St. Anselm of Canterbury: Proslogion

St. Anselm enthroned as archbishop, Composite manuscript. MS. Auct. D. 2. 6, pt.III ( = fols.156-200), St. Anselm's Prayers and Meditations in a copy made c.1130-40 for a house of white canons, Bodleian Library, Oxford.

Recognized as a Doctor of the Church and celebrated by many as the progenitor of Scholasticism, Anselm is a preeminent representative of philosophical theology. In the Proslogion (originally titled: Fides Quaerens Intellectum [Faith Seeking Understanding]), Anselm “aims at proving in a single argument the existence of God”. Written during 1077-78, it remains his most renowned work. Image links to Hopkins and Richardson translation. ISBN recommendation: 0889460000

St. Anselm of Canterbury: Monologion

St. Anselm hands over his writings to Mathilde. Anselm of Canterbury, Orationes, Diocese of Salzburg, around 1160. Admont, Stiftsbibliothek, Ms. 289, fol. 1v.

Anselm’s An Example of Meditation on the Grounds of Faith (Monologion) is a philosophic soliloquy upon the highest of all existing things (God) and prepares the foundation for the Proslogion. It was written during 1075-76 and relies heavily upon writings of St. Augustine and Boethius. Image links to Hopkins and Richardson translation. ISBN recommendation: 0889460000