Texts

De consolatione philosophiae

Boethius
  • Latin
  • prose, verse
  • Non-Celtic texts
Author
Boethius
Boethius
(d. 524)
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, a Roman senator, statesman, philosopher and historian. His best known work may be De consolatione philosophiae, which he wrote in prison after running into conflict at the Ostrogothic court. Others include De topicis differentiis, De institutione arithmetica, De institutione musica and five theological treatises known collectively as the Opuscula sacra.

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Language
  • Latin
Date
523 x 526 AD
Form
prose, verse (primary)
Textual relationships
Related: De rectoribus christianisDe rectoribus christianis

Long Latin treatise written by Sedulius Scottus (fl. 9th c.), which served as a ‘mirror for princes’ (speculum principum) instructing rulers on good governance and proper behaviour and using biblical and patristic examples to frame and buttress its message. Unlike most Carolingian representatives of the genre, it is written in a mix of prose and verse. The poems, some of which are also found in Sedulius’ Collectaneum, are composed in a variety of metrical forms. Both the prosimetric structure and the choice of metrical forms are thought to have been modelled after Boethius’ De consolatione philosophiae.

Classification

Non-Celtic textsNon-Celtic texts
...

Sources

Primary sources Text editions and/or modern translations – in whole or in part – along with publications containing additions and corrections, if known. Diplomatic editions, facsimiles and digital image reproductions of the manuscripts are not always listed here but may be found in entries for the relevant manuscripts. For historical purposes, early editions, transcriptions and translations are not excluded, even if their reliability does not meet modern standards.

[ed.] Moreschini, Claudio, Boethius: De consolatione philosophiae; Opuscula theologica, 2nd ed., Bibliotheca Teubneriana, Munich, Leipzig: K. G. Saur, 2005.  
Critical edition of Boethius's De consolatione philosophiae, with introduction and notes in Latin; additionally includes Opuscula sacra
[ed.] OʼDonnell, James J. [ed.], Boethius: Consolatio philosophiae, 3 vols, Bryn Mawr Latin Commentaries, Bryn Mawr, Pa.: Thomas Library, Bryn Mawr College, 1990.
Georgetown.edu – Hypertext version: <link>
Text derived from Weinberger (1934); with commentary in vol. 3
[ed.] Weinberger, Wilhelm, Anicii Manlii Severini Boethii Philosophiae consolatione libri quinque, Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, 67, Leipzig, 1934.
Internet Archive: <link>
Contributors
C. A., Dennis Groenewegen
Page created
August 2015, last updated: January 2024