Anselm of Canterbury

Before the Close of 2009, Anselm Should be Remembered

Anselm, born in Italy in 1033, was blessed with a faithful mother who taught him the ways of God, and that was mainly through her own prayers. As a child being reared around the Italian Alps, he thought of God as above, high and exalted, much like the towering peaks before his eyes. But his young manhood years were not anguish-free. After his mother died, focus turned to his father. He quarreled with his dad, and evidently, the quarreling was over the proverbial concerns of his dad riding him about making something of his life. He ended up leaving home in his late teens.

He headed north and west into France by foot--can you imagine?--crossing the Alps! He nearly died in the trek. We might say that he literally stumbled onto the care of the local abbey of Lu Bec, near Rouen, France. While there in the area, he soon learned about the able French teacher of law, Lanfranc. Anslem made use of some money left to him after his father had passed away and was seated as a student.

Lanfranc soon learned that Anselm worked hard and within a few short years, the dividends paid off academically. This model student became known around the circles of Christian orthodoxy, and that led to a number of assignments: first, as a monk, then to the elevated service as a Prior, and eventually an Abbot. He ended up taking Lanfranc's position in Normandy.

From his letters in the years as an Abbot, we learn of his pastoral approach with respect to the concerns of fellow churchman. He also at this time began to turn to his first writing projects. He wrote his now-famous twin-works: The Monologium and The Proslogium. The Monologium takes up The Existence and Attributes of God. Famous proofs for the existence of God are noted. The Proslogium annotates his pursuit of explanation of various points of theology--he wanted to grow in the faithful understanding of orthodox doctrine. In the writing of his Proslogium, his signature theme surfaces: Faith Seeking Understanding. We hear that a lot in reformed theology. Faith submitting to the Word for understanding. The Word, in accord with the Holy Spirit, directs the thoughts and intellectual quests of man's understanding, not the reverse--not reason and rationality working it's way to faith!

As part of his work as Abbot, Anselm was summoned to England, and after a few urgings, became the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1093.

Here, at this post as Archbishop, Anselm's major contribution to the biblically conservative, evangelical faith emerged. It's his doctrine of Christ's atonement. His work, Cur Deus Homo, remains a reliable rule for the doctrine of the person and work of Christ to this day. The title is, Why God became Man? The book covers the importance of the penal substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ for the sinner. It rests squarely on the biblical teaching of God's justice rightly due to fall on man as sinner. Sin requires judgment. Anslem explored the fact that God's righteous standard must be maintained, He cannot pardon sinners by lowering His requirements of holiness. He cannot turn and wink at the sinner, and He cannot let sin and justice dissolve. Sin is sin! Justice is justice! In order to satisfy the just reward of death, judgment and hell due to man's sin, someone--a genuine, authentic man--must satisfy and pay according to God's demand. God must be vindicated in keeping with the demands of His own holy nature. So, God became man--very God who became very man.

Christ's death was the penal acceptance offered to God in that He took on Himself the penalty of death, judgment and hell when He died. His death was God's appointed substitution in that He was the One who died for sinners, for us, when He was nailed to the cross. God's wrath must be turned away--we praise Him, for Jesus Christ covers our sin, and covers over the just wrath of God. By faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, God pardons the sinner, accepts him and reckons him righteous because of the righteous record and satisfaction of Christ.

Anselm faithfully recovered this potent doctrine of the atonement. He corrected the teaching from the earlier work of the churchman, Origen (d. about 250 A.D.), who taught that Christ died paying a ransom to the devil. Origen viewed Satan as having legal authority over sinners, and in order to be freed from him, payment must be made to him.

Anslem died in April of 1109. He advanced the church's formulation of such essentials for historic backbone and biblical faith. We stand on his shoulders today.

G. Mark Sumpter