The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius

The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius

Boethius composed the De Consolatione Philosophiae in the sixth century AD whilst awaiting death under torture, condemned on a charge of treason which he protested was manifestly unjust. Though a convinced Christian, in detailing the true end of life which is the soul's knowledge of God, he consoled himself not with Christian precepts but with the tenets of Greek philosophy. This work dominated the intellectual world of the Middle Ages; writers as diverse as Thomas Aquinas, Jean de Meun, and Dante were inspired by it. In England it was rendered in to Old English by Alfred the Great, into Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer, and later Queen Elizabeth I made her own translation. The circumstances of composition, the heroic demeanour of the author, and the 'Menippean' texture of part prose, part verse have combined to exercise a fascination over students of philosophy and literature ever since.

Probably the best history and, indeed philosophy book of all time * Bettany Hughes The Times *

An aristocratic scholar and philosopher and one of the most influential members of the court of the Ostrogoth ruler Theodoric, Boethius (born c. 480 AD) was arrested for alleged treason (which he denied). During his confinement in northern Italy, he wrote his masterpiece, The Consolation of Philosophy, a work in which he considers universal issues. Executed in about 526 AD. James Harpur was born in 1956 of Anglo-Irish parentage. He read Classics and then English Literature at Trinity College, Cambridge. He is now a freelance writer living in Ireland, with three previous collections of poetry from Anvil. Author of Love Burning in the Soul: The Story of the Christian Mystics, from Saint Paul to Thomas Merton (Shambhala, 2005).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780199540549
ISBN 10	0199540543
Title	The Consolation of Philosophy
Author	Boethius
Series	Oxford World's Classics
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Year published	2008-07-10
Number of pages	240
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.