Anselm of Canterbury and the Search for God

by John T. Slotemaker

Overview

This volume provides a broad interpretation of Anselm’s theological method through a study of his Monologion. The Monologion has been chosen specifically because of its rich and nuanced account of the search for the one God. Through a careful analysis of this text what becomes evident is that Anselm’s theological project is much broader than a single argument or a simple account of how divine justice and honor are appeased. What one encounters is a theology informed by the notion of the human desire for God and the honest search to come to know God in an intimate way. The Monologion, therefore, will present an entry point into Anselm’s theological project. The second half of the volume will examine the reception history of Anselm’s two most famous philosophical and theological contributions (i.e., the “ontological argument” and the “satisfaction theory”). Anselm is often misunderstood because his approach to theology is reduced to the “one argument” or a carefully construed calculus of human redemption—such readings of Anselm abound and often obscure the Benedictine context within which his thought developed—and so a careful reading of Anselm’s texts and the history of reception and interpretation will offer a counter narrative to the standard perception of one of the greatest thinkers of Christian history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781978701410
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	03/20/2018
Series:	Mapping the Tradition
Pages:	158
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.42(h) x 0.72(d)

About the Author

John T. Slotemaker is associate professor of medieval Christianity at Fairfield University.

Table of Contents

Part I: The Monologion
Chapter 1: Reason and the Existence of God
Chapter 2: The Divine Essence and Attributes
Chapter 3: The Divine Trinity
Chapter 4: The Image of God: Love, Hope, and Faith
Coda: Augustine and Anselm
Part II: Anselmian Reception
Chapter 5: God: The Medieval Reception
Chapter 6: God: The Modern Reception
Chapter 7: Human Redemption
Chapter 8: Faith Seeking Understanding

Editorial Reviews

Anselm of Canterbury and the Search for God serves as an interesting and helpful analysis of Anselm’s theology, retrieving the significance of the oft-neglected Monologion, clarifying the relation between faith, reason, logic, and Scripture in Anselm’s methodology, and situating Anselm’s work in a broader historical trajectory. It is readable, precise, insightful, and detailed, a work to be highly commended.

Reading Religion

Slotemaker’s volume is a nuanced and concise account of Anselm’s theology, especially on the Trinity, and an insightful overview of the complex and controversial reception of Anselm’s thought, raising provocative questions about theological method and historiography.

Eileen Sweeney

Anselm advised that whoever wanted to understand his Proslogion or Cur Deus Homo should
first read his Monologion. This would also be beneficial advice for you: if you want to understand
any work of Anselm, first read John Slotemaker's present reflection on the Monologion.

Stephen F. Brown

Slotemaker is to be applauded for writing such a brief, accessible, but thoroughly erudite introduction to Anselm and his work. For the uninitiated, this book will prove an invaluable guide to the famed Archbishop of Canterbury, one that, while conversant with the centuries of interpretation between the contemporary reader and Anselm, has not allowed these commentaries to shape its own interpretation, letting Anselm and his irrepressible search for the one God to speak for themselves.

Angelican & Episcopal History

John Slotemaker takes the reader on a detailed and engaging account of one of the most important thinkers from the Middle Ages. Opening windows onto the key aspects of Anselm’s theological vision, his thought on the Trinity, the doctrine of God, Redemption and Creation, this well structured and paced study is as enjoyable as it is instructive. The emphasis on Anselm’s inheritance from Augustine, as well as elucidating the long influence that Anselm’s works held for Christian thinkers since the twelfth century, give a fascinating and satisfying scope to the study. Anselm’s unbending desire for God is placed, by Slotemaker, in a rich and accessible context.

Giles Gasper