The Consolation of Philosophy (Boethius)
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy was one of the most widely read and influential texts in medieval Europe. (…) Boethius wrote the Consolation circa AD 523, while in prison in Ticinum (now Pavia) awaiting his eventual execution. (…). Boethius had a highly successful political career, serving as senator, consul, and eventually in the powerful position of magister officiorum for the Ostrogoth King Theodoric the Great. As we learn in Book I of the Consolation, however, Boethius' political enemies accused him of treason and sacrilege. As a result, Theodoric had him imprisoned and eventually killed. Of course, Boethius was not only an influential political figure but also a scholar. He wrote on music, mathematics, and Christian theology, and produced commentaries on philosophical texts by Porphyry, Aristotle, and Cicero. His life goal was to translate the complete works of both Plato and Aristotle into Latin, accompanied by commentaries that would show how their respective and sometimes opposed philosophical views could be harmonized.