Through The Consolation of Philosophy, Benedict noted, Boethius “sought consolation, enlightenment, and wisdom in prison.” As we will see, the issues of happiness and the greatest good are central to this search for wisdom. He was arrested in 523 and executed a year later at the age of 44. Having initially earned the favor of Theoderic, king of Ravenna and regent of the Visigoths, Boethius found himself accused by the king-an Arian-of treason. But his most famous and enduring work is De Consolatione Philosophiae (The Consolation of Philosophy), written while under house arrest. One of his goals was to translate the works of Plato and Aristotle into Latin, and he wrote works on logic, mathematics, and theology. He studied Greco-Roman culture and philosophy with great diligence and admirable ambition. He was born into a noble family whose lineage included Roman emperors, and he was a senator at the age of 25. It was short, in large part, because he lived, as Pope Benedict noted in his March 12 audience, “in some of the most turbulent years in the Christian West and in the Italian Peninsula in particular.” It was impressive because Boethius was a man of remarkable genius and character. But the pope observed that Boethius was an important figure in the development of Christian philosophy, as his works seek to bridge “the Hellenistic-Roman heritage and the gospel message.” And, the pope added, he has traditionally been honored as a Christian martyr.Īnicius Manlius Severinus Boethius had a short but impressive life. His most famous work makes no mention of Christ or Christian belief. Boethius seems a surprising topic for a papal address: He was a philosopher, not a theologian. 524), a little-known Roman who lived in the waning days of the Empire.
In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI devoted part of a Wednesday general audience to Boethius (c.
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