From beginner-friendly introductions to classic works by St. Anselm, this page features books to suit any learning style. It’s important to note that there is no single best book on Anselm. The best book for you will depend heavily on your preferred learning style and the amount of time/energy you’re willing to spend reading. For example, if you tend to find classic works of philosophy difficult to understand, you might want to start with a short, beginner-friendly introduction. If you prefer more depth, you can choose a more comprehensive introduction or read St. Anselm for yourself.
It’s also worth noting that it is not a list of personal recommendations. Personal book recommendations tend to be highly subjective, idiosyncratic, and unreliable. This list is part of a collection of over 100 philosophy reading lists which aim to provide a central resource for philosophy book recommendations. These lists were created by searching through hundreds of university course syllabi, internet encyclopedia bibliographies, and community recommendations. Links to the syllabi and other sources used to create this list are at the end of the post. Following these links will help you quickly find a broader range of options if the listed books do not fit what you are looking for.
Here are the best books on or by St. Anselm in no particular order.
Anselm – G. R. Evans
Category: Short Introduction | Length: 124 pages | Published: 2005
Publisher description: St Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) was one of the greatest Christian writers of medieval Europe. Although best known as the inventor of the famous ‘ontological argument’ for God’s existence, his writings cover all the chief aspects of Christian doctrine and have been a major influence on western theology.
Equal to Anselm’s theology are his spiritual writings, which are alive with an understanding of the gentleness and mercy of a God who comes to meet humanity in its suffering and striving.
In this exceptional and authoritative study, Dr. Evans explores the full range of Anselm’s work, expertly placing both the theology and the devotional writings in context for the modern reader.
Anselm – Sandra Visser & Thomas Williams
Category: General Introduction | Length: 320 pages | Published: 2008
Publisher description: Sandra Visser and Thomas Williams offer a brief, accessible introduction to the life and thought of Saint Anselm (c. 1033-1109). Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury for the last sixteen years of his life, is one of the foremost philosopher-theologians of the Middle Ages. His keen and rigorous thinking earned him the title “The Father of Scholasticism,” and his influence is discernible in figures as various as Thomas Aquinas, John Duns Scotus, the voluntarists of the late-thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and the Protestant reformers.
In part I of this book, Visser and Williams lay out the framework of Anselm’s thought: his approach to what he calls “the reason of faith,” his account of thought and language, and his theory of truth. Part II focuses on Anselm’s account of God and the divine attributes, and it shows how Anselm applies his theory of language and thought to develop a theological semantics that at once respects divine transcendence and allows for the possibility of divine rational knowledge….
The Cambridge Companion to Anselm – Brian Davies & Brian Leftow
Category: Comprehensive Overview | Length: 338 pages | Published: 2005
Publisher description: Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), Benedictine monk and the second Norman archbishop of Canterbury, is regarded as one of the most important philosophers and theologians of the Middle Ages. The essays in this volume explore all his major philosophical and theological ideas, including his teachings on faith and reason, God’s existence and nature, logic, freedom, truth, ethics, and key Christian doctrines. They also cover his life, the sources of his thought, and his influence on other thinkers.
The Major Works – St. Anselm
Category: Anthology | Length: 544 pages | Published: 2008
Publisher description: Although utterly convinced of the truth of Christianity, Anselm of Canterbury struggled to make sense of his religion. He considered the doctrines of faith an invitation to question, to think, and to learn; and he devoted his life to confronting and understanding the most elusive aspects of Christianity. His writings on matters such as free will, the nature of truth, and the existence of God make Anselm one of the greatest theologians and philosophers in history, and this translation provides readers with their first opportunity to read his most important works within a single volume.
Proslogion – St. Anselm
Category: Classic | Length: 64 pages
Publisher description:
Thomas Williams’ edition offers an Introduction well suited for use in an introductory philosophy course, as well as his own preeminent translation of the text.
Three Philosophical Dialogues – St. Anselm
Category: Classic | Length: 128 pages
Publisher description: In these three dialogues, renowned for their dialectical structure and linguistic precision, Anselm sets out his classic account of the relationship between freedom and sin–its linchpin his definition of freedom of choice as the power to preserve rectitude of will for its own sake. In doing so, Anselm explores the fascinating implications for God, human beings, and angels (good and bad) of his conclusion that freedom of choice neither is nor entails the power to sin.
In addition to an Introduction, notes, and a glossary, Thomas Williams brings to the translation of these important dialogues the same precision and clarity that distinguish his previous translation of Anselm’s Proslogion and Monologion, which Professor Paul Spade of Indiana University called “scrupulously faithful and accurate without being slavishly literal, yet lively and graceful to both the eye and ear.
The following sources were used to build this list:
Bibliographies:
- Bibliography for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on St. Anselm
- Bibliography for the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on St. Anselm
Additional Resources
You might also be interested in the following reading lists:
- The Best Introductory Philosophy Books
- The Best Books on Medieval Philosophy
- The Best Books on the Philosophy of Religion
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A History of Western Philosophy in 500 Essential Quotations – Lennox Johnson
Category: Reference | Length: 145 pages | Published: 2019
Publisher’s Description: A History of Western Philosophy in 500 Essential Quotations is a collection of the greatest thoughts from history’s greatest thinkers. Featuring classic quotations by Aristotle, Epicurus, David Hume, Friedrich Nietzsche, Bertrand Russell, Michel Foucault, and many more, A History of Western Philosophy in 500 Essential Quotations is ideal for anyone looking to quickly understand the fundamental ideas that have shaped the modern world.