Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator, commonly known as Cassiodorus, was a Roman statesman, scholar of antiquity, and writer serving in the administration of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. Senator was part of his surname; not his rank. He also founded a monastery, Vivarium, where he spent the last years of his life. Cassiodorus devoted much of his life to supporting education within the Christian community at large.