480 Births - Benedict of Nursia, Gelimer, Scholastica, Boethius, Xiao Zhaowen, Porphyrius the Charioteer, Eutocius of Ascalon, Zu Gengzhi (Paperback)

Chapters: Benedict of Nursia, Gelimer, Scholastica, Boethius, Xiao Zhaowen, Porphyrius the Charioteer, Eutocius of Ascalon, Zu Gengzhi, Flavius Arcadius Placidus Magnus Felix. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 44. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Boethius - Boethius' exact birth date is unknown. It is generally established at around AD 481, the same year of birth as St. Benedict. Boethius was born to a patrician family which had been Christian for about a century. His father's line included two popes, and both parents counted Roman emperors among their ancestors. Although Boethius is believed to have been born into a Christian family, some scholars have conjectured that he abandoned Christianity for paganism, perhaps on his deathbed. Momigliano argues "many people have turned to Christianity for consolation. Boethius turned to paganism. His Christianity collapsed it collapsed so thoroughly that perhaps he did not even notice its disappearance." However, this has been a popular idea among scholars of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and does not reflect the majority of scholarship on the matter. It is unknown where Boethius received his formidable education in Greek. Historical documents are ambiguous on the subject, but Boethius may have studied in Athens, and perhaps Alexandria. Since the elder Boethius is recorded as proctor of a school in Alexandria circa AD 470, the younger Boethius may have received some grounding in the classics from his father or a close relative. As a result of his education and experience, Boethius entered the service of Theodoric the Great, who in 506 had written him a graceful and complimentary letter about his studies. Theodoric subsequently commissioned the young Boethius to perform many roles. Boethius imprisoned (from 1385 manuscript of the Co...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=195684