Dr Paul Allen

The fifth of Thomas Aquinas' proofs of God's existence was based on teleology (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) In the eleventh century, one of the church’s most brilliant thinkers, Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, wrote three important works that have influenced the church ever since. In the field of Christian philosophy , he gave us his Monologium and his Proslogium ; in the field of systematic theology, he penned the great Christian classic Cur Deus Homo , which being translated means “Why the God-Man?” In this work, Anselm set forth the philosophical and theological foundations for an important aspect of the church’s understanding of the atonement of Christ , specifically the satisfaction view of the atonement. In it, Anselm argued that it was necessary for the atonement to take place in order to satisfy the justice of God. That viewpoint became the centerpiece of classical Christian orthodoxy in the Middle Ages , in terms of the church’s understanding of the work of Christ...

Image via Wikipedia Anselm held the position of archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109. A Benedictine monk , philosopher, and theologian, he stands as one of the most significant thinkers in the history of the Western church . His influence is not due to the sheer volume of his writings but to his ability to expound profound subjects biblically and thoughtfully in just a few words. In general, the assumption exists that to make a significant contribution to the body of literature that shapes scholarly thought requires the production of massive tomes. Anselm’s impact completely overthrows this notion. His thought has had far-reaching consequences, even to this day. Anselm, more than any of the other thinkers of antiquity, plumbed the depths of the substitutionary, satisfaction view of the atonement. In his book  Cur Deus Homo  (Why the Godman?), he saw the work of Christ on the cross as an act of propitiation by which Jesus satisfied the demands of God ’s jus...