In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about two great writers of the late fifth century: Bl. Severinus Boethius and Cassiodorus. Here is the Vatican Press Office's English language summary of what he said about the two:
"Today I wish to speak to you about two great Christian writers from the Italian peninsula during the period after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West: Boethius and Cassiodorus. Both were anxious to preserve the heritage of Greek and Roman learning, handed down through generations of Christian believers, in the context of the Gothic culture that dominated Italy at the time. Boethius, born in Rome in 480, entered public life and became a senator, though he continued his philosophical and religious studies alongside his public responsibilities. Unjustly imprisoned and later executed by King Theodoric, he wrote his greatest philosophical work in prison. Reflecting on the injustice of his situation, in the light of Biblical Wisdom literature and Classical authors, he concluded that true happiness lies in continuing to hope in God, despite adversity. Indeed, harsh fortune helps us to distinguish true friends from false ones, and there can be few greater consolations than that of true friendship. His contemporary, Cassiodorus, devoted much time and energy to promoting the monastic movement, in the belief that monks were the people best placed to preserve and hand on the heritage of Classical Christian culture. We would do well to take note of his advice to them: "Meditate day and night on the law of the Lord and always focus your attention upon Christ."
Asia News has an article. Full translations are available at Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum.
For more about those figures of late antiquity, see:
Catholic Encyclopedia page on Cassiodorus
Catholic Encyclopedia page on Boethius
Patron Saints Index page on Boethius
Blog by-the-Sea post "About Bl. Severinus Boethius"
Christian Classics Ethereal Library has online English translations of 3 writings by Boethius, including The Consolation of Philosophy, Theological Tractates, and Trinity Is One God Not Three Gods.
Project Gutenberg has the Letters of Cassiodorus.
Paulist Press publishes Cassiodorus's Explanation of the Psalms in 3 volumes.
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