The Truth Combination of Boethius
Fate and Faith point the way.
Ancius Manlius Severinus Boethius (~480AD- ~525AD) is one of the great early Scholastic philosophers. His “The Consolation of Philosophy",” which he penned while in prison shortly before his death is an elegant combination of prose and poetry. It features an extended dialogue with Lady Philosophy:
“She was of awe-inspiring appearance, her eyes burning and keen beyond the usual power of men.”
At the center of the discussion is a life lesson that couples Stoic wisdom with the acknowledgment and centeredness on the Divine…the very principle behind “The Catholic Stoic.” Boethius combined two ideas; the idea that a fickle fate governs all things AND the idea of God at the still point of the turning world. In this presentation, “fate” is more than a random happening. In Boethius view, it is the ruling force of man’s every day life. The same principle that instructs Stoics to not fret over matters that they cannot control, informs the concept of fate governing our reality.
But Boethius takes us to the next level, one step closer to Jerusalem, while not stepping away from Athens: the more a man frees himself from corporeal matters, i.e. fate, the closer he approaches the stability and simplicity of the place of rest. At the center of that place of peace and rest is God. And the more one approaches the Divine, the greater is his freedom.
In Boethius telling, God is the ultimate truth, the ultimate good. “If you seek the truth, you must go back to the simplicity of the divine.” And the truth is sought as is sussed out in his chat with Lady Philosophy in a two-fold manner. First, one must exercise reason using the tools of philosophic reflection, dialogue and Socratic dialectic. The path to the other truth lies in revelation and this is natural and easy to maintain if we are open to the voice of the Divine. “He who seeks the truth must not be influenced by the opinions of the crowd.”
Our modern approach of seeking the truth through scientific exploration has produced many wonders and more than enough phobias. Perhaps its time, as the philosophic genius of the Stoics are being revisited to take a moment and open ourselves to the voice that is in all of us, the Divine Word of God.
Peace be with you.
I am looking forward to reading this. I was actually thinking about creating a faceless YouTube channel about the intersection of Stoicism and Christianity, but there are tons of them out there, though none do a thoroughly adequate job. I am going to work on one I am creating about travel with a VA and editor (for passive income). Trading has been repaired to normal so I can scale again, and I will try to rejuvenate the Buffalo Trader's Writing Desk to provide income while I wait on the verdicts for private investment and on real estate items. I think this project will be both illuminating and successful Good luck with this Substack.