Monologium

Anselm of Canterbury — translated by Sidney Norton Deane (Open Court, 1903; reprint 1926), from CCEL.

The earlier and longer of the two meditations (1076), written at his monks’ request as an example of meditation on the grounds of faith. It argues from the degrees of goodness in things up to the supreme Being, then treats the divine nature, the Word, and the Trinity — reasoning throughout, as Anselm insisted, by reason alone and without appeal to Scripture’s authority.

Up: Anselm of Canterbury

Contents (80)

1. Preface
2. Chapter 1. There is a being which is best, and greatest, and highest of all existing beings
3. Chapter 2. The same subject continued
4. Chapter 3. There is a certain Nature through which whatever is exists, and which exists through itself, and is the highest of all existing beings
5. Chapter 4. The same subject continued
6. Chapter 5. Just as this Nature exists through itself, and other beings through it, so it derives existence from itself, and other beings from it
7. Chapter 6
8. Chapter 7. In what way all other beings exist through this Nature and derive existence from it
9. Chapter 8. How it is to be understood that this Nature created all things from nothing
10. Chapter 9. Those things which were created from nothing had an existence before their creation in the thought of the Creator
11. Chapter 10
12. Chapter 11. The analogy, however, between the expression of the Creator and the expression of the artisan is very incomplete
13. Chapter 12. This expression of the supreme Being is the supreme Being
14. Chapter 13. As all things were created through the supreme Being, so all live through it
15. Chapter 14. This Being is in all things, and throughout all; and all derive existence from it and exist through and in it
16. Chapter 15. What can or cannot be stated concerning the substance of this Being
17. Chapter 16
18. Chapter 17
19. Chapter 18. It is without beginning and without end
20. Chapter 19. In what sense nothing existed before or will exist after this Being
21. Chapter 20. It exists in every place and at every time
22. Chapter 21. It exists in no place or time
23. Chapter 22. How it exists in every place and time, and in none
24. Chapter 23. How it is better conceived to exist everywhere than in every place
25. Chapter 24. How it is better understood to exist always than at every time
26. Chapter 25
27. Chapter 26. How this Being is said to be substance: it transcends all substance and is individually whatever it is
28. Chapter 27. It is not included among substances as commonly treated, yet it is a substance and an indivisible spirit
29. Chapter 28. This Spirit exists simply, and created beings are not comparable with him
30. Chapter 29. His expression is identical with himself, and consubstantial with him, since there are not two spirits, but one
31. Chapter 30. This expression does not consist of more words than one, but is one Word
32. Chapter 31
33. Chapter 32. The supreme Spirit expresses himself by a coeternal Word
34. Chapter 33. He utters himself and what he creates by a single consubstantial Word
35. Chapter 34. How he can express the created world by his Word
36. Chapter 35. Whatever has been created is in his Word and knowledge, life and truth
37. Chapter 36. In how incomprehensible a way he expresses or knows the objects created by him
38. Chapter 37
39. Chapter 38. It cannot be explained why they are two, although they must be so
40. Chapter 39. This Word derives existence from the supreme Spirit by birth
41. Chapter 40. He is most truly a parent, and that Word his offspring
42. Chapter 41. He most truly begets, and it is most truly begotten
43. Chapter 42. It is the property of the one to be most truly progenitor and Father, and of the other to be the begotten and Son
44. Chapter 43. Consideration of the common attributes of both and the individual properties of each
45. Chapter 44. How one is the essence of the other
46. Chapter 45
47. Chapter 46. How some of these truths which are thus expounded may also be conceived of in another way
48. Chapter 47. The Son is the intelligence of intelligence and the Truth of truth
49. Chapter 48. How the Son is the intelligence or wisdom of memory or the memory of the Father and of memory
50. Chapter 49. The supreme Spirit loves himself
51. Chapter 50. The same love proceeds equally from Father and Son
52. Chapter 51. Each loves himself and the other with equal love
53. Chapter 52. This love is as great as the supreme Spirit himself
54. Chapter 53. This love is identical with the supreme Spirit, and yet it is itself with the Father and the Son one spirit
55. Chapter 54. It proceeds as a whole from the Father, and as a whole from the Son, and yet does not exist except as one love
56. Chapter 55. This love is not their Son
57. Chapter 56. Only the Father begets and is unbegotten; only the son is begotten; only love neither begotten nor unbegotten
58. Chapter 57
59. Chapter 58
60. Chapter 59. The Father and the Son and their Spirit exist equally the one in the other
61. Chapter 60
62. Chapter 61. Yet there are not three, but one Father and one Son and one Spirit
63. Chapter 62. How it seems that of these three more sons than one are born
64. Chapter 63. How among them there is only one Son of one Father, that is, one Word, and that from the Father alone
65. Chapter 64. Though this truth is inexplicable, it demands belief
66. Chapter 65. How real truth may be reached in the discussion of an ineffable subject
67. Chapter 66. Through the rational mind is the nearest approach to the supreme Being
68. Chapter 67. The mind itself is the mirror and image of that Being
69. Chapter 68. The rational creature was created in order that it might love this Being
70. Chapter 69. The soul that ever loves this Essence lives at some time in true blessedness
71. Chapter 70. This Being gives itself in return to the creature that loves it, that that creature may be eternally blessed
72. Chapter 71. The soul that despises this being will be eternally miserable
73. Chapter 72. Every human soul is immortal. And it is either forever miserable, or at some time truly blessed
74. Chapter 73. No soul is unjustly deprived of the supreme good, and every effort must be directed toward that good
75. Chapter 74. The supreme Being is to be hoped for
76. Chapter 75. We must believe in this Being, that is, by believing we must reach out for it
77. Chapter 76. We should believe in Father and Son and in their Spirit equally, and in each separately, and in the three at once
78. Chapter 77. What is living, and what dead faith
79. Chapter 78. The supreme Being may in some sort be called Three
80. Chapter 79. This Essence itself is God, who alone is lord and ruler of all