Penguin Books, 1999, 155 pgs.
Summary: Written by the Christian Boethius (c. 480-524) just before his execution by bludgeoning. It is a mix of prose and poems in a dialogue between Lady Philosophy and himself about free will, the sovereignty of God, Fortune, sanctification, and the role of reason in theology.
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of Boethius’ writings on philosophy, logic, and Plato and Aristotle to Medieval and early Renaissance theology and philosophy. He clearly articulates the medieval belief that the world was round and almost infinitely small in comparison to the universe (41, II.vii) and takes an Augustinian stance on the freedom of the will (118).
Benefits/Detriments: Often times both Christians and scholars in general step in to a conversation that’s been going for a long time without going back and carefully reviewing how the conversation has unfolded. In the same way that a group of friends might laugh at someone mentioning “the Dairy Zone,” because of a shared experience, so the study of theology and philosophy have a developed vocabulary and history. Boethius is one of the key components of the later conversation in the Reformation and modernity, and he needs to be read to fully participate in the conversation. He helps us understand why Machiavelli’s Prince is so blatantly anti-Christian and to grasp the significance of Reepicheep’s comments to Eustace about the wheel of Fortune in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
I agree strongly with his philosophical method: “we should draw closer to everyday language to avoid the appearance of having moved too far from common usage” (112). His solution to the problem of God’s sovereignty and man’s free will is very helpful and I think ultimately true, as I currently understand his argument. As Philosophy summarizes, it is “unfitting if our future is said to provide a cause of God’s knowledge” (137). Touché—semi-Pelagians and Pelagians everywhere!
Recommended for pastors reading the scholastics, students carefully reading Lewis’ fiction canon, and as an introduction to the primary source documents of Christian philosophy for late high school students and up. It should be read with Augustine’s Confessions
.