Boethius
ANICII MANLII SEVERINI BOETHII
v.c. et inl. excons. ord. patricii
Incipit Liber Quomodo
TRINITAS UNUS DEUS AC NON TRES DII
ad Q. Aurelium Memmium Symmachumv.c. et inl. excons. ord. atque patricium socerum
Investigatam diutissime quaestionem, quantum nostrae mentis igniculum lux divina dignata est, formatam rationibus litterisque mandatam offerendam vobis communicandamque curavi tam vestri cupidus 5 iudicii quam nostri studiosus inventi. Qua in re quid mihi sit animi quotiens stilo cogitata commendo, tum ex ipsa materiae difficultate tum ex eo quod raris id est vobis tantum conloquor, intelligi potest. Neque enim famae iactatione et inanibus vulgi clamoribus 10 excitamur; sed si quis est fructus exterior, hic non
De Trinitate
The Trinity is One God Not Three Gods
A treatise byAnicius Manlius Severinus Boethius
most honourable, of the illustrious order of ex-consuls, patrician
to his father-in-law, Quintus Aurelius Memmius Symmachus
most honourable, of the illustrious order of ex-consuls, patrician
I have very long pondered this question, so far as the divine light has deemed it fitting for the spark of my intelligence to do so. Now, having set it forth in logical order and cast it into literary form, I have caused it to be presented and communicated to you, being as much desirous of your judgement as zealous for my own discovery. You can readily understand what I feel in this matter whenever I try to write down what I think both from the actual difficulty of the topic and from the fact that I discuss it only with the few—I may say with no one but yourself. It is indeed no vain striving after fame or empty popular applause that prompts me; but if there be any external