–Is post is a part of a series of post about school work Ive had to do, and I’ve decided to post. Theses may be book reviews, Biographs, research paper, etc–
Anselm of Canterbury is an 11th-century Theologian and author who is known for writing Monologion, Proslogions, and Why God Became Man.1 These works of Anselm shape how we understand God to be and how we argue for God. Anselm’s work moved the understanding of God by centuries. So, it’s important to read his work to understand the history of the augmentation and the core of most augments today.
Anselm brings 3 ideas to the Christians world that still challenges Christians and non-Christians today. 1) The proof of God, 2) The humility of a saint, and 3) The Understanding of God. Theses three ideas of Anselm we can still find today in the modern world.
The proof of God
Starting with, the proof of God. In Proslogion Anselm makes the argument called, Ontological argument for God. The Ontological argument goes like this. God is the greatest thing to exist, and if existing in realty is greater then not, then therefore God exist.
There are some people like Thomas Aquinas that don’t really like the argument because it requires human thought to think of it, and it’s not a self-sufficient argument.2 But not more less the Ontological argument is one of the most important arguments for God in Christianity, that forms the line of thinking that sets the stage for greater arguments. Going back to Aquinas, even Aquinas likes the argument, it’s not a self-evident argument.3 Even though Aquinas doesn’t think the Ontological is self-evident argument, he still understands it’s a good argument. Aquinas puts the Ontological in his five ways.
Aquinas is arguably one of the best metaphysics in the world, so if he could endorse Anselm’s work we should probably check it out. Along with Anselm making one of the best arguments for God being God he also sets the idea for how to humble yourself before the lord and people. And that leads us to, The humility of a saint.
The humility of a Saint
In most of Anselm’s work he shows some of the greatest humility of the middle ages. Example, Monologion: In Anslem’s argumentation he shows great humility, “But nothing that is good through something other than itself is equal to or greater than that good which is good through itself.” His whole argument is contingent on himself not being the greatest thing to exist. Which is a very humble thing to say, especially when being smart is literally his foretaste.
Furthermore, in his work Proslogions he humbled himself right before explaining complicated things. “Come now, insignificant man… “ Holy bars, Anselm really was humbling himself. He humbles himself right before he says anything smart or while he says something smart, he humbles himself. And it’s the core of showing humility is lowering yourself before the lord and others.
John Calvin describes humility as, having the free will to choose, but to ultimately be obedient.4 And Anselm does this action perfectly by following the hardest commandment, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect;” (1 Peter 3:15).
The Understanding of God
In SO MUCH of Anselm’s works he talks about how we are to understand God. If it’s the God being Omnipotent, or Jesus being human and God. In so much, people have written very large books on it.
But one of his biggest feats was explain the incarnation extremely well, and using classic logic. In his books, Why God became man, and On the incarnation of the word, Anselm goes back and forth about how Jesus being God is logical, and how Jesus is both Man and God. His work reflexes what the early church fathers thought about the word taking flesh, with both Anselm and Athanasius agreeing that we became complete with Christ dying on the cross.5
Conclusion
Because Anselm reflexes the early Church and the modern idea of Jesus, and shows us how to humble and logical Christians, we should read his work.
End notes-
- Anselm of Canterbury, The Major works, ed. Brian Davies, and G. R. Evans (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998) ↩︎
- St. Thomas Aquinas, A summa of the Summa, ed. Peter Kreeft (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1990) 57. ↩︎
- St. Thomas, Summa, 54 ↩︎
- Calvin, John. The Institutes of the Christian Religion. ed. Tony Lane and Hilary Osborne (Baker Academic, 1987) 64. ↩︎
- Athanasius of Alexandria, On the Incarnation. Ed. Sister Penelope Lawson (England: Pantianos Classics, 1944) 23-4. ↩︎
