Cur Deus Homo ("Why God was a Man") was written from 1095 to 1098 once Anselm was already archbishop of Canterbury and discusses the Incarnation. It takes the form of a dialogue between Anselm and Boso, one of his students. Its core is a purely rational argument for the necessity of the Christian mystery of atonement, the belief that Jesus's crucifixion was necessary to atone for mankind's sin. This edition also contains a selection of his letters.

"Cur Deus Homo?" is a thought-provoking book by Saint Anselm written between 1094 and 1098. He proposes the satisfaction view of the doctrine of atonement. Does God exist? Why did he have to die? How does his death restore us, humans? Anselm of Canterbury has tried to answer all these difficult questions in this famous work.

`For I do not seek to understand so that I may believe; but I believe so that I may understand. For I believe this also, that unless I believe, I shall not understand.' Does God exist? Can we know anything about God's nature? Have we any reason to think that the Christian religion is true? What is truth, anyway? Do human beings have freedom of choice? Can they have such freedom in a world created by God? These questions, and others, were ones which Anselm of Canterbury (c.1033-1109) took very seriously. He was utterly convinced of the truth of the Christian religion, but he was also determined to try to make sense of his Christian faith. Recognizing that the Christian God is incomprehensible, he also believed that Christianity is not simply something to be swallowed with mouth open and eyes shut. For Anselm, the doctrines of Christianity are an invitation to question, to think, and to learn. Anselm is studied today because his rigour of thought and clarity of writing place him among the greatest of theologians and philosophers. This translation provides readers with their first opportunity to read all of his most important works within the covers of a single volume. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

After Aquinas, Anselm is the most significant medieval thinker. Utterly convinced of the truth of the Christian religion, he was none the less determined to try to make sense of his Christian faith, and the result is a rigorous engagement with problems of logic which remain relevant for philosophers and theologians even today. This translation provides the first opportunity to read all of Anselm's most important works in one volume. - ;`For I do not seek to understand so that I may believe; but I believe so that I may understand. For I believe this also, that unless I believe, I shall not understand.' Does God exist? Can we know anything about God's nature? Have we any reason to think that the Christian religion is true? What is truth, anyway? Do human beings have freedom of choice? Can they have such freedom in a world created by God? These questions, and others, were ones which Anselm of Canterbury (c.1033-1109) took very seriously. He was utterly convinced of the truth of the Christian religion, but he was also determined to try to make sense of his Christian faith. Recognizing that the Christian God is incomprehensible, he also believed that Christianity is not simply something to be swallowed with mouth open and eyes shut. For Anselm, the doctrines of Christianity are an invitation to question, to think, and to learn. Anselm is studied today because his rigour of thought and clarity of writing place him among the greatest of theologians and philosophers. This translation provides readers with their first opportunity to read all of his most important works within the covers of a single volume. -

The masterwork of St. Anselm, Cur Deus Homo asks the essential question of theology - "Why was God a Man?" Written by Anselm in the midst of his spiritual life and contemplation, Anselm attempts to answer this question with a reasoned discussion of the Christian canon. God's incarnation in the form of Jesus Christ is investigated, with the Biblical sources examined and discussed at length. The mission of Christ as a manifest teacher without sin, and his birth in an ordinary village in Palestine, is closely detailed by the studied Anselm. Saint Anselm eventually arrives at the conclusion that while man is an imperfect and sinful being without the ability to fully devote himself to God, God himself possesses the essential power and ability to place himself among and die for mankind in a bid for humanity to live for Him. It is thus that Anselm arrives at the 'satisfaction theory of atonement' (satisfaction in the sense meaning restitution rather than gratification), whereby Christ's death for human sin is a just act of Godly wrath against man's sinfulness. Adopted from a translation to English by Sidney Norton Deane, first published in 1903, this edition of Cur Deus Homo is well presented and highly readable for the modern Christian and general readers.