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From the Bookshelf of Never too Late to Read Classics…

The Consolation of Philosophy

Boethius

Start date: September 1, 2025

Finish date: September 30, 2025

Discussion: Non-Fiction Classics

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Jul 08, 2024 J. Sebastian rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: faith, philosophy

The Consolation of Philosophy with The Imitation of Christ, & Religio Medici ~ Boethius, Thomas à Kempis, and Thomas Browne

The Consolation of Philosophy is one of those books wherein the author himself, his life and background, plays a major rôle, and not a fictional one either; the book emerges as a response to a tragic and horrible situation. Severinus Boethius is imprisoned, sentenced to death for treason, and awaiting his execution, a man who had thrice been a Roman Consul, and had formerly The Consolation of Philosophy with The Imitation of Christ, & Religio Medici ~ Boethius, Thomas à Kempis, and Thomas Browne

The Consolation of Philosophy is one of those books wherein the author himself, his life and background, plays a major rôle, and not a fictional one either; the book emerges as a response to a tragic and horrible situation. Severinus Boethius is imprisoned, sentenced to death for treason, and awaiting his execution, a man who had thrice been a Roman Consul, and had formerly enjoyed many of the blessings of good fortune. He awaits his execution as an innocent man, the charges being fraudulent. In the midst of these depths, Boethius is visited by Lady Philosophy, and the book is woven from the Consolations that she offers. In its brief course we have what amounts to a compendium of medieval philosophical thought.

Without these causes, such a work as the Consolatio Philosophiæ should never have been written. To know the background makes the book even more precious a treasure. To this point Boethius has been successful in life; a consul of Rome, both his sons consuls after him, Boethius becomes an advisor to the emperor Theodoric. He is framed on charges of high treason, his lands are confiscated, he is banished, exiled, and imprisoned, sentenced to death.

Philosophy, hearing his lamentations, comes to speak with him in the prison cell. By all human accounts the situation is unjust.

The book answers questions about why bad things happen to good people. Philosophy shows Boethius that he has no cause for complaint. It is a short volume, very clearly written and easy to follow. The text moves in and out of passages of philosophical discussion between Boethius and Lady Philosophy, punctuated by summative, beautiful poems. It is further embellished by classical references and is a compendium of Mediæval philosophy. Chiefly it shows why men are lost, pursuing secondary goods as if they were most important.

The culmination of the work is more challenging, but it offers a beautiful solution to the question of how God’s providence is not incompatible with free will.

To put it in other words: the case is sometimes made that man cannot really have free-will if God foreknows (or foresees) what all of us will do. If God knows it before we do it, then our freedom of choice must be illusory. If our freedom of will is really free, however, then God cannot foreknow, which would be contrary to our understanding of an Omniscient and Provident God. Philosophy solves this knot in the book. Also elegant is the solution of the apparent incompatibility of chance and providence.

Boethius might have just gone quietly and been forgotten, but he left us with this book, which has been treasured by many many people throughout the ages. I hope that the gratitude I feel for it with so many others is reaching him in Heaven. Well done Severinus Boethius, hero of the faith!

Under the same cover of this volume are two other works: the longer Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis, and the much shorter Religio Medici a statement of the personal faith of a physician, Dr. Thomas Browne. Both are excellent works that deserve to be read. The English language of this translation of The Imitation of Christ is challenging, as is the original English of Thomas Browne, but I just love these old Modern Library Editions. All three of the works are things I hope to read again. ...more

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May 16, 2025 GONZA rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: posseduto, goodreadsgroups

La filosofia si incarna in una donna fredda e bella e va a spiegare a Severino Boezio, che in carcere sta aspettando di morire, perché non si deve lamentare del suo destino. Detta cosí fa quasi ridere, peró é un libro che alterna una prosa complessa a delle liriche estremamente poetiche, secondo me. Leggetevi un testo con le note, altrimenti vi perdete informazioni importanti.

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Dec 18, 2023 Karen rated it liked it

To think Boethius wrote this while awaiting to be executed, after being falsely accused of treason. As one would expect, he was feeling rather badly about the whole situation. He has a vision of a beautiful woman who brings him around. Step by step through prose and poetry, Philosophy helps Boethius to understand his life, and the value of it.

I will be reading this again.

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Apr 21, 2011 Jennalyn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: poetry, medieval-lit, philosophy, own-physical-copy

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Shelves: theory

Oct 28, 2016 Kim marked it as to-read · review of another edition

May 12, 2017 Yair Ben-Zvi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

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Dec 27, 2020 Katherine Sas rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, medieval-ism, faith

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Aug 19, 2017 Mike marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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Sep 16, 2018 J. Sebastian marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: old-english

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Dec 31, 2020 Antonomasia added it · review of another edition

Shelves: classical-antiquity, religion, philosophy, 2020, dark-age-works

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Jun 29, 2021 Angie Bates rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: bn-lib-essential-reading, philosophy

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Shelves: history, zz-fully-tagged-2023, nonfiction, fiction, literature-rated, philosophy, poetry, n10k, religion, religion-christianity

Nov 11, 2024 Kathy E marked it as to-read

Shelves: classics, spiritual-religion, nonfiction

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Dec 25, 2024 Elena marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: 1-sep25-books

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