By Olivia Turner | Arts & Life Editor
Even some of the brightest of Baylor’s students may have never heard of the name Boethius, the author of the most well-read manuscripts in history. That’s why several of the university’s Great Texts professors are working to bring his name and story to light through an intricate, educational project.
According to Dr. Sarah-Jane Murray, a professor of Great Texts and documentary director, “The Boethius Project” is still in its early stages. As of now, it involves a daily reading and reflection program, documentary which is currently in production and several other moving parts and ideas in the works.
For 1,000 years, Boethius’ book — “The Consolation of Philosophy” — was the second most-read book in the world behind the Bible since his death in A.D. 524, Murray said. However, in the past few centuries, fewer and fewer people have read it, and as a result, fewer people remember who Boethius was.
The story, which Boethius wrote while in prison for treason, followed some of his last days on earth. It discussed the ability for happiness to be found through God, even in a world full of evil, pain and sorrow, Murray said.
Dr. Melinda Neilsen, an associate Great Texts professor, said that some people call Boethius the last of the ancients and the first of the medievals, meaning his story falls into several different areas of study.
“Students just love it consistently,” Nielsen said of the Consolation. “It’s the book that students always say, ‘This is my favorite’ or ‘This changed my life.’”
Nielsen said one of the reasons the Consolation resonates with students may be due to the story’s main idea: “God alone is necessary for happiness.”
Boethuis’ Consolation is full of mystery, Murray said. It is unknown whether or not Boethius actually intended for the story to end when it did, as it’s possible conclusion could have been due to the event of his brutal execution by Theodoric, the king of Ostrogoths and the ruler of Rome at the time.
“It’s his parting gift to the world and his own preparation for death,” Murray said. “It’s very, very close to Baylor’s mission, right? And this idea that only through divine providence and contemplation can we really find truth and beauty and happiness, because bad things happen to good people.”
The factuality of Boethius’ supposed treason is also up for debate, Murray said.
“We tend to think of the humanities as this discipline where you learn the things that are already certain, and then you just discuss them,” she said. “You go, and you find historical artifacts and sources that get dug up. And information changes, and you find a new scroll that nobody has read yet. And you realize — wait, there’s new information here.”
In Boethuis’ case, Murray said, he was Theodoric’s right-hand man and was working to translate all of Plato and Aristotle into Latin, with his own commentaries on each text. However, he was sentenced to death for the alleged treason of writing letters against Theodoric to the Eastern half of the empire.
“In the Consolation, he says they’re false accusations, but you got to be careful. He’s a smart guy,” Murray said. “Either he didn’t write the letters and he’s wrongly accused, or he did write them, and because he’s serving Christianity — which to him remains more important than politics — he’s not betraying anybody because he doesn’t want to betray his faith.”
Murray said she believes there is evidence somewhere stowed away in archives or buried underground that will someday reveal the truth about Boethius’s story. But for now, the mystery remains.
“What I like to say is I want to look back,” Murray said. “I want to look back so that we can grow forward by looking back and learning from their wisdom rather than the certitude of history, right?”
Murray said the goal for the documentary is to be able to release educational content creation in a non-profit model. She hopes it can be released to the public in a way that is accessible and free of charge, such as on their YouTube channel. According to the trailer, the documentary will dive into questions Boethius asks in the Consolation, such as “Why do good things happen to good people?” and “Why can fortune never be trusted?”
The producer of the film, Baylor alumna Courtney Becker, once took classes from Murray. Becker said these questions will be examined through interviews with scholars from across the U.S. — experts who were able to take lessons from Boethius’ ancient story and make them relevant.
“It was like, who are these great teachers who have a passion for this who can get other people passionate about this? How do we give them a platform to be able to share that wisdom and that knowledge?” Becker said.
She described the sensation during filming of seeing the interviewees forget the camera they were in front of and speak unabashedly about their knowledge on Boethius. Becker said it’s a passion she hopes will spread to those who view the film.
Murray said in addition to the film, there will be a Boethius virtual reality project coming to Baylor during the spring semester, with the possibility for more learning projects made possible through her program, The Greats Story Lab. For now, Murray said the documentary’s release date is pending.
