Weekly Reflections

He developed a “proof” for the existence of God (an ontological argument) that defined God as that than which nothing greater can be thought. He argued that acceptance of this definition necessarily entails accepting the actual existence of that God. Not everyone has agreed of course, but the major philosophers have spent lots of energy discussing Anselm’s ideas.

His most famous work is Cur Deus Homo (Why God became Man).  He tries to improve or correct some of the earlier explanations of the atonement, especially the ransom paid to the devil theory. His version has to do with humans paying a debt to God whose honour has been offended by sin. Only humans are liable to pay this debt, but humans have no resources to pay since they cannot even give God their basic obedience. But only humans can pay it. So God became man in order to pay, as a human, the debt which is owed by humanity. Christ’s sinless death had infinite merit and satisfied all that God required.

The idea of the infinite merit of Christ’s death was developed in other ways by later medieval theologians in the penitential system of catholic theology.

Anselm’s famous motto was “fides quaerens intellectum” (faith seeking understanding).  He started from the revealed faith and tried to understand it with his mind, not the other way around. A good principle I think.

Dale

You can read more about Anselm here.