St. Anselm: A Portrait in a Landscape

by Richard W. Southern

Overview

In this magisterial study of the life and work of St. Anselm, Sir Richard Southern provides the definitive study of one of the most complex and fascinating philosophical minds in Christian history. St. Anselm brings together all the elements of a man whose intensely concentrated search for God filled all the phases and aspects of his life and work. Nothing in Anselm's thinking was simply ordinary or typical of his age.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521438186
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/28/1992
Series:	Portrait in a Landscape
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	524
Product dimensions:	5.94(w) x 8.98(h) x 1.34(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; Part I. From Birth to Rebirth 1033–1070: 1. Escape from confinement; 2. The year of decision; 3. Anselm and Lanfranc; 4. The years of silence; Part II. The Radiant Years 1070–1093: 5. Anselm's new start; 6. The great 'meditations'; 7. The nature and importance of friendship; 8. An unwelcome but enlarging world; Part III. A Monastic Viewin a Developing World 1093–1109: 9. Anselm and the human condition; 10. 'Release my soul from this slavery'; 11. A new archbishop's problems of obedience; 12. The liberty of the church; 13. The liberty of a monastic community; 14. An old liberty: the primacy of Canterbury; Part IV. The Harvest of Friends and Disciples: 15. Anselm's earliest theological disciples; 16. The collectors of Anselm's words and letters; 17. Eadmer and Anselm; 18. A backward glance; Appendix; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"This is a magisterial work by a master of medieval history who has reflected many years on the life and work of Anselm; it is based on the solidest kind of scholarship and yet is eminently readable; the book will stand henceforth as the best and indispensable portrait of Anselm." Adris

"Southern's brilliant and thorough treatment...is a landmark in the scholarly literature on the lives of saints." Choice

From the Publisher

From the most distinguished medieval historian comes an arresting biography of the man who formulated the most compelling proof of the existence of God, and its broad power paints around him a captivating landscape. The Times

Rubin

...a masterpiece...by one of the most acute, and imaginative and incisive of medieval scholars, on the rich and complex legacy of St. Anslem and it will be greatfully savored by all who wish to understand Anslem as a monk, spiritual director, philosopher, theologian and archbishop of Canterbury.
—The Times Literary Supplement

Christopher Brook