Anselm, Saint, Archbishop of Canterbury (1033-1109)

St. Anselm -- from The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge

Anselm, Saint, Archbishop of Canterbury (1033-1109) -- from Wikipedia Article

Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 1: Aachen-Assize -- from Herbermann, Charles George (1840-1916)

Devotions of Saint Anselm Archbishop of Canterbury (Author)

Description: St. Anselm's prayers and meditations are to be read slowly, during times of peace. These devotions are intended to stir up within the reader the feelings of love and fear of God. When given honest consideration, they become a tool for self-examination. St. Anselm's meditations focus on the redemption of mankind. His prayers praise God for His glory and thank the Holy Spirit for His blessing, but they also ask for the strength to love and forgive our enemies during times of weakness. St. Anselm was known for his wisdom, and his commitment as a spiritual guide is evident in the five letters of spiritual counsel included in this volume. These letters contain some of St. Anselm's advice on life after death, religious conversion, sacred pilgrimage, and godly influence in the throne. This volume of St. Anselm's devotions also includes his Proslogion, a treatise concerning the existence of God in which he presents the Ontological argument. When broken into small segments, the Proslogion can be used for meditative purposes as well.

Emmalon Davis
CCEL Staff Writer

Proslogium; Monologium; An Appendix in Behalf of the Fool by Gaunilon; and Cur Deus Homo

Description: In this compilation of St. Anselm's most important works, St. Anselm uses reason and philosophical argument to defend the Christian faith against non-believers. St. Anselm stresses the importance of our rational nature as humans, encouraging Christians that they should be "always ready to convince anyone who demands of them a reason of that hope which is in us." In his Proslogium, St. Anselm presents the Ontological Argument, an argument for the existence of God in which God is defined as, "a being than which none greater can be conceived." In Behalf of the Fool by Gaunilon, St. Anselm discusses a counterargument offered by his contemporary, Gaunilon, a Benedictine monk who questioned St. Anselm's definition of God. Monologium considers the attributes of God, while Cur Deus Homo (translated, "Why God Became Man") addresses difficult questions about the Incarnation. This collection is a fine example of the intertwining of medieval philosophy and Christian apologetics. St. Anselm's argument for the existence of God influenced many philosophers in the early modern era and continues to influence thinkers today.

Emmalon Davis
CCEL Staff Writer

St. Anselm's Book of Meditations and Prayers.

Description: St. Anselm's Book of Meditations and Prayers features twenty-one meditations, which focus on several contrasting concepts within the Christian faith. For example, St. Anselm compares the sinner's fears and the sinner's hopes by meditating on the nature of sin, which separates us from God, and the grace of God, which draws sinners back to salvation. St. Anselm also addresses the sinner's past and the sinner's future by meditating on the nature of the wicked soul, which finds a life of misery, and the nature of the good soul, upon which God bestows glory. Finally, St. Anselm explores the paradox of the Incarnation, meditating on the humanity of Christ by which Christ interacts with his people, and the godliness of Christ, by which Christ redeems his people. St. Anselm's deep desire to understand his faith is evidence in this collection of keenly insightful meditations.

Emmalon Davis
CCEL Staff Writer