St. Anselm
Father of Scholasticism 1033 - 1109
R. Rios in the Dublin Review of 1943 wrote about St. Anselm that “His position as a Doctor of the Church is unique, for it was he who closed the patristic period and opened the age of the Schoolmen with the golden key of his theological speculation.” Though he was known for his great learning, he was remembered by those who were closest to him for his great love. Because he had experienced difficulties with over strict teachers in his youth, he became a real defender of youth and their right to learn of their faith in a respectful manner. But it was his brilliant mind and ability to state it in writing that also earned him a secondary title as Defender of the Rights of the Church.
St. Anselm, Not Always Headed for the Church
Denied application into a monastery because of his father's disapproval at the age of 15, he led a worldly life until he left home in 1056 A.D. Studying in various schools, he became a disciple of a monk in Normandy, and joined the monastery in 1060 A.D. He excelled and advanced quickly, becoming prior three years later and abbot in 1078 A.D.
St. Anselm’s Defense of the Church and of Schools
His first battle began upon the death of an Archbishop. St. Anselm was put in the position of having to defend the right to spiritual independence of the Archdiocese from the King. King William II refused him and it was here where the battles began between politics and religion. The king refused him the right to call counsels or synods, and demanded extortion payments from St. Anselm who refused him for many years. The King went so far as to ask the Pope to exile Anselm, and St. Anselm submitted his resignation but the Pope refused. Ordering the King to return and reinstate St. Anselm, return all church properties and let him do his work in peace, he refused. St. Anselm only returned after the King’s death.
St. Anselm, Defender of Slaves and Education
In a time when such speculation was considered fruitless, St. Anselm denounced the slave trade in a profoundly vocal way. It really made him mad and it showed.
But it was his eminence in theology that earned his titles. His belief was that revelation and reason could be brought into harmony. He was the first of the Doctors to utilize the rationalism of Aristotle and introduce it into theology.
St. Anselm’s Written Works
Monologion, Proslogion, Faith Seeking Understanding, Cur Deus Homo, Many Prayers and Meditations, Mariale, De fide Trinitatis, De Veritate, Liber Apologeticus pro insipiente, Cur Deus Homo
The Eighteenth Doctor of the Catholic Church
The Twentieth Doctor of the Catholic Church
Sources: The 33 Doctors of the Church – By Fr. Christopher Rengers, A Catholic Dictionary – By William Addis, The Writings of the Early Church Fathers (Thirty Eight Volumes): Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post Nicene – Hendrickson Publishers, Dictionary of Saints – By John J. Delaney, Encyclopedia of Heresies and Heretics – By Chas S. Clifton, A Scholastic Miscellany: Anselm to Ockham – Edited by Eugene R. Fairweather, A Short History of Christian Doctrine: From the First Century to the Present – By Bernhard Lohse
St. Anselm
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