St. Anselm of Canterbury was between the age seventy-six and seventy-seven when he died. He was born around the year 1033-1034 in Aosta, Lombardy and died on April 21, 1109 in Canterbury. St. Anselm contributed to the philosophical system and tendencies of Christian thinkers known as “Scholasticism” (Pieper, Josef). He also contributed to the discovery and creation of the “Ontological Argument,” which was a argument that speaks of God’s existence. St. Anselm was recognized for the “Satisfaction Theory of Atonement,” which was proposed in his book “Cur De homo? (Why Did God Become Man?)” St. Anselm was born to a wealthy family in Italy. When he was young, Anselm had the thought of becoming a priest. His father did not like that, so he tried to lure him into taking part in a political occupation. Anselm entered Lanfranc’s monastery and began his studies. Since Anselm excelled in education and began his studies in the monastery, it became a priority to be accurate in his words which led to his excellent production of books about God’s existence. Unfortunately, St. Anselm is not alive, but he remained a defender of the faith until he died.
St. Anselm is one of the most important Christian thinkers. He is significant because he created the “Ontological Argument,” which he was most famous for. Among that, he created the “Monologion,” “Prologion,” and “Cur Deus homo?” One of the main reason for its popularity was because it was original. St. Anselm is supposedly not a convert. It is unknown if his parents had a religion. Ever since he was young, Anselm considered the occupation of the priest even though, his father did not support that idea. St. Anselm’s relationship to the Catholic Church was strong. He has always been devoted to the faith ever since he was young. In fact, he became the Archbishop of Canterbury with a purpose of improving the English Church and if it weren’t for him, Bec would not have been known as the area of monastic learning and theological questioning . St. Anselm always defended the faith. Due to his defense, he was put into exile towards the end of his life. St. Anselm was always recognized for his excellence in philosophy and his published books. He is most recognized by people for his “Ontological argument.” He is also recognized for his books: “Monologion,” “Prologion,” and “Cur Deus homo?”
Before leaving to study under Lanfranc, St. Anselm was excellent in his regular studies. St Anselm left Aosta and entered a Benedictine Monastery where Lanfranc was. St. Anselm wanted to study under Lanfranc. I believe that he studied Monasticism with Lanfranc. Though he devoted his life to earning a scholarship while studying, he left the decision of becoming a monk or a Cluny in the hands of Lanfranc, which Lanfranc decided he should enter the monastic life in Bec. St. Anselm took on the occupations such as a Philosopher and an Archbishop of Canterbury. One of his occupations as a Philosopher is because of all the books he has created branches out to all the philosophical and theological matters. As Archbishop of Canterbury, St. Anselm would accept the position and refuse to be consecrated until William Rufus restored the lands of Canterbury and acknowledged Urban II as the rightful pope. Anselm and William were involved in a controversy and Anselm became a major figure in the five year controversy. St. Anselm was not martyred. In fact, he was put in exile from 1103 to 1106, which meant his last few years in life were left peaceful. In New Hampshire, a college was named after St. Anselm. Located in San Anselmo is a private elementary school named after St. Anselm.
