Why Did Anselm Decide To Answer The Question Of God Essay
In the text, Cur Deus Homo, St. Anselm of Canterbury is being asked to try to answer a very important question. This question is: “why did God, and for what reason did God, become man?” Anselm addresses this question because the people want to find delight in the understanding and contemplation of what they already believe, and also to be “ready always to satisfy everyone that asks them a reason of what hope which is in us” (Book 1). Nonbelievers who deride Christian simplicity as absurd also throw out this question. Anselm also says that it is not only the learned who want the question about why God became man answered, but the unlearned want the question answered as well. Boso, the disputant, wants Anselm to answer this question to not just believe his faith, but to also have a better understanding. Anselm is nervous about trying to explain because he believes the topic is so much greater than human intellect, and that he will not be able to do the topic justice. The questioned posed is also difficult to answer because one must know about power,
…show more content…
necessity, will, and other certain topics that are so interrelated that it is hard to try to understand each separately (Book 1).
In Section 19, Anselm and Boso both agree that God intended to replace the fallen angels with human beings. The human beings must be in the same condition as those whom they replace. If the humans are not in the same condition, the angels would not be replaced. The problem Anselm says there is is that angels are sinless and humans are sinful. It would not be fitting for God to elevate a sinful human being who has not made satisfaction. Anselm describes a scenario of a rich man who holds a precious pearl in his hands. When it is knocked from the man’s hand, it would seem appropriate for him to clean his pearl of the stains. In this scenario, human beings represent the pearl in the God’s hand. If the devil were to come and throw humans in the mud, God would not merely lift the humans from the mud without “cleaning” them from their sins (Book 1, Section 19). Since humans must make their sins right, this leads to the question of how can God “appropriately” replace angels, and if humans deserve this salvation.
Anselm goes on to say that satisfaction must be made in accordance with the measure of the sin.
If this were not the case, sin would remain outside the rule of order, and God leaves no disorder in His kingdom, therefore, this cannot be true. After Anselm’s arguments as to what individuals owe to God to pay for human being sins, Boso concludes humans cannot be saved on their own. This means Christ is necessary for salvation. Anselm believes the solution is faith working through love, and that this works for those who awaited Christ or believe in Him. Anselm also believes prayer to God will help to arrive at the goal for which human kind was created and desire for, which is eternal happiness with God (Book 1, Section 20). It is not proper for human beings to treat God as an equal. Every human owes a debt to God for the sins they have committed, but He does not owe us anything since He is so much greater (Book 1, Section
19).
Christ is necessary for salvation since one cannot make up for their sins to God on their own. This thought is the opposite of pelagianism which is the thought humans can make satisfaction on their own. God created rational human beings in order for individuals to choose good or evil, and greater and lesser goods. This ability to choose is free-will (Book 2, Section 1). Not only are human beings rational, they are just. Humans seek the highest good, and the highest good is God. God does not do anything without a purpose, so he would not have created humans as rational beings for no specific reason. God’s intent and goal for human beings is to be in right relationship with Him and have eternal happiness with God.
Anselm argues that God may seemed compelled to bring out the salvation of the human race by the necessity of avoiding what is unsuitable; however, this is not the case. God is not compelled to do anything. God does his acts voluntarily because he loves us. Because He does things voluntarily, God deserves praise and even greater good. He created us as rational for human beings’ sake, not His own sake (Book 2, Section 4). This aspect of praise also relates to human beings. If a human being does something out of necessity, they deserve little or no praise. It is when individuals act voluntarily that they deserve gratitude. This means an individual should not make satisfaction for their sins out of necessity, but rather, voluntarily and out of love for God (Book 2, Section 5).
In Book 2, Chapter 6, Anselm explains that in order “for anyone to be able to give something of his own to God which surpasses everything that is less than God, it is also necessary for him to be greater than everything that is not God” (Book 2, Section 6). There is nothing, however, that surpasses everything that is not God but God Himself. This means, no one but God can make satisfaction, but man must be the one to make satisfaction. Therefore, it is necessary that there is a God-Man who is able to make satisfaction since the offer has to come from human and the recipient must be God in order to accept the satisfaction. Jesus is the God-Man because he is sinless and salvation is able to occur through Christ. The reason there is a God-Man is because it is not possible to to change one nature into another, it would only be God and not man, or vice versa. It would also not make sense for God to create a third nature from the mix of the two later natures (Book 2, Section 7). This requires that in order to make satisfaction, there must be a human who is truly God and truly man. The divine and human nature must be united in the one person. This one person must unite God, the Word and human nature together. (Book 2, Section 9). This one person who preserves both natures is Jesus Christ who was fully human and God from the beginning. If God was able to change and make a new person, then that would mean it would not have to be Christ in order for salvation, and as mentioned before, it is not fitting for God to take an action without a purpose. He would not have made just anyone in order to save humanity. God’s creation of Jesus was intentional and for the goodness of all human beings. Without Christ, humans would never be able to reach complete satisfaction with God (Book 2, Section 9).
