I have received two replies to date regarding my querry about writings on
God's attributes in the 11th and 12th century. Allow me to answer them in
kind.
First: 'any speculations you'd like to make on the relationship btw this view
of
God and the "discovery of the self" that marks this same period?' - rlandes
I must confess that I am not altogether clear on what you mean by 'this view
of God'. As to the 'discovery of the self' I can't help but wonder if that
was a development that applied more to the elite than to the masses and, in
particular, to coenobitic communities (pace Morris). John of Fecamp may have
written private prayers for Empress Agnes and Anselm may have written prayers
and meditations for Adelaide, but neither would have been keen to promote
their life style above that of the monastic ideal. If we are to believe
Anselm and his biographer, his greatest desire in life was to remain a simple
monk, one of a community, enjoying the pleasures of prayer, meditation and
fellowship in worshipping God. Furthermore, Anselm's Monologion and
Proslogion (along with other works) were motivated by and directed to
communities. It seems to me that one of the chief concerns in the Proslogion
is to determine that what the community of faith believes about God is indeed
true (cf. chap 2).
On the other hand, I can see how reflections on God's character could
encourage thinking on the individual. But that is a different matter. I
don't mean to be pedantic, but could you tell me more of what you have in mind
when you speak of the 'discovery of the self'?
Second: 'Do you mean among writers of that time period, or among modern
writers?
Among 11th-12th century writers, the list is endless; you could look at
monastic writers such as Bernard of Clairvaux or William of St. Thierry, or
early scholastic writers such as Peter Lombard or Peter Abelard--and that's
just for starters. Among modern writers, try Landgraf, Pelikan, Chenu,
Gilson, de Ghellinck, Bell, Elder,--again, just for starters.' - Steve
Cartwright, Western Michigan University
I apologize for being so vague. I am interested more in writers who are
contemporary to Anselm - especially at the time he was writing the Proslogion
(c. 1077-8). I realize that a great deal of what Anselm wrote was deeply
influenced by Augustine, but I am wondering which of his contemporaries would
also have contributed to his thinking. Bernard of Clairvaux, William of St.
Thierry, Lombard and Abelard are all excellent people to look at to see the
development of theological discourse on the nature and attributes of God after
Anselm (all sources I will eventually deal with in one way or another), but
what of thinkers active during and before the Proslogion?
I suppose the reason I am asking this question is because when I think of
Anselm's immediate context, I think of a period where education, even in
monastic schools, seems to have been preoccupied with the trivium (eg.
Lanfranc), the development of canon law (eg. Ivo of Chartres), and with
teaching, for lack of a better term, skills for living (cf. Jaeger). In other
words, no one else seemed to be doing what Anselm did. To be sure, monks were
interested in questions concerning meditation on the divine (cf. Clanchy), but
only Anselm seems to address their questions with a treatise on God's
character and attributes.
I hope I haven't muddied the waters. Any comments or suggestions would be
most helpful.
David
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