St. Anselm's Proslogion by Saint Anselm

St. Anselm's Proslogion by Saint Anselm

In the Proslogion St. Anselm presents a philosophical argument for the existence of God. Anselm's proof, known since the time of Kant as the ontological argument for the existence of God, has played an important role in the history of philosophy and has been incorporated in various forms into the systems of Descartes, Leibniz, Hegel, and others. Included in this edition of St. Anselm's Proslogion are Gaunilo's A Reply on Behalf of the Fool and St. Anselm's The Author's Reply to Gaunilo. All three works are given in the original Latin with English translation on facing pages. Professor Charlesworth provides in his introduction a helpful discussion of the context of the Proslogion in the theological tradition and in Anselm's own thought and writing. His commentary exhibits a careful analysis of Anselm's progression of thought and illuminates his argument by comparing it with the later ontological argument of Descartes. Professor Charlesworth deals critically with various interpretations of the Proslogion by later theologians, notably Aquinas and Karl Barth.

"An excellent translation, introduction, and commentary on this important theological treatise. . . The author's point of view is that though Anselm sees reason as operating within the realm of faith, he also sees it as operating 'prior to and independently of faith' so that the argument of this treatise is intended to have validity not only for the believer but also for the unbeliever." —Choice

"A most useful edition, with Latin text and Professor Charlesworth's lucid translation on facing pages. The Introduction consists of a succinct historical sketch of the ontological argument, a biographical chapter on St. Anselm and his times, and an illuminating exposition of his thought, with particular reference to the relationship of his ideas to those of St. Augustine, and a thoroughgoing refutation of Barth's interpretation of Anselm." —Reprint Bulletin Book Reviews

Anselm of Canterbury (1033/4-1109), also called Anselm of Aosta (Italian: Anselmo d'Aosta) after his birthplace and Anselm of Bec (French: Anselme du Bec) after his monastery, was a Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher and theologian of the Catholic Church, who held the office of archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109. After his death, he was canonized as a saint.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780268016975
ISBN 10	0268016976
Title	St. Anselm's Proslogion
Author	Saint Anselm
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	University of Notre Dame Press
Year published	1979-07-01
Number of pages	206
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.