Anselm provides multiple reasons throughout the text as to why Christ is necessary for salvation. The strongest point he makes in regards to this argument is when he talks about human beings not being able to earn salvation on their own. No human being who is sinful can attain happiness or be released from sin unless he repays what he appropriated himself by sinning (Book 1 Section 19). It is not until a human being is sinless can they replace fallen angels. Satisfaction must be in accordance with the measure of the sin, but human beings are not able to make satisfaction without the help of a higher power. This leads to another strong point that Anselm makes about how the only person able to make and accept satisfaction is Jesus who is fully human and fully God (Book 2, Section 9). Without Jesus Christ, humans would never be able to make complete satisfaction and replace the fallen angels.
necessity, will, and other certain topics that are so interrelated that it is hard to try to understand each separately (Book 1).
In Section 19, Anselm and Boso both agree that God intended to replace the fallen angels with human beings. The human beings must be in the same condition as those whom they replace. If the humans are not in the same condition, the angels would not be replaced. The problem Anselm says there is is that angels are sinless and humans are sinful. It would not be fitting for God to elevate a sinful human being who has not made satisfaction. Anselm describes a scenario of a rich man who holds a precious pearl in his hands. When it is knocked from the man’s hand, it would seem appropriate for him to clean his pearl of the stains. In this scenario, human beings represent the pearl in the God’s hand. If the devil were to come and throw humans in the mud, God would not merely lift the humans from the mud without “cleaning” them from their sins (Book 1, Section 19). Since humans must make their sins right, this leads to the question of how can God “appropriately” replace angels, and if humans deserve this salvation.
Anselm goes on to say that satisfaction must be made in accordance with the measure of the sin.
If this were not the case, sin would remain outside the rule of order, and God leaves no disorder in His kingdom, therefore, this cannot be true. After Anselm’s arguments as to what individuals owe to God to pay for human being sins, Boso concludes humans cannot be saved on their own. This means Christ is necessary for salvation. Anselm believes the solution is faith working through love, and that this works for those who awaited Christ or believe in Him. Anselm also believes prayer to God will help to arrive at the goal for which human kind was created and desire for, which is eternal happiness with God (Book 1, Section 20). It is not proper for human beings to treat God as an equal. Every human owes a debt to God for the sins they have committed, but He does not owe us anything since He is so much greater (Book 1, Section
19).
Christ is necessary for salvation since one cannot make up for their sins to God on their own. This thought is the opposite of pelagianism which is the thought humans can make satisfaction on their own. God created rational human beings in order for individuals to choose good or evil, and greater and lesser goods. This ability to choose is free-will (Book 2, Section 1). Not only are human beings rational, they are just. Humans seek the highest good, and the highest good is God. God does not do anything without a purpose, so he would not have created humans as rational beings for no specific reason. God’s intent and goal for human beings is to be in right relationship with Him and have eternal happiness with God.
Anselm argues that God may seemed compelled to bring out the salvation of the human race by the necessity of avoiding what is unsuitable; however, this is not the case. God is not compelled to do anything. God does his acts voluntarily because he loves us. Because He does things voluntarily, God deserves praise and even greater good. He created us as rational for human beings’ sake, not His own sake (Book 2, Section 4). This aspect of praise also relates to human beings. If a human being does something out of necessity, they deserve little or no praise. It is when individuals act voluntarily that they deserve gratitude. This means an individual should not make satisfaction for their sins out of necessity, but rather, voluntarily and out of love for God (Book 2, Section 5).
In Book 2, Chapter 6, Anselm explains that in order “for anyone to be able to give something of his own to God which surpasses everything that is less than God, it is also necessary for him to be greater than everything that is not God” (Book 2, Section 6). There is nothing, however, that surpasses everything that is not God but God Himself. This means, no one but God can make satisfaction, but man must be the one to make satisfaction. Therefore, it is necessary that there is a God-Man who is able to make satisfaction since the offer has to come from human and the recipient must be God in order to accept the satisfaction. Jesus is the God-Man because he is sinless and salvation is able to occur through Christ. The reason there is a God-Man is because it is not possible to to change one nature into another, it would only be God and not man, or vice versa. It would also not make sense for God to create a third nature from the mix of the two later natures (Book 2, Section 7). This requires that in order to make satisfaction, there must be a human who is truly God and truly man. The divine and human nature must be united in the one person. This one person must unite God, the Word and human nature together. (Book 2, Section 9). This one person who preserves both natures is Jesus Christ who was fully human and God from the beginning. If God was able to change and make a new person, then that would mean it would not have to be Christ in order for salvation, and as mentioned before, it is not fitting for God to take an action without a purpose. He would not have made just anyone in order to save humanity. God’s creation of Jesus was intentional and for the goodness of all human beings. Without Christ, humans would never be able to reach complete satisfaction with God (Book 2, Section 9).
Anselm provides multiple reasons throughout the text as to why Christ is necessary for salvation. The strongest point he makes in regards to this argument is when he talks about human beings not being able to earn salvation on their own. No human being who is sinful can attain happiness or be released from sin unless he repays what he appropriated himself by sinning (Book 1 Section 19). It is not until a human being is sinless can they replace fallen angels. Satisfaction must be in accordance with the measure of the sin, but human beings are not able to make satisfaction without the help of a higher power. This leads to another strong point that Anselm makes about how the only person able to make and accept satisfaction is Jesus who is fully human and fully God (Book 2, Section 9). Without Jesus Christ, humans would never be able to make complete satisfaction and replace the fallen angels.