The Relationship between Philosophy and Religion in Creation in Boethius's Thought Relying on the Theological Treatises and the Consolation of Philosophy

Abstract

The central issue in this article is to understand the relationship between philosophy and religion in creation in Boethius's thought. To this end, components such as the creation of beings from ex nihilo, God as a cause, the pattern of creation, God's non-obligation in creation, the sempiternity of time and the eternity of God in the Theological Treatises as the representative of Boethius's theology and in the Consolation of Philosophy as the representative of Boethius's philosophy they are studied separately and comparatively by analytical-descriptive method. In the Theological Treatises these components are dealt with according to the doctrine of creation in the Bible and the Christian teachings; but in the Consolation of Philosophy, these components are examined after defining the goodness, acknowledging the existence of God the Creator, and uniting the goodness and God. By comparing the components, presuppositions, method and purpose of Boethius from the topic of creation in the Theological Treatises and in the Consolation ofPhilosophy, we find that Boethius's presumption in explaining this category in both is based on the two principles of God being the creator and the necessity of existence for God. He relies on the Bible in this case. The components that he offers from the doctrine of creation in the Consolation of Philosophy do not violate the components of this doctrine in the Theological Treatises. In both of these he is faithful to the method of the Neoplatonic. The only difference in this discussion is that Boethius insists on proving the goodness in the Consolation of Philosophy, which of course emphasizes the unity of the goodness and God, and it is not the case that by proving the existence of the goodness in this treatise, Boethius reveals the origin of beings other than God.