12th-century copy of Consolation of Philosophy was written in Scotland, scholar finds
A twelfth-century copy of the Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius, has been revealed to have been been written in Scotland, making it the oldest surviving non-biblical manuscript from that country.
The find was made by Dr Kylie Murray of the University of Oxford as she was researching in the University of Glasgow’s Special Collections.
The Consolation of Philosophy, thought to have been written in 524 AD by Boethius while he was awaiting execution for a crime he did not commit, was Medieval Europe’s best known intellectual text, second in influence only to the Bible. It discusses free-will, fate, and the idea of the wheel of fortune in a meditation on how to cope with adversity and injustice.
Although the Boethius manuscript, which dates to c.1130-50, was known and had previously been catalogued, scholars had believed it to be English, with Durham being the most likely place of origin. However, closer inspection has revealed that the manuscript’s handwriting and illustrations do not match those of Durham, or other English books, from this period.
Dr Murray argues that instead the manuscript suggests a connection with the Scottish kingdom. Its unique illustrations more closely resemble the famous Kelso Charter, written at Kelso Abbey in 1159. This charter, which portrays an image of David I (1124-53) and Malcolm IV (1153-65), is the earliest illustrated documentary charter in the history of the British Isles.
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Dr Kylie Murray with the Boethius manucript –
photos courtesy the University of Oxford