Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

of a divine good that man should strive to attain. In Book Two, Chapter 10, Philosophy states, “We have
already conceded that the highest good is happiness… And so, we must acknowledge that God is happiness
itself… so the highest divinity must itself be the highest happiness” (Boethius 59). While Philosophy
describes God in these divine terms, she ultimately goes on to argue that man himself can share in this
divinity and paramount happiness with God.
On the other hand, Alfred‟s protagonist also has a counselor to guide him, but Alfred replaces
Boethius‟ Lady Philosophy with the abstract Wisdom and Reason. Alfred presents Wisdom and Reason as
counselors who attempt to steer Boethius toward the path of good through reverence and worship of a very
Christian God. In their book, A Companion to Anglo-Saxon Literature, Philip Pulsiano and Elaine M. Treharne
make the connection between Wisdom and Christianity in Alfred‟s translation, saying that “Boethius‟ Lady
Philosophy is frequently designated as „se Wisdom‟ in Alfred‟s rendering, and ultimately wisdom equates
with God” (144). By personifying wisdom as God, Alfred injects the philosophical purpose of Boethius‟
counselor with Christian ideology. Alfred, thus, creates a marriage between the classical philosophy of
Boethius‟ Consolation and his own Christian purpose in the kingdom, reinforcing the unification of church
and state that Alfred champions.
Another parallel that exists in the text is the discussion of achieving divinity. In Book Three of
Boethius‟ Consolation, Lady Philosophy has established that in order for people to achieve happiness, they
must attain the highest good, and God is the highest good. She then provides this “corollary” to describe the
process by which men can achieve divinity. Lady Philosophy states,
Since men become happy by achieving happiness, and happiness itself is divinity,
clearly they
become happy by attaining divinity. Now just as men become just by
acquiring justice… by the same
argument they must become gods once they have acquired divinity… God is by nature one only, but
nothing prevents the greatest possible number from sharing in that divinity (Boethius 59).
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