The Cambridge Companion to Boethius

Covers all the important aspects of Boethius's thought and his influence on poets as well as philosophers and theologians.

John Marenbon (Edited by)

9780521694254, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 14 May 2009

372 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.6 kg

"...the quality of all of the chapters in this magnificent volume is very high, a fact that will hopefully encourage historians of philosophy to broaden their horizons, as it were, and to 'read Boethius whole' (2), as Marenbon puts it."
Philosophy in Review, Peter Eardley, University of Guelph

Boethius (c.480–c.525/6), though a Christian, worked in the tradition of the Neoplatonic schools, with their strong interest in Aristotelian logic and Platonic metaphysics. He is best known for his Consolation of Philosophy, which he wrote in prison awaiting execution. His works also include a long series of logical translations, commentaries and monographs and some short but densely-argued theological treatises, all of which were enormously influential on medieval thought. But Boethius was more than a writer who passed on important ancient ideas to the Middle Ages. The essays here by leading specialists, which cover all the main aspects of his writing and its influence, show that he was a distinctive thinker, whose arguments repay careful analysis and who used his literary talents in conjunction with his philosophical abilities to present a complex view of the world.

Introduction: reading Boethius whole John Marenbon
Part I. Before the Consolation: 1. Boethius's life and the world of late antique philosophy John Moorhead
2. The Aristotelian commentator Sten Ebbesen
3. The logical text-books and their influence Christopher Martin
4. Boethius on utterances, understanding and reality Margaret Cameron
5. The Opuscula Sacra: Boethius and theology David Bradshaw
6. The metaphysics of individuals in the Opuscula Sacra Andrew Arlig
7. The medieval fortunes of the Opuscula Sacra Christophe Erismann
Part II. The Consolation: 8. The good and morality: Consolatio 2-4 John Magee
9. Fate, prescience and free will Robert Sharples
10. Interpreting the Consolation Danuta Shanzer
11. The Consolation: the Latin commentary tradition: 800–1700 Lodi Nauta
12. The Consolation and medieval literature Winthrop Wetherbee
Appendix. Boethius's works John Magee and John Marenbon
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: History of ideas [JFCX], Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500 [HPCA], History of Western philosophy [HPC], Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB]