Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

Because Boethius is presenting the Consolation as a philosophical, rather than religious, text, he allows for
men, through philosophical reflection, to “be gods,” or in other words, to attain a transcendent form of
divinity. On the other hand, Alfred’s interpretation of this passage centers around God as the source of all
goods, rather than man’s ability to achieve a god-like divinity. Alfred writes, “Yet there is only one God; he
is the stem and base of all forms of good; from Him these forms all come, and to Him they return, and He
ruleth all. Though He is the beginning and foundation of all good men and all good things, yet the forms of
good that issue from him are many” (Alfred 73). Alfred is more concerned with the concept of humility and
obedience, for both God and secular leaders such as himself. Because Alfred wants to maintain God as the
ultimate and all-powerful ruler over Christendom, he must necessarily alter Boethius’ more liberal and
philosophical statement that men can achieve divinity. For Alfred, God is not only the “stem” and “base” of
all goods but also the omnipotent governor over the Christian world. In order for God’s subjects to achieve
happiness, they must practice obedience and self-restraint rather than attempt to achieve personal divinity,
and this is the same obedience and self-restraint that Alfred knows is necessary in order for his own Anglo-
Saxon kingdom to achieve and maintain political stability.
In the final chapter of Alfred’s Consolation, he takes perhaps the greatest license in his translation of
the Boethian work. In Boethius’ version, Lady Philosophy finishes the discourse with an explanation of how
God observes the world through his foreknowledge and she also presents a short, if abrupt, summary of her
previous commentary. Lady Philosophy asserts, “God continually observes with foreknowledge all things
from on high, and his eternal
vision, which is ever in the present… dispenses rewards to the good and
punishments to the wicked… So avoid vices, cultivate virtues, raise your minds to righteous hopes, pour
out your humble prayers to heaven” (Boethius 114). Lady Philosophy discusses God much as she did
throughout the text, namely as the observer from on high and the divine power that can lead men to good.
In this text, it is crucial that God is an entity that “observes” rather than rules from on high because it is
Boethius’ aim to employ the concept of God primarily as a force of divine good. He makes this concept
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