67. Boethius's Definition of Eternity and Divine Knowledge

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Boethius and The Consolation of Philosophy #

• Boethius studied Platonism and Aristotelianism in Alexandria with Neoplatonists
• His work The Consolation of Philosophy was written in prison and takes the form of a dialogue between Boethius and Lady Wisdom (Sapientia)
• The work addresses the problem of divine providence and why good men suffer
• Thomas Aquinas drew heavily from Boethius’s definitions, particularly of eternity and personhood
• Berquist considers Boethius “the greatest mind in the Church between St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas”

The Definition of Eternity #

Latin Definition: tota simul et perfecta possessio vitae interminabilis English Translation: “The whole together and perfect possession of unending life”

Component Analysis #

Simul (Together/At Once) #

• The opposite of “before and after” (prior et posterior)
• Means things are not in temporal succession relative to one another
• Comes from Aristotle’s Categories, Chapter 15 (on simultaneous things)
• Related to English “simultaneous”
• Negates the temporal succession that characterizes time

Tota (Whole) #

• From Latin totus meaning “whole”
• Can also mean “all” (omnia)
• Emphasizes the completeness and totality of eternal life
• Nothing is missing or yet to come in eternity

Perfecta (Perfect) #

• Negates the incompleteness of any single moment in time
• Divine life lacks nothing; it is not in the process of becoming

Possessio (Possession) #

• Indicates firmness and stability of eternal life
• In contrast to the fleeting nature of the now of time
• “Possession” means secure holding—what you can use whenever you want
• Divine now “stands still” rather than flowing, enabling complete possession
• Man cannot truly possess even good things because life is always fleeting (law of diminishing returns)

Interminabilis (Without End/Unending) #

• Negative term: in- (without) + terminabilis (having a term/end)
• Negates the beginning and end found in temporal life
• Does NOT mean “endless time” but rather absence of temporal boundaries
• Addresses the temporal limits that characterize human life (e.g., Mozart 1756-1791)

Key Arguments #

Why Eternity is NOT Endless Time #

• The argument: Even if something existed forever backward and forward in time, it would still have before and after

  • Last year came before this year
  • This year comes before next year
  • Though endless, it would still have temporal succession

• The distinction:

  • Endless time = no temporal beginning or end, but succession remains
  • Eternity = no temporal succession (no before and after) AND no temporal limits
  • Both negations are necessary

God’s Life Versus Human Life #

• Human life has two characteristics:

  1. Beginning and end in time (temporal limits)
  2. Before and after in time (temporal succession)

• Divine life negates both:

  1. No beginning, no end (unending)
  2. No before and after (all at once)

The Now of Time vs. The Now of Eternity #

• The now of time flows → creates temporal succession

  • Always becoming “other”
  • Cannot be possessed because it is always passing away
  • Corresponds proportionally to the body in motion

• The now of eternity stands still → no succession

  • Remains the same eternally
  • Enables perfect possession of life
  • This contrast is implicit in the definition

Possession and Impermanence in Time #

• In temporal life, precious moments cannot be truly possessed
• “All good things must come to an end”
• Examples: beautiful sunsets vanish immediately, the second beer tastes less good than the first (law of diminishing returns), returning to beloved places doesn’t recapture original joy
• A temporal life of pure possession would be like a frozen moment in a fairy tale—practically no life at all

Important Definitions #

Simul #

• Negation of prior et posterior (before and after)
• Two events are simultaneous when neither is before or after the other
• Foundational for understanding eternity’s “all at once” quality

Terminus/Limit #

• Aristotle discusses this in Physics V.4
• A line has beginning and end points (termini)
• Similarly, human life has beginning and end points in time
• Eternity negates these limits (interminabilis)

Tota Simul #

• The whole together; all at once
• The union of totality (tota) with simultaneity (simul)
• Expresses the complete presence of eternal life without succession

Examples & Illustrations #

Mozart’s Life #

• Born 1756, died 1791 (36 years)
• Clear example of a life measured by time with definite beginning and end
• Berquist witnessed both Mozart’s bicentennial birth and death within his own lifetime
• Illustrates how any human life has temporal bounds

The Frozen Moment (Fairy Tale) #

• A witch freezes everyone in a single temporal moment
• A servant is frozen mid-action carrying a turkey
• If the now of time were frozen, there would be practically no life in that moment
• Demonstrates that temporal life requires succession; a single frozen now contains almost nothing

The Sunset and Fleeting Beauty #

• A beautiful sunset must be viewed immediately or it is lost
• You cannot possess it because it is constantly passing away
• Even if you try to remember or revisit, the original beauty cannot be recaptured

Returning to a Beloved Place #

• Returning to Quebec City after three years
• Students jumped out of the car in excitement at the beauty
• Yet they could not quite recapture the intensity of their first experience
• Illustrates the impermanence of possession in temporal life and the law of diminishing returns

The Drugstore Trip #

• Planning to go to the drugstore at a green light
• Cannot foresee if someone will run a red light and cause an accident
• Shows the limitation of human foresight and prudence
• Contrasts with God’s eternal knowledge, which encompasses all contingent futures

Questions Addressed #

What is the difference between eternity and endless time? #

• Endless time still has before and after (temporal succession remains)
• Eternity has no before and after (all at once) and no beginning or end
• Both conditions are necessary to distinguish eternity from mere sempiternity
• This was Thomas’s way of following Aristotle (that the way we know need not be the way things are) even though Boethius initially positioned himself in the Platonic tradition

How does God know future contingents? #

• God’s knowledge is eternal, not temporal
• All temporal events—past, present, future—are present to God in His eternal now
• This does not violate human freedom because God knows what will freely come to pass, just as we know what is presently happening when we perceive it
• God does not foresee the future in the temporal sense; rather, He sees it eternally and simultaneously

What does possession mean in the context of eternity? #

• Possession emphasizes the firmness and stability of eternal life
• In time, we cannot truly possess anything because it is always passing away and changing
• Divine possession is perfect and complete—God eternally holds His entire life without loss
• This negates the impermanence and incompleteness characteristic of temporal existence

Why can’t a temporal “now” be frozen? #

• If time were frozen at a single now, there would be no life or activity
• Temporal life requires succession (before and after)
• A frozen moment contains almost no reality or intelligibility
• This shows why time itself depends on the flowing now, whereas eternity depends on the standing now

Notable Quotes #

“The now that flows along makes time; the now that stands still makes eternity.” — Boethius (via Berquist)

“All good things must come to an end.” — Common saying, reflecting temporal impermanence and the impossibility of possessing temporal goods

“Possession is something firm and stable.” — Concept emphasized in understanding divine eternity versus human temporality