dying, or she leaves you?” (Pg. 189)

She tells him, “If all the money there is in the world were heaped together in one man’s possession, it would make all the rest of men live in lack of it. The voice wholly fills the ears of many hearers simultaneously, but your riches cannot pass to many unless they are split into small parts first. When that is done, those who part with money must necessarily become poorer. Well then, O riches, how poor and mean you are! You can neither be wholly possessed by many nor come to any man without impoverishing others!” (Pg. 201)

She continues, “I maintain that nothing is good which harms its possessor… Yet riches have often harmed their possessors, since every man of base character, and therefore the more greedy for others’ goods, thinks himself the only one really worthy to possess all the gold and jewels there are. So you who now anxiously fear to be attacked and murdered, had you entered on this life’s road an empty-handed traveler, would laugh at robbers. O marvelous blessedness of mortal riches! When you have gained that, you have lost your safety.” (Pg. 207)

She points out, “Surely you do not think it wholly unimportant that this rough and unpleasant fortune has discovered those friends who are truly loyal to you, and has divided the honest from the dishonest among your companions, by taking her own kind with her when she left you, leaving your sort with you? How dearly would you have bought such knowledge in your unaffected and—as you thought---fortunate state! As it is, you are even complaining of your lost wealth: but you have found the most previous of all kinds of riches---true friends.” (Pg. 225)

He suggests, “And often that highest providence produces from all this a remarkable wonder, that evil men make evil men good. For some of them, while they think they are suffering injustices at the hands of men much worse than they, being inflamed with hatred of those injuring them, have come back to virtue’s harvest, striving to be unlike those whom they hated. For only the divine nature is such that to it even evils are good, since by suitable use of them God draws out as a result some good. For a certain order embraces all things, so that that which has departed from the rule of this order appointed to it, although it slips into another condition yet that too is order, so that nothing in the realm of providence may be left to chance.” (Pg. 371)

She explains, “Therefore all these things which God foreknows will … without doubt come to be, but certain of them proceed from free will, and although they do come to be, yet in happening they do not lose their proper nature, according to which, before they happened, they might also not have happened. What then does it matter that they are not necessary, since on account of the condition of the divine knowledge it will turn out in all respects like necessity?... So also, those things God possesses as present, beyond doubt will happen, but of them the one kind is consequent upon the necessity of things, the other upon the power of those doing them. So therefore we were not wrong in saying that these, if related to the divine knowledge, are necessary, if considered in themselves, are free from the bonds of necessity, just as everything which lies open to the senses, if you relate it to the reason, is universal, if you look at is by itself, is singular.” (Pg. 431)

Boethius’ ‘Consolation’ is a true “gem” of philosophy in the long period after Greek/Roman philosophy, and the rise of genuine Christian philosophy in the Middle Ages.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first attempt at reading the more medieval church fathers. It was interesting to see how theological discussions had changed and become much more technical and refined. This felt a lot more professional and philosophical rather than the pastoral tone of earlier writings.

The theological writings are complex and difficult to understand while the philosophical writings are far easier. What I cannot figure out is why he was able to use natural philosophy in a way he was unable to use regarding the Scriptures.

I enjoyed the philosophical sections much more than I thought I would originally. They are distinctly Christian while avoiding any direct appeals to Scripture. The main discussion is what can lead to true happiness. The answer ends up being Christian even though he gets there using only natural philosophy.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. I would recommend this for those more interested in the greek philosophers or philosophy in general.

[Matthew Hinman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic look at many tough problems in Philosophy and Christianity. I found the interspersing of poetry/songs with philosophy so wonderful, I wish more modern books did it.

One of my favorites:

Grant, Father, to my mind to rise to your majestic seat,
Grant me to wander by the source of good, grant light to see,
To fix the clear sight of my mind on you.
Disperse the clouding heaviness of this earthly mass
And flash forth in your brightness. For, to the blessed you
Are clear serenity, and quiet rest : to see you is their goal,
And you, alone and same,
Are their beginning, driver, leader, pathway, end.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a tall order for Lady Philosophy to console a man facing death by torture, but she does an admirable job. She tells him that he is only sad because his good fortune has passed away, which naturally means his suffering will also pass away. Boethius takes a few swipes at predestination, a thousand years before the arrival of Jansenism/Calvinism. My favorite quote is "We are living in the Upside-Down when man, a living, rational, and therefore godlike animal, needs lifeless stuff to feel splendid about himself."

[Danielle Hardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate this book for its history and influence. For Boethius to have written this in prison to lay his thoughts down is impressive to me. I picked this up because I know how much it influenced CS Lewis' thought and wanted to understand it as well. I found I personally enjoyed the Theological Tractates more than the Consolation. I got bogged down some in the Consolation because I just did not enjoy the style. This translation was well done and easy to read in a nice compact book.

[Станислав · Rating 2 out of 5]

Логические комментарии на Порфирия, который комментировал Аристотеля - не лучше ли обратиться сразу к Порфирию. Теологические трактаты меня мало интересуют, понятно это отец схоластики, как по мне соединение Библии с математикой. "Утешение философией" не произвело особого впечатления - слишком много риторики.

[Калоян Захариев · Rating 5 out of 5]

Имал въпроси за Бог, за вярата, за самия себе си? Е, значи това е книгата за теб. Боеций хвърля светлина върху много потънали в сенки истини и макар някои от тях да са поднесени по доста объркващ начин определено си струва всяка секунда, която може да се отдели на тази книга.
Между тези корици се крие един наистина, наистина велик ум.

[James Sinks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Take one part affluenza, one part self-justification, two parts sour grapes, three parts regurgitated stoic pablum, one part classical allusion, two parts unsatisfactory theology, zero parts self-awareness, and stir. Voila! The Consolation of Philosophy!

[Somebody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Наставница, предводительница — моя внутренняя феминистка и поэтесса ликует.

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