Anselm

Anselm’s acceptance of three sources for knowledge of God (in reason, the teaching authority of the Bible and church, and experience) is used to try to overcome the conventional opposition between philosophers and theologians on how Anselm should be interpreted. In particular, due note is taken of aesthetic aspects to his search for understanding and also the various ways in which these might contribute to the holding of his three epistemic sources in creative tension and all within an ideal of monastic contemplation. This aesthetic perspective is explored well beyond its customary location in Cur Deus Homo to include other writings such as On Truth, the Proslogion, and On the Procession of the Holy Spirit. This chapter ends by acknowledging the limitations inherent in Anselm’s approach.