Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

clear in the language that he utilizes through Lady Philosophy, who encourages her audience not to call out
explicitly for the mercy of God’s will, but to “raise [their] minds to righteous hopes,” or, in other words, to
go forth on the quest for divine good, rather than to engage solely in the praise of God.
On the other hand, Alfred uses the last few passages in the text as a means to reflect upon the
nature of God and to demonstrate the necessity for an ultimate reverence for and obedience to Him. Alfred
describes God in the following passage: “Nor doth He dread aught, for there is none more mighty, nor even
like unto Him. He is ever giving, yet He never waneth in aught. He is ever almighty, for He willeth good
and never evil. He needeth nothing. He is ever watching, never sleeping. He is ever equally kind. He is ever
eternal, for the time never was when He was not, nor ever shall be” (Alfred 129). Alfred catalogues the
capabilities and powers of omniscient God in order to reinforce the importance of man’s worship of Him,
who is the only figure that can truly lead humanity down the path of good. Rather than being an “observer,”
as is the God in Boethius’ text, Alfred’s God is an active participant in the lives of his worshippers. This
active nature is significant for Alfred to delineate because it implies that God will provide constant
protection for his worshippers. Furthermore, while this passage explicitly addresses God’s omnipotence
through language such as, “there is none more mighty,” in order to incite religious obedience, it also serves
as an example to which an earthly leader, such as Alfred, can aspire. Alfred seems to hope that this passage
will inspire both religious and political obedience because he ascribes secular language to God, positing the
notion that the sacred and the religious are one; in essence, God and the king are one in the qualities that
they possess.
One addition that is particularly relevant to both Alfred’s Christian message and political concerns
is a passage in which Alfred describes God as the “light” that Boethius sees, leading him towards good. God
is described in Alfred’s translation with language that makes direct reference to His stability and identity as
the ultimate and sole leader of His people: “Through goodness God created all things, for of Himself He
ruleth all the before said was good; and He is alone the steady Ruler, and Steersman, and Rudder, and
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