ANSELM (1033-1109)A RELUCTANT BISHOP WITH CRAZY MIND!

10-1-15 Sri

About Anselm Called as “Second Augustine” Christian Philosopher Born in Aosta, Italy, in 1033 A wandering scholar to the Benedictine

monastery at Bec. @ 27 Monologion (1076) Proslogion (1077-78) – “Striving to

elevate his own mind to the contemplation of God” - Preface

After 1078 after he became abbot De grammatico – intro to logic On Truth and On Free Will – 1080-85 On the Fall of the Devil – 1085-90 His new job was clearly devoted more to

administration than to contemplation

Apologetic works The Letter on the Incarnation of the

Word 1092-94 Why did God become Man?1097-98 On the Virgin Birth and Original Sin

1099-1100 On the Procession of the Holy Spirit 1103 On the Sacraments of the Church 1106-7 On the Harmony of the Foreknowledge,

Predestination, and the Grace of God with Fee Choice 1107-8

Summary of Proslogium Anselm develops the ontological

argument, by which presents the idea of God to God as existent

He hopes that this one argument will be sufficient to prove all Divine Substance

He included various arguments of Monologium

After proving the existence of God, he goes onto prove God’s attributes

In general Anselm’s thought belong to the Augustinian tradition

Intro and Chap.1He writes as one who contemplates God

and seeks to understand what he believes.Monologium – “An example of Meditation

on the grounds of Faith” Proslogium – “Faith seeking

understanding”Anselm – We believe that we may

understand (Credo, ut intelligam), as opposed to seeking to understand in order that we may believe.

Chapters 2-4/5 – The Ontological Argument

Chapters 5-22 – The Attributes of God Chapters 23-26 – The Trinity, creative

life and blessed life “For if the Created life is good, how good

is the creative life” – Ch.24 “The blessed shall rejoice according as

they shall love; and they shall love according as they shall know” – Ch.26

Ontological Argument? The Ontological argument is an

argument based not on observation of the Universe or the World like Cosmological or Teleological.

It is based on “reason” Ontology is study of “being”

Anselm Argument, Ch.2 Proslogium Anselm’s God – “a being that which no

greater being can be conceived.” [definition]

1. God exists in the understanding but not in reality

2. Existence in reality is greater than existence in the understanding alone

3. God’s existence in reality is conceivable

4. If God did exist in reality, then he would be greater than he is (from 1 and 2)

5. It is conceivable that there be a being greater than God is (from 3 and 4)

6. It is conceivable that there be a being greater than the being than which nothing greater can be conceived (5, and by the definition of God)

7. If is false that it is conceivable that there be a being than which none grater can be conceived Since 6 and 7 contradicts each other8. It is false that God exists in the understanding but not in reality.

It is cheating!! You just playing with words

I’ll install a dictionary in my iphone, when Anselm is preaching!!

I think you need

Thesaurus man

If X has every property Y has, and X exists and Y not, then X is > Y

OrFor any two worlds A and B and object X, ifX exists in A and X does not exist in B, thenX in A exceeds the greatness of X in B

Anselm takes existence to be a property of an object that makes it great!

Chapter 3 of Anselm Proslogium1. Suppose that God – again understood as “that than which nothing greater can be conceived” – does not exist 2. Now, it is possible to conceive of a being which cannot be conceived not to exist3. This being is greater than a being that cannot be to exist

4. If that, than which nothing greater can be conceived (God) can be conceived not to exist, then it is not that, than which nothing greater can be conceived (from 3)5. But this is a contradiction6. Therefore, God exists and is a being that cannot be conceived not to exist.

What Anselm mean by ch. 2 & 3If X cannot be conceived not to exist, thenX’s existence is said to be necessary.

To say that X existence is necessary,Is to say that X exists in every possible world.

Conclusion is God’s existence is necessary !!

Little simple 1. God is that than which no greater can be conceived.2. If God is that than which no greater can be conceived then there is nothing greater than God that can be imagined. Therefore:3. There is nothing greater than God that can be imagined.4. If God does not exist then there is something greater than God that can be imagined. Therefore:5. God exists.

When man is incapable of understanding God, How Anselm wants to seek God through thinking?

God cannot lie, it is lack of Omnipotence! How Anselm answered?

If you have to add scripture to Anselm’s argument how you do it?

Gaunilio A monk and a contemporary of Anselm He believed in the existence of God as a

matter of faith rather than reason He attempted to refute the Anselm’s

argument and came with “island” example as a refute to the Ontological argument.

In the Anselm’s argument he replaced the term from God to “island”

Gaunilo objection 1. The Lost Island is that than which no greater

island can be conceived. (Definition) 2. The Lost Island exists in the mind, but not in

reality. 3. Existence in reality is greater than existence in

the understanding alone. (Premise) 4. It is conceivable that the Lost Island exists in

reality. (Premise) 5. It is conceivable that there is an island greater

than the Lost Island. (Follows from 2, 3, and 4) It is conceivable that there is an island greater

than that island than which no greater island can be conceived. (Follows from 1 and 5).

Who is right? If Guanilo right then God does not exist in the mind of the Fool?

When God does not exist in fool’s mind, then Fool can not believe in God! When Fool can not believe in God then he is not responsible for believingTherefore he don’t believe God and not responsible and salvation is not required If it is so, then I’ll rather become a fool than to become a believer, because I don’t have to live a conditional life!!

Prove me I’m wrong by using Anselm’s argument..

In light of Anselm’s argument how do you answer Atheist; if he asks this!

One can define existence of a Lion cause we know what it is, Does this work for God?

Bibliography

Cross, F. L., and Elizabeth A. Livingstone, eds. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Barrett B. David, The Encyclopedia of Christianity: Volume 1, A-D. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001.

Edgar, William and K. Scott Oliphint. Christian Apologetics: Past and Present. Vol. 1. Wheaton, IL: Crossway,2009.

Geisler, Norman L. Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Baker Reference Library. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999.

Smith, William, and Henry Wace, eds. A Dictionary of Christian Biography, Literature, Sects and Doctrines. London: John Murray, 1877–1887.

Hastings, Adrian, Alistair Mason, and Hugh S. Pyper. The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.