c. 510–525

Boethius: Transmitting Greek Philosophy to the West and The Consolation of Philosophy

Boethius planned to translate all of Aristotle into Latin with commentaries, then Plato, and to show the agreement of their philosophies, but managed to translate only the logical works; until the 12th–13th century the West knew Aristotle mainly through them. Through Boethius the Middle Ages came to the question of universals – whether generic ideas are real. His discussion of the terms "person," "substance" and "being" influenced the doctrine of the Trinity. In The Consolation of Philosophy, written in prison before his execution, there is nothing specifically Christian, which raises a debate about his Christianity. Pelikan connects the era with Justinian's closing of the school of Athens (529).