Cassiodorus anti-Boethius?

Abstract The affair of Severinus Boethius, as described by him in the apologia at the beginning of the Consolatio Philosophiae, evidently finds echoes in Cassiodorus′ self-representation as politician and counselor of Theoderic, especially as depicted at Var. 9.24. Particularly important in that document, vis-à-vis the representation of Theoderic as a philosopher-king, is Cassiodorus′ account of his experience at court as Master of the Offices. The images formed of both figures, going back to the difficult years immediately following Boethius′ condemnation, run counter to the complaint lodged in the Consolatio, especially in its «apologia». With the comparison of the evidence, moreover, is linked the complex and much discussed question concerning Cassiodorus′ position in relation to Boethius′ vicissitudes and events of the years immediately after his death, and to a certain extent the question of the relationship between these two celebrated personalities of Gothic Italy.