Severinus Boethius Accomplishments

Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius lived to be known as one of the most accomplished men of his time and beyond. The Roman scholar, poet, orator, musician, and philosopher had much of his knowledge to offer to the ancient world in his lifetime. Through his writings and translations, Boethius made important contributions to the Middle Ages and gave people today a better understanding of ancient times. He proved himself to be a great thinker and very gifted – an overall impressive man. For these reasons, the life of Boethius is still remembered.

Born around 475-477 C.E., Boethius grew up with the privilege of high status in an unstable Roman Empire. He came from a prestigious line of families, as indicated by his full name. He belonged to the

grand patrician family of Anicii, and had several other connections to important families of the Roman Republic.

Because both of Boethius' parents died in his childhood, Quintus Aurelius Symmachus, a consul from a patrician family greater than Boethuis', adopted him and raised him himself. Under the care of Symmachus, Boethius received an excellent education in his youth. He mainly learned of Latin classics and four major traditions on thought and writing: Greek Neoplatonism, Latin philosophical writing, Greek Christian Literature, and the Latin church fathers. With a thorough education, Boethius became recognized for his intelligence as he grew older; his peers referred to him as "your wisdom," or "most learned of men."

Boethius led a very successful life during his adulthood, both in private and in public affairs. Around 495 C.E., he married the daughter of Symmachus, Rusticiana, and thus married into a glorious family. He later had two sons with her, named Symmachus and Boethius. Furthermore, it is revealed in various letters between himself and a man named Cassiodorus that while in his twenties, Boethius

translated works by several different Greek philosophers into Latin. The works that Boethius translated included those by Pythagoras, Ptolemy, Nicomachus, Euclid, Plato, Aristotle, and Archimedes. Translating is something he continued to do, as he announced that he planned to translate all the works of Aristotle and Plato he could find from Greek into Latin. Years later, in 510 C.E., King Theodoric made Boethius his sole consul, a role of great importance. At this time, the correspondence between Boethius and Cassiodorus further revealed aspects of Boethius' life, particularly his status. The tone Cassiodorus used when writing to Boethius demonstrated a sense of respect to his authority, as he often consulted Boethius on matters requested by the king. Theodoric occasionally gave him rather mediocre tasks, from constructing a water clock and a sundial to simply fixing small financial problems. Other times, Boethius delivered speeches for Theodoric. Aside from tending to Theodoric's requests, Boethius spent much of his time writing and translating. The king eventually promoted Boethius to Magister Officiorum ("Master of Offices"), or head of the whole civil administration, in Ravenna. Just twelve years after Boethius became sole consul, his sons became joint-consuls for Theodoric in 522 C.E. Boethius led an ideal life as a gifted nobleman who possessed great wealth, power, high status and many friends. All of these fortunes quickly came to an end for him in his downfall.
The fall of Boethius ultimately stripped him of everything he previously had – his friends, wealth, social status, and his job – all within a year. Boethius' downfall began toward 523 C.E. with a conflict between himself and a court official named Cyprian. Cyprian accused the senator Albinus of "treasonable correspondence" with King Justin of Constantinople. Boethius had to judge Albinus as part of his job, and defended Albinus on the matter, for he chose to stand with the Senate. As a result, Cyprian accused Boethius falsely of not only being involved in Albinus' crime, but also that he engaged in magic and suggested Roman liberty. Because he defended senator Albinus, Boethius thought that the Senate would also defend him–but nobody came to his defense. Theodoric judged and condemned Boethius, and sentenced him to exile and death. Symmachus eventually suffered the same fate because of his close ties to Boethius.
Before being executed, Theodoric imprisoned Boethius in Pavia for an indefinite amount of time.

In prison, Boethius wrote his most renowned work, De consolatione Philosophiae, or The Consolation of Philosophy. He sought relief for his grief over his great losses while writing this work. Boethius often wrote in a melancholic and distraught tone as he lamented. This is evident from the very first lines in Book One, in which Boethius wrote: "I who wrought my studious numbers / Smoothly once in happier days, / Now perforce in tears and sadness / Learn a mournful strain to raise." Boethius also produced defenses to the accusations made against him in his writing. During his imprisonment, Boethius wrote that Philosophy came to him in the form of a woman, who cleared and opened his mind to things he did not realize before. He became aware of things such as the selfishness of his regrets, what true good is, as well as "the mystery of the world's moral government." Boethius still suffered greatly in these times. His life ended around 526 C.E. with a very cruel and graphic execution. The way Theodoric executed him is unclear, but accounts say that either soldiers cut him down with swords, or tortured and clubbed him until he

died.
People remember Boethius today for his many works, but most importantly for his contributions to the Middle Ages. Boethius acted as a bridge between the philosophers of the ancient world and the philosophers of the Middle Ages. He preserved ancient works such as Porphyry's Isagoge, and Aristotle's Categories, Heri permeneias, Prior Analytics, Sophistical Refutations (Elenchi), and Physics, some of which still exist today because of his work. Boethius' translations and commentaries brought the logic of ancient times to the Middle Ages, which helped create the foundation for medieval thought.
In addition to theology and logic, Boethius knew much about geometry, mechanics, astronomy, and music. He wrote extensively on these topics in his independent works, such as De institutione arithmetic (Principles of Arithmetic) and De institutione musica (Principles of Music). Some of his other works are De divisione (On Divisions), De syllogismo categorico (On the Categorical Syllogism), De hypotheticis syllogismis (On Hypothetical Syllogism), and De topicis differentiis (On Topical Differentiae). Aristotle and Neoplatonic thought by Plato heavily influenced Boethius works and ideas. Boethius' own impacts are not just found in the Middle Ages, but also in writers such as Jean de Meun and more notably Geoffrey Chaucer. The influence of Boethius' philosophy and great thinking is apparent in many of Chaucer's works, including the poems "Troilus," "the House of Fame," "The Legend of Good Women," and even in his book, The Canterbury Tales.
Boethius remains relevant today for his contributions to medieval logic, his great thinking, and his noteworthy life. His intriguing life and ancestry has made him memorable, as well as his great skill in many different trades. But it must not be overlooked that Boethius' work and remarkable intelligence provided the people today with the thoughts of Greek philosophers and insight to the ancient times; thoughts that could have otherwise been forgotten or lost if Boethius had not worked to translate and write about them. Because of this, Boethius certainly left his imprint in history and his influence continues to be seen throughout time.