Past Commentary by a Common Terry
Where your treasure lies...
February 22, 2026
A close friend has been studying for and teaching a church history class down in Texas. We have communicated often back and forth as he put together some outstanding material.
In the course of his study, he revisited the works of Boethius, a 6th century leading Christian theologian and writer. Boethius was a Roman senator, consul, and a high-ranking administrative official in the Roman Empire. He was also a Christian philosopher and writer, exerting great influence in the early church.
Because of the conversations I’ve had with Ken, I revisited some material I have not looked at in years: The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. He wrote this book while in prison. Prison? Yes, he was thrown in jail because he earned some very strong enemies who didn’t appreciate his denouncement of the corrupt government in which he served. The Consolation of Philosophy was a deep dive treatment of fate, fortune, death, power, and the contrast of the earthly vs. the spiritual. In the book, Boethius presented an imagined give-and-take with Lady Philosophy, who offers comfort within the detailed and deeply religious conversations.
Boethius taught that virtue was to be pursued, not power and riches. Contentment came when a person internalized the values of the spiritual more than the fleeting appeal of the earthly. The book validated the message of the Bible, illustrated more than once. It’s a Biblical-first principle.
Jesus said, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
Peter framed the same thought in the context of end times, the destruction of the old world, and the promise of a new heaven and earth. “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” (II Peter 3:11-12a)
We can only consider our circumstance...within our circumstance. We live in the time of the moment. We are influenced by the 21st century world and the value system of modern western civilization. This includes the sin of the modern world as well. Yet the questions we ask, and need answered, are the same questions struggled with during the time of Jesus and the early church, along with the 6th century, the time of Boethius.
At one point in the “dialogue” between the conversant and Lady Philosophy, she sheds light on the truth of stress and worry:
“We have made some progress, if you no longer find your fate totally a source of grief. But I can't bear your childish self-indulgence! You're so worried and sorrowful because something is lacking from your bliss.
“Now whose happiness is so complete that he can't complain about some aspect of his life? Man's condition produces anxiety; it never proves wholly satisfactory; it never lasts forever.
“One man piles up wealth, but his low birth causes him embarrassment. Another man is famous for his ancestry, but his poverty makes him wish to be unknown. Another abounds in both these gifts, but weeps over being unmarried, while still another man, happily wed but bereft of children, builds his estate to be passed on to an outsider. Yet another man has the joy of children, but sadly weeps over the sins of his son or daughter.
“And so, no one is easily satisfied with the state of his fortune. In all aspects of life there are things that strike terror in a man who has experienced them, but they have no effect on someone who has not."
The happiness offered by the world simply will not be happiness. There’s always something that robs from us, stealing away our bliss. The only solution to this is to find complete satisfaction in our relationship with and our certainty assured through Jesus. This is found when we, “...seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness...” In other words, make God the center of life.
In the course of his study, he revisited the works of Boethius, a 6th century leading Christian theologian and writer. Boethius was a Roman senator, consul, and a high-ranking administrative official in the Roman Empire. He was also a Christian philosopher and writer, exerting great influence in the early church.
Because of the conversations I’ve had with Ken, I revisited some material I have not looked at in years: The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. He wrote this book while in prison. Prison? Yes, he was thrown in jail because he earned some very strong enemies who didn’t appreciate his denouncement of the corrupt government in which he served. The Consolation of Philosophy was a deep dive treatment of fate, fortune, death, power, and the contrast of the earthly vs. the spiritual. In the book, Boethius presented an imagined give-and-take with Lady Philosophy, who offers comfort within the detailed and deeply religious conversations.
Boethius taught that virtue was to be pursued, not power and riches. Contentment came when a person internalized the values of the spiritual more than the fleeting appeal of the earthly. The book validated the message of the Bible, illustrated more than once. It’s a Biblical-first principle.
Jesus said, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
Peter framed the same thought in the context of end times, the destruction of the old world, and the promise of a new heaven and earth. “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” (II Peter 3:11-12a)
We can only consider our circumstance...within our circumstance. We live in the time of the moment. We are influenced by the 21st century world and the value system of modern western civilization. This includes the sin of the modern world as well. Yet the questions we ask, and need answered, are the same questions struggled with during the time of Jesus and the early church, along with the 6th century, the time of Boethius.
At one point in the “dialogue” between the conversant and Lady Philosophy, she sheds light on the truth of stress and worry:
“We have made some progress, if you no longer find your fate totally a source of grief. But I can't bear your childish self-indulgence! You're so worried and sorrowful because something is lacking from your bliss.
“Now whose happiness is so complete that he can't complain about some aspect of his life? Man's condition produces anxiety; it never proves wholly satisfactory; it never lasts forever.
“One man piles up wealth, but his low birth causes him embarrassment. Another man is famous for his ancestry, but his poverty makes him wish to be unknown. Another abounds in both these gifts, but weeps over being unmarried, while still another man, happily wed but bereft of children, builds his estate to be passed on to an outsider. Yet another man has the joy of children, but sadly weeps over the sins of his son or daughter.
“And so, no one is easily satisfied with the state of his fortune. In all aspects of life there are things that strike terror in a man who has experienced them, but they have no effect on someone who has not."
The happiness offered by the world simply will not be happiness. There’s always something that robs from us, stealing away our bliss. The only solution to this is to find complete satisfaction in our relationship with and our certainty assured through Jesus. This is found when we, “...seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness...” In other words, make God the center of life.