Boethius

A Roman scholar, patrician and Consul of Rome in early 6th (ca. 480-525) century under King Theodoric of the Ostrogoths. He wrote The Consolation of Philosophy while in prison for a false charge of disloyalty. In The Consolation of Philosophy, Philosophy is portrayed as a beautiful woman as Boethius asks numerous questions of her, attempting to reconcile apparent contradictions. He primarily focuses on the schism between Free-Will and Divine Foreknowledge in which he determines that GOD is outside of time and therefore does not dictate human actions but is aware of their results before the decision is made. He was known as "the last of the Roman philosophers, and the first of the scholastic theologians" (Pojmam 421).

Significance: Considers both Stoic and Neoplatonic philosophy along with ideas of Augustine as he explains divine providence.

• In our selection(last book) he reconciles free will and divine foreknowledge.
• He is the last of the Roman philosophers and first of scholastic theologians like Augustine and later Thomas Aquinas.

Writings are found in Pojman page 421